2023-24 Wisconsin Basketball season thread

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, yourout said:

Wonder what their 3 point percent has been since the second half of Nebraska.

.297. They went for almost 43% vs Illinois & Rutgers, so maybe this'll just be a blip in the screen. No more true roadies can't hurt.

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, RedStickBrew said:

I was curious so looked at it. It appears since Nebraska they are shooting 30.1% from 3 as a team, 69/229. They are shooting 34.4% on the year. It’s been a problem 

I came up with 63-212 since the 2nd half in Lincoln. Should've taken the other shoe off.😁

[RedStickBrew]

8 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I came up with 63-212 since the 2nd half in Lincoln. Should've taken the other shoe off.😁

I think I included the Nebraska game but yeah it’s not been great

[Jim French Stepstool]

So, Rutgers plays Maryland on Wednesday with UW playing the winner on Thursday.

If they get past that one, Northwestern.

[RedStickBrew]

13 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

So, Rutgers plays Maryland on Wednesday with UW playing the winner on Thursday.

If they get past that one, Northwestern.

I think this is a pretty good draw for Wisconsin. On a neutral court they should be able to beat Maryland/Rutgers if they play good fundamental ball. 

Northwestern is also a winnable game. The return of Kamari should help defensively against the Boo Buie action they run. Hopefully they can make a little run and at least get to Saturday. 

[Samurai Bucky]

19 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

If I'm Gard, I'd have a hard time not getting thrown out after Hepburn was lying on the floor & the game wasn't stopped. Not just a tech. Thrown out. The officiating probably didn't cost them the game, but it would've sent a hell of a message coming from someone as mild-mannered as him, and might've even created a shoulder chip heading into the post season.

When Purdue's own Robbie Hummel says it should have been a foul, then it probably should have been a foul.  When the play-by-play guy said that you can't fake blood on your face, that put it in perspective.

If they didn't stop the game for Purdue when their player was down, then I would have expected them to not stop it when Chuckie was down.  I think that is standard fare in the NBA -- play it out and stop it after the shot is made.

Hummel was correct in one thing -- the officiating was poor.  When that happens, the visiting team will most likely get the short end of the stick.  That said, though, missing from the arc is one of the major reasons they lost.  You cannot say the Badgers didn't leave it all on the floor.  Proud of how hard they battled.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

 

Northwestern is also a winnable game. The return of Kamari should help defensively against the Boo Buie action they run. Hopefully they can make a little run and at least get to Saturday. 

I like the added defensive options they now have. Hepburn and/or McGee can get some run vs Buie, and you can even throw Blackwell in there too. They did that vs Jahmir Young of Maryland--Hepburn worked his tail off guarding him, then they went to Blackwell for a few minutes. It worked really well. But NW runs some good stuff & you need to be disciplined.

Yeah, getting to Saturday isn't a pipe dream. But the 2nd halves they turned in in the last two games has to be more of the norm for 40 minutes.

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, Samurai Bucky said:

When Purdue's own Robbie Hummel says it should have been a foul, then it probably should have been a foul.  When the play-by-play guy said that you can't fake blood on your face, that put it in perspective.

If they didn't stop the game for Purdue when their player was down, then I would have expected them to not stop it when Chuckie was down.  I think that is standard fare in the NBA -- play it out and stop it after the shot is made.

Hummel was correct in one thing -- the officiating was poor.  When that happens, the visiting team will most likely get the short end of the stick.  That said, though, missing from the arc is one of the major reasons they lost.  You cannot say the Badgers didn't leave it all on the floor.  Proud of how hard they battled.

I agree it should've been a foul. But when a guy gets raked across the face like that, I can see where it might be missed, it's not like he was shouldered out of the way or elbowed in the head or something. My issue was Hepburn is lying there on the court, and they let the game go merrily on its' way, after stopping it when the PU player went down. Like you said, the thing to do is let it go until a made shot or dead ball--for both sides. Take the arbitrary nature out of it. The thicker the rule book gets, the tougher the job of officiating is, the more mistakes made, & the more ******** from coaches. Especially in a fast-paced game like basketball.

Gard was asked after the game if any explanation was given to him why action wasn't stopped. He said none. To me that's akin to the ref saying "We f***ed up."

[Playing Catch]

The B1G decided years ago that they would try as best they could to call games the way the home team would prefer a game to be called... Meaning, play at the Kohl center, expect hand-checks to be ignored and moving screens and over-the-backs to be called. At Mackey? Play as physically as you want, there won't be fouls called on either end. Now obviously, the problem with the Mackey strategy on Senior Day with Zach Edey is that it will get out of hand if no calls are made, and that lends itself to inconsistency, and refs just making stuff up in order to maintain control of the contest without guys getting [too] hurt.

Reffing at Mackey, on Senior Day, with Edey's last game ever at home... the refs are in a no-win situation. Considering all of what goes into it, I thought the refs kept the game from being too slanted in Purdue's favor, even though they were awful on many individual calls.

As I've made perfectly clear when it comes to reffing in the B1G... I don't mind home-cooking so long as my team gets it too. And THAT is what I think made me upset this year, and THAT is why I agree that Gard needs to play the game a little bit. I think he needs to raise a stink every now and then. Make it a story. The problem for Gard is that he seems to have ingrained it into the team's head that the refs are always right. Over the long run, this is probably for the best, but in the case of the obvious contrast between stopping the game for Smith and not Chucky... well, you can raise a stink, and the players won't believe you are "blaming" the refs. That was simply apples to apples.

Edit to add a tangential point:  I also think that once or twice, early in the game, a Badger needs to LAY OUT the shooter. I believe one of the reasons that the Badgers have been so poor on 3 pt. defense is that the other team KNOWS there is no threat to block their shot attempt. The Badgers play physically in the post, they need to take a foul here and there on jump shooters that are getting too comfortable.

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

The B1G decided years ago that they would try as best they could to call games the way the home team would prefer a game to be called... Meaning, play at the Kohl center, expect hand-checks to be ignored and moving screens and over-the-backs to be called. At Mackey? Play as physically as you want, there won't be fouls called on either end. Now obviously, the problem with the Mackey strategy on Senior Day with Zach Edey is that it will get out of hand if no calls are made, and that lends itself to inconsistency, and refs just making stuff up in order to maintain control of the contest without guys getting [too] hurt.

Reffing at Mackey, on Senior Day, with Edey's last game ever at home... the refs are in a no-win situation. Considering all of what goes into it, I thought the refs kept the game from being too slanted in Purdue's favor, even though they were awful on many individual calls.

As I've made perfectly clear when it comes to reffing in the B1G... I don't mind home-cooking so long as my team gets it too. And THAT is what I think made me upset this year, and THAT is why I agree that Gard needs to play the game a little bit. I think he needs to raise a stink every now and then. Make it a story. The problem for Gard is that he seems to have ingrained it into the team's head that the refs are always right. Over the long run, this is probably for the best, but in the case of the obvious contrast between stopping the game for Smith and not Chucky... well, you can raise a stink, and the players won't believe you are "blaming" the refs. That was simply apples to apples.

Edit to add a tangential point:  I also think that once or twice, early in the game, a Badger needs to LAY OUT the shooter. I believe one of the reasons that the Badgers have been so poor on 3 pt. defense is that the other team KNOWS there is no threat to block their shot attempt. The Badgers play physically in the post, they need to take a foul here and there on jump shooters that are getting too comfortable.

In the first 15 years of this century UW enjoyed a terrific home court advantage, even though the Kohl Center isn't what I'd call an intimidating place. Besides the quality of the teams, the biggest reason for that was Bo Ryan & his ability to work refs. It wasn't so much yelling & carrying on (although he did some of that), but he'd get his team to play the way he wanted them to, understand clearly what is & isn't a foul, and display a terrific ability to convey to the zebras what should & shouldn't be allowed, while his teams--- especially on the defensive end---learned to perform right on the edge of that allowance. He was so good at it, it often worked on the road, too. I remember once seeing Jason Chappell give Greg Oden all he could handle. Jason Chappell, for crying out loud. Of course a lot of the things that were effective then--and legal--probably wouldn't fly now.

I think Gard & his staff are vocal, AFA talking to refs during a game & conveying their grievances. Would being more demonstrative help? Yeah, it might. I know it would bother me when a Knight, a Coach K, or an Al McGuire would put on a show, and suddenly the whistles would change direction. He does need to be himself. But like I mentioned, after the non-stoppage with Hepburn I don't care if you're Gahndi, you gotta blow up there.

I would hope his message to the players isn't that the refs are always right, but more of a "let me handle it." Of course, he then needs to.

[Samurai Bucky]

12 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

Edit to add a tangential point:  I also think that once or twice, early in the game, a Badger needs to LAY OUT the shooter. I believe one of the reasons that the Badgers have been so poor on 3 pt. defense is that the other team KNOWS there is no threat to block their shot attempt. The Badgers play physically in the post, they need to take a foul here and there on jump shooters that are getting too comfortable.

Old time hockey, baby!  😁

[LouisEly]

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".

[Jim French Stepstool]

I get why Domask was overlooked by high majors out of HS. A "tweener" who at 6'5"-ish isn't overly athletic. But yep, it was a miss. Just a picture of consistency. A double-digit scorer in the MVC from day one & never skipped a beat this year.

[LouisEly]

Funny that he shot 28% from 3 for the season, but of course, made 4 of 6 vs. Wisconsin.  Because "chip".

[yourout]

12 hours ago, Samurai Bucky said:

Old time hockey, baby!  😁

Eddie Shore?

[Jim French Stepstool]

I expect a similar strategy from Wisconsin today--try to put pressure on the MD bigs with Crowl, Wahl and driving the ball. Preferably get kickout passes for jumpers rather than simply moving the ball around the perimeter. And hopefully make their share. The defense had been looking a little better, and Hepburn (and occasionally Blackwell) did a terrific job on Young when MD visited Madison. Now McGee adds another dimension there.

Quick turnaround for the Terps & their bench isn't the greatest, hopefully that'll be a factor.

Side note---sounds like Connor Essegian has no plans to transfer, as per his recent comments.

 

[Samurai Bucky]

25 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Side note---sounds like Connor Essegian has no plans to transfer, as per his recent comments.

I hope this is the case.  He needs a little more seasoning with a shot of confidence and BOOM, he will be a very good one.

[Brewin]

Move the ball, get great shots. Boy, any team looks great when you shot 77% from 3 in the first half!!

[Jim French Stepstool]

Understandably the 3pt shooting is going to be the big story today. But the defense continued to trend upward today & really set a great tone. Felt a little sorry (almost) for MD coach Willard. In his presser he said they were playing Blackwell as a driver, which makes a lot of sense. So he hits three 3 pointers in the 1st half. Sometimes you just throw up your hands.

I absolutely loved the way they came out in the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half, too. You sit on your hands, drop your guard a little w/the big lead, before you know it it's down to 14-15 with a ton of time left & now they have momentum. Instead we came out great on both ends. Game over. Also nice to sit starters w/8-10 minutes left with a game tomorrow.

Crowl was great, and NW is minus one of their bigs tomorrow. Keep it up young man.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, Samurai Bucky said:

I hope this is the case.  He needs a little more seasoning with a shot of confidence and BOOM, he will be a very good one.

I didn't know what to think one way or the other regarding Conner. I DO know he's shown zero characteristics of an unhappy player, always vocal & supportive on the bench & in warmups. After getting his minutes cut, that's quite rare in the current climate. Really makes you want to see him improve, and succeed.

Sure reminded everyone today what he's capable of. Nine pts in 3 minutes, or something like that.

[RedStickBrew]

That was a fun game to watch as far as having little doubt about the outcome of the game goes. They haven’t had many laughers this year and this came at a good time. 

I thought Crowl and Hepburn really set the tone in the first few possessions and it was all clear sailing from there. Another solid performance from Blackwell as well

I understand NW is down a couple guys so there is a good chance they can get to Saturday with another well played game

[yourout]

4 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I didn't know what to think one way or the other regarding Conner. I DO know he's shown zero characteristics of an unhappy player, always vocal & supportive on the bench & in warmups. After getting his minutes cut, that's quite rare in the current climate. Really makes you want to see him improve, and succeed.

Sure reminded everyone today what he's capable of. Nine pts in 3 minutes, or something like that.

You never really know for sure but maybe he just really likes it in Madison and is very comfortable here and understands the value of a degree from the UW.

[Jim French Stepstool]

7 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

 

I understand NW is down a couple guys so there is a good chance they can get to Saturday with another well played game

They are, but Collins has gotten surprising contributions from a couple people you wouldn't expect. I think he probably deserves the same props Hoiberg has gotten, if not more, for the job he's done. It would be nice to pound it inside & strain their frontcourt depth. And get defensive contributions from 3 or 4 sources vs Bouie, make him work extra hard.

And stay hot from the arc.😎

[homer]

[Jim French Stepstool]

Big picture, I thought UWs' defense vs Buie was "good enough" after they seemed averse to guarding him in the opening minutes, and the defense vs everyone else was very impressive. And if anyone wants to point out Buie not being 100% after Wahl rolled over him, well, I agree. He usually gets into the lane & creates or puts up that little floater, and after getting banged up he hardly did any of that. But making life miserable for Langborn, Barnhizer & Martinelli was huge.

It seemed like every time Northwestern had a chance to get it down closer than 5 or so pts in the second half, someone made a play. Crowl or Storr with a bucket, someone getting into the lane & drawing a foul, McGee with the blocked shot (still not sure I actually saw that😲), and Blackwell, despite struggling, with the late dagger. Nice team win w/o Hepburn. Klesmit & McGee kept things organized.

I guess Wahl had some health issues which was why he was in-and-out of the lineup. It's been awhile since he's looked good on the floor. Certainly need him playing better going forward.