2023-24 Wisconsin Basketball season thread

[Jim French Stepstool]

15 minutes ago, RedStickBrew said:

That was my initial reaction as well. Looking at it more JMU has the lowest RPI of the 12 seeds and I’m glad to not get UAB or GCU in round 1. Getting Dook potentially in Round 2 is tough but they are beatable. UW is playing some good ball right now so should be fun

I'm surprised JMUs' RPI is below the other three. Perusing the skeds, UAB lost by 21 to McNeese. At Home. Although they did beat FAU & almost knocked off Clemson. GCU, I dunno. The WAC is awfully watered down these days. They did beat SDSU at home.

I'd prefer UAB. But when I make a bracket out it usually winds up looking like my dog filled it in, so...........

[RedStickBrew]

13 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I'm surprised JMUs' RPI is below the other three. Perusing the skeds, UAB lost by 21 to McNeese. At Home. Although they did beat FAU & almost knocked off Clemson. GCU, I dunno. The WAC is awfully watered down these days. They did beat SDSU at home.

I'd prefer UAB. But when I make a bracket out it usually winds up looking like my dog filled it in, so...........

Looking more at JMU, they have only played 5 quad 1-2 games and they only good win came against Michigan State in November. They were 19-0 in Q4 games this year. They just haven’t played much good competition. I like our chances

[yourout]

 

 

[RedStickBrew]

1 minute ago, yourout said:

 

 

Maybe this is the reason for Chucky’s mood during the Selection Sunday Show

[yourout]

1 minute ago, RedStickBrew said:

Maybe this is the reason for Chucky’s mood during the Selection Sunday Show

It really irritates me that some players get the star treatment and some don't.

Contact is contact and if you're going to call it on one end you got to call it on the other.

[nate82]

4 minutes ago, yourout said:

 

 

I think both should have been no calls to be honest.  The second one was a good no call let them play swallow the whistle.  The same should have been done on the first.  There is contact but not enough to call a foul on either IMHO.

[yourout]

Looking at the brackets there might be only one Big ten team to get through to the second weekend.

[yourout]

5 minutes ago, nate82 said:

I think both should have been no calls to be honest.  The second one was a good no call let them play swallow the whistle.  The same should have been done on the first.  There is contact but not enough to call a foul on either IMHO.

No call would have been fine as long as it was the same on both ends.

[nate82]

2 minutes ago, yourout said:

No call would have been fine as long as it was the same on both ends.

Right both should have been no calls.  The contact didn't completely impact the shot on either.  I think both were just regular contact and should have been no calls. 

[LouisEly]

Their 3-point % given up (28.8%) is 5th in the nation, but 2-pt % given up is 100th in the nation and they're 242nd in blocks, and that's playing in the Sun Belt.  I think that plays into UW getting the ball inside to Wahl and Crowl.  They're also 238th in FT%.  

Their tallest guy is listed at 6'9", 207, and he's averaging 0.4 blocks/game.  They have a guy listed at 6'8", 245, and he's averaging 0.3 blocks/game and only 4.2 rebounds/game. They're 152nd in personal fouls/game.  UW needs to work the ball inside to Wahl and Crowl and to have AJ Storr can get in the lane and elevate over them, and then can get them in foul trouble.

[Jim French Stepstool]

I took a look at the box score from their game with MSU, since it's most likely the closest in skill, size & physicality to what they'll face Friday (I recall watching some of it, but it was early in the season & I was young then). Some of the stuff that stood out to me: JMU was whistled for 32 fouls. They collected an astonishing 51 rebounds, no doubt fueled by Michigan State missing 46 shots from the floor (1-20 from 3PT) & 14 free throws. JMU did not shoot the ball well from the floor but got to the line quite a bit. From what I recall it was a grinder of sorts & a typical case of MSU not being in November what they'd be later on. Ely is correct. Establish the post. I'll still beat the Wahl drum. I thought he looked a little better (offensively) in the second half. Hoping the next four days are a healing time for him, and also for Blackwell who looks to be feeling the effects of what has been the most challenging docket of his short career.

[Jim French Stepstool]

16 hours ago, nate82 said:

Right both should have been no calls.  The contact didn't completely impact the shot on either.  I think both were just regular contact and should have been no calls. 

What I wouldn't give for games to be called the way they were oh, 15-20 years ago. It's almost as if some of the people who work for the NCAA see NBA scores in the 120s & 130s & go "Ooh!! ooh!! Me too, me too", all the while being oblivious to the fact that they have a superior product as is (at least I think so).

I have two particular beefs, besides what you mentioned above. 1) People guarding 3PT shooters are being called for fouls they'd never be called for if it was a jumper inside the arc or in the paint, and 2)I don't know exactly when this started, but refs are viewing shots close to the hoop in traffic, waiting to see if the shot goes in, and blowing the whistle if it doesn't but swallowing the whistle if it does. Probably impossible to prove but I'm convinced they're doing that & it's maddening.

[young guns]

Not a doubt in my mind #2 is happening.  Easy to tell when the whistle only comes after the ball bounces out.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

I think JMU is the worst matchup the Badgers could have gotten as a 5. I think they're more balanced than Grand Canyon, and they ran away with the league tournament after a bunch of really good teams got dropped in other conferences. They're very balanced, and they give me Florida Atlantic vibes from last year. A talented team that won a bunch of games, beat a good team on the road, and didn't get tested much in league.

I think the Badgers win the game, but they're giving up 5.5, and I think there's a great chance JMU takes this to the last possession or so. They play pretty fast, and I think the Badgers may want to let them. Bucky's better in terms of both offensive and defensive efficiency against a tougher schedule. More possessions are good.

My big fear is just that they outshoot us early, and we're chasing 7 or 9 late in the first half. These tourney games you've got to be able to knock down shots, even if the game plan should be to get inside.

Other than that, I think this is a good region for Wisconsin. Houston is banged up. Duke can be had and may get all it can handle from Vermont. Tough first round matchup, but as good a chance as you'll usually get to make the Sweet 16 as a 5.

 

[Playing Catch]

I think the Badgers will smoke JMU. Excluding MSU, in the first game of the season, the best team they played was T-Rank's #99th ranked team, Appalachian State... who they lost to... twice.

I think all of the noise about 12 over 5, and looking at JMU's gaudy record will quiet down by halftime, by which time, the Badgers will have dominated the paint/boards.

The lone worry for me is 3-point shooting, as JMU has enough good shooters, especially shooters with a little height. Badger guards will need to especially crash the boards, and I hope Gard has them crash the offensive glass as well.

[Jim French Stepstool]

6 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

 

My big fear is just that they outshoot us early, and we're chasing 7 or 9 late in the first half. 

 

During the February struggles that was a big problem--the slow starts. It's been largely rectified in the B10 tourney save for Northwestern, and that was more about Bouie being out of his mind early than anything else.

But yeah, if that happens there's a good chance it's a dogfight trying to put them away.

[Jim French Stepstool]

7 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

I think JMU is the worst matchup the Badgers could have gotten as a 5. 

 

If I could swap them for McNeese I'm not so sure I'd want to. Tough call for me.

[LouisEly]

On 3/12/2024 at 12:57 PM, LouisEly said:

Wisconsin native Marcus Domask of Illinois named 1st team all Big-Ten by coaches, 2nd team by media.  Ouch.  Overall I think that Storr was a better fit for what UW needed, but Domask would have been helpful if they had room for him.  Maybe one more person had to transfer out to make that happen.

Good for Domask who was overlooked by every D-1 team despite being Wisconsin Mr. Basketball.  That's what you call a "chip".

 

Domask today became only the 10th player in NCAA tournament history to record a triple-double. 

Don't dismiss people from Waupun.

[yourout]

https://x.com/realericthered/status/1770957942595973603?s=42&t=25ca-vq_0kUbAPpajVr87Q

[RedStickBrew]

41 minutes ago, yourout said:

https://x.com/realericthered/status/1770957942595973603?s=42&t=25ca-vq_0kUbAPpajVr87Q

Was Gus at the Big Ten tournament?  I don’t recall seeing him there. There are several reports of Badgers reaching out to several transfers even though they don’t have an available scholarship unless someone leaves the program. Seems like one or more may be leaving but that’s how it is now

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

Was Gus at the Big Ten tournament?  I don’t recall seeing him there. There are several reports of Badgers reaching out to several transfers even though they don’t have an available scholarship unless someone leaves the program. Seems like one or more may be leaving but that’s how it is now

Gus wasn't with the team in Minneapolis. And yeah, they've contacted maybe 4 or 5 portal entrants & most if not all are guys who would play the 4. If there was some pedestrian reason as to why he wasn't in NY (injury, roster limitations, academic reasons) They'd fall back on that & not have to answer any more questions. Since they were vague, I guess that's that. 

If so, best of luck to the kid.

[LouisEly]

7 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Gus wasn't with the team in Minneapolis. And yeah, they've contacted maybe 4 or 5 portal entrants & most if not all are guys who would play the 4. If there was some pedestrian reason as to why he wasn't in NY (injury, roster limitations, academic reasons) They'd fall back on that & not have to answer any more questions. Since they were vague, I guess that's that. 

If so, best of luck to the kid.

Yeah, with Freitag and Robison signed I had a feeling that they knew that someone wasn't coming back next year, be it Gus or someone else, as I don't believe they had a schollie available even if Storr turns pro. 

[BrewerFan]

10 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Gus wasn't with the team in Minneapolis. And yeah, they've contacted maybe 4 or 5 portal entrants & most if not all are guys who would play the 4. If there was some pedestrian reason as to why he wasn't in NY (injury, roster limitations, academic reasons) They'd fall back on that & not have to answer any more questions. Since they were vague, I guess that's that. 

If so, best of luck to the kid.

Would they throw it out there if he was having academic troubles? Say he's not ineligible, but he's not doing well or whatever. I could see them being vague...hypothetically. I'd guess you're right and he's transferring though.

Quote

@LouisElyYeah, with Freitag and Robison signed I had a feeling that they knew that someone wasn't coming back next year, be it Gus or someone else, as I don't believe they had a schollie available even if Storr turns pro. 

 

Is Storr likely to go this year? I was glancing at Mock drafts and I see the two Marquette guys(Kolek and Obo) as late 1st, early 2nds, but haven't seen Storr on there. He seems like a better prospect than Davis, but as I've said, I don't watch enough Badgers BB.

[homer]

11 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Gus wasn't with the team in Minneapolis. And yeah, they've contacted maybe 4 or 5 portal entrants & most if not all are guys who would play the 4. If there was some pedestrian reason as to why he wasn't in NY (injury, roster limitations, academic reasons) They'd fall back on that & not have to answer any more questions. Since they were vague, I guess that's that. 

If so, best of luck to the kid.

I don't think he's been traveling with the team at all since January. The article below is from yesterday morning. 

Quote

But Yalden wasn’t an option for Gard because he didn’t travel with the team to Minneapolis. In fact, Yalden hasn't traveled on road trips since Big Ten play resumed in January.

https://badgerextra.com/commentary/columns/polzin/wisconsin-basketball-greg-gard-gus-yalden/article_66ba99e2-e7b2-11ee-aec4-ff0abea8d8c1.html

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, LouisEly said:

Yeah, with Freitag and Robison signed I had a feeling that they knew that someone wasn't coming back next year, be it Gus or someone else, as I don't believe they had a schollie available even if Storr turns pro. 

I'm not sure exactly where they stand AFA available schollies are concerned. But the current climate allows for quite a bit of leeway. Carter Gilmore was originally a walkon & is now on scholarship. He could have it taken away if need be, and I'm 99% sure he'd stay on and pay for his next year. And from what I understand Chris Hodges pretty much knew he'd lose his ride if the kid (Reynolds) who was planning on coming here & then flipped to UWGB had actually enrolled. Isaac Lindsay may be in the same boat, I don't recall if he's on a ride this year or not.

A lot of this stuff is unsavory. But when you're dealing with the portal as currently constructed, and with a lot of kids looking for the best NIL deal year-to-year, it's not surprising. I think the new model is "If you want someone, go after them & the roster/scholarship thing will work itself out."