2023-24 Wisconsin Basketball season thread

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, Samurai Bucky said:

I'll be honest -- I had tried to finish up what I was doing so I could watch.  I'm glad I didn't hurry.

I can't say anything much about the play, but it looks like it was a "die by the 3" game.  5/21 from beyond the arc.  33% from the field (29% in the second half), 12 turnovers and only 28 points in the paint.  Heck, even only 59% from the line.  I'm not sure what is going on, but I wonder if there is something in the locker room.  This is quite an abrupt turnaround going from playing good basketball and playing great once in a while and now playing like dog crap.

I guess a positive is Crowl getting 13 boards.  He also put up more than 2 shot attempts.

I really don't think there's a locker room issue. Of course unless you're there you never know, but the only frustrations I see are related to what's going on between the lines & never seem to linger.

To me it's the boring, coachspeak stuff-----The defense started out scary bad at times, trended upward, and is now inexplicably going south again. That stuff is scouting, preparedness, learning tendencies, then go out & hustle & move your feet. They've done it. Do it again. The defensive rebounding hasn't been horrible but disappears at the worst times. Consistency. And the TOs, usually at the start of games, is maddening. I put all that stuff on the list ahead of shooting, because that can come & go. It'll get better. The other stuff has to be a bedrock.

Oh, and get a little healthier.😁

[Playing Catch]

I think that the team was ramped up going into Nebraska. They played great for 30 minutes, and lost focus. I think they recovered and ramped up to play Purdue really tough, but lost. I think they struggled to ramp up against last place Michigan, and paid for it. Now with 3 losses in tow, they are truly being tested mentally/emotionally, and have to go play against the dynamite defense of Steve Pikiell's Rutgers, who were clearly licking their chops to tear the Badgers apart from the tip. The Badgers couldn't recover and fight enough to overcome the other peaks and valleys of the game.

I'm sure the coaches and players share our disappointment and frustration with the results of the last 4 games. But this team is too good to let this slide define their season. All they need is one win to recover their focus and go on a run to finish the season.

There were MANY January/February stretches in Bo's career that left us gnashing teeth in a similar fashion. This team and this coaching staff will get the guys back up for OSU tomorrow.

It's a huge opportunity for them to regain focus and confidence, and hopefully lead to a nice 7-game win streak to finish the regular season (that's right... all seven).

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, Playing Catch said:

 

 (that's right... all seven).

At Mackey Arena on Senior Day is a TALLLLLLLL order. I like the way you think though.

[Samurai Bucky]

19 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

I think that the team was ramped up going into Nebraska. They played great for 30 minutes, and lost focus.

AJ Storr was carrying the team against Nebraska in the first half.  Nebraska clamped down on him and did a great job of doubling down low especially against Crowl.  

The Badgers can beat anybody if they hit their threes.  If they don't, it is a huge uphill battle.

[RedStickBrew]

Better effort this first half. Bucky dominating on the boards, hit a couple threes and got to the free throw line. They did turn it over 7 times though. That still needs to improve 

[Jim French Stepstool]

The middle ten to twelve minutes before & after halftime were pretty entertaining. But they still can't shake the early turnovers, and the 1-3-1 OSU went to in the 2nd half led to some really ugly possessions. It neutralized Crowl, who pretty much had his way in the 1st half, and really upset the whole flow. Took Storr away as well.

Terrific line for Hepburn. Seven assists in 39 minutes w/zero turnovers & five rebounds. Two steals, and some questionable calls kept him from having one or two more. And a late dagger. Easily the player of the game. I thought we were aided by some pretty ugly halfcourt play by Ohio State, but you can't complain when the defense gives up 54. Well, one complaint: Wahl inexplicably kept losing Mahaffey. Don't know if he was over-helping or what, but if he simply plays him honestly OSU doesn't break fifty.

Counting the days til the return of Blackwell & McGee. Minimal bench contributions tonite. A little spark from Winter, but a couple bad TOs too. I would have to think the door is wide open for Ilver if he can step through as Gilmore is scuffling.

[RobDeer 45]

Missed the game last night unfortunately but great to see them get back on track.  We need to figure out the turnovers and yes, getting guys healthy and back on the court will be huge.  They are a good team.  Hopefully they start to get hot again heading in to the tournament.

[Samurai Bucky]

14 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Counting the days til the return of Blackwell & McGee. Minimal bench contributions tonite. A little spark from Winter, but a couple bad TOs too. I would have to think the door is wide open for Ilver if he can step through as Gilmore is scuffling.

I was thinking that it would be a long night when I heard Blackwell wasn't going to be playing.

The TOs recently have been very concerning.  It also seems like they are tentative to take a shot on offense:  "Always look for a better shot with somebody else... even when there is 1 or 2 seconds left on the shot clock."

Edit:  the Badgers played well enough to be the final straw in the OSU coach getting fired.

[yourout]

Just now, Samurai Bucky said:

I was thinking that it would be a long night when I heard Blackwell wasn't going to be playing.

The TOs recently have been very concerning.  It also seems like they are tentative to take a shot on offense:  "Always look for a better shot with somebody else... even when there is 1 or 2 seconds left on the shot clock."

There is definitely been some "hand grenade" possessions lately where the guy was afraid to hang on to the ball and shoot it like it was going to explode in his hands.

[Playing Catch]

It seemed to me that Ohio State's defense was either going off-script from the scouting report, or their effort was so poor that they were always out of position, so that the Badgers were always expecting them to be where they weren't. Like the Badgers are thinking, "I know I'm supposed to go post entry here, but that defender isn't in the right spot to make that pass."

I've noticed this phenomenon before in other sports, where you use ball movement to move the defenders to the spots the scouting report tells you they should be, in order to open up the play, but instead the defense just stands there.

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

It seemed to me that Ohio State's defense was either going off-script from the scouting report, or their effort was so poor that they were always out of position, so that the Badgers were always expecting them to be where they weren't. Like the Badgers are thinking, "I know I'm supposed to go post entry here, but that defender isn't in the right spot to make that pass."

I've noticed this phenomenon before in other sports, where you use ball movement to move the defenders to the spots the scouting report tells you they should be, in order to open up the play, but instead the defense just stands there.

I thought OSU going to the zone in the 2nd half really limited Storr being able to get to the hoop & caused a lot of hesitation/indecision from everyone else. It had a 1-3-1 look to it, so the FT line area was blanketed & that's where you usually want to get the ball to vs a zone. Then when the ball got into Wahls' hands it was the last thing you want to see vs a zone--dribbledribbledribbledribble.........

In the 1st half I think you're right, OSU didn't look very good defensively & it was a 40-some point half for UW waiting to happen if not for the turnovers. It almost looked as if they rebounded better out of the zone, which is strange. Anyway, changing up the defense was the last good move from Holtmann, until he gets his next job in the Horizon League or Mid-American or wherever.

[RedStickBrew]

Awfully nice having Blackwell back, he adds so much on both ends of the court for this team

[RedStickBrew]

Badgers getting anything they want offensively. Off to a great start

[Playing Catch]

I know it's just my bias, but it sure seems like the Badgers don't enjoy home court officiating like it seems every opponent does.

[AKCheesehead]

Seeing the memory of Lefty Driesell on the broadcast made me think back to that 01 NCAA tournament game.  Felt confident Lefty and Georgia State would get the better of UW led by Soderberg, and thankful for it as that pretty well sealed the deal that a coaching change was coming.  What a big step forward for UW that loss was.

[yourout]

Crowl leads the universe in crap foul calls against him.

[yourout]

Enough home cooking in this one too feed one of Putins brigades.

[AKCheesehead]

Kind of reminds me of Stiemsma in that one regard.

[yourout]

Way to many missed FTs

[yourout]

I really hate the fact that in today's game 90% of the bull rushes down the lane with the ball are rewarded with free throws.

You're basically not allowed to play defense anymore without a foul call.

[AKCheesehead]

What an aggravating game.

[Jim French Stepstool]

It was a huge game for an Iowa team playing for their tourney lives, and they played like it. Even so, over the first 33 minutes of the game, if we defended during any 5-minute stretch like we did during the last 7 minutes we probably win. So sick of the on again-off again guarding, but they really clamped down late to get it to OT, so credit there. Otherwise it's the same story--when you DO force a fairly tough midrange shot it always seems to go in, and when you get a miss you choose that time to not box out. Frustrating.

Wahl comes out of nowhere in the OT, makes a couple & puts Iowa in a bind of having to guard him now--possibly opening up things for others--so of course shortly afterward he fouls out. Of course.

Not sure--maybe six FT misses in the 2nd half? In an OT game that speaks for itself.

Bottom line, it's great to make threes & get off to a hot start but it felt all along it was going to reel back in due to the pace & defense that was a little too disinterested.

Nice game from Crowl. Hepburn deserved a better fate with his late play.

[Jim French Stepstool]

50 minutes ago, yourout said:

I really hate the fact that in today's game 90% of the bull rushes down the lane with the ball are rewarded with free throws.

You're basically not allowed to play defense anymore without a foul call.

UW needs to do a much better job of moving their feet, maybe forcing the 10-12 FT shot, but in general I agree with you. It didn't help today that we just can't seem to pack the lane like we did under Ryan, and on the other side Iowa never seems fanatical about defending.

[Jim French Stepstool]

9 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

I know it's just my bias, but it sure seems like the Badgers don't enjoy home court officiating like it seems every opponent does.

I heard someone bring up something recently about some sort of analytical thing. It's called Luck Quotient, I think. I don't know what goes into it but supposedly it rates UW as one of the more unlucky teams. After Purdue & todays' game with all the midrange shots going in I tend to believe it.

AFA officiating is concerned, it was really lovely to take back the goaltend call & take two points from Crowl several minutes after the fact. It certainly wasn't a goaltend, but not blowing your whistle in the first place gives Crowl the rebound under the hoop. Now that's taken away too. For the sake of mental health I'll just believe that crap evens out, even though Bill Schroeder says it doesn't.

[Samurai Bucky]

What a huge tumble.  From 6th down to "also receiving votes".  Wow.