2024 - 25 Wisconsin Basketball Thread

[Playing Catch]

12 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I dunno if I'd dismiss the win to that extent.

I would. Iowa literally won't win another B1G game if they continue to play defense like that. It was one of the worst defensive displays I've ever seen in the B1G, and I don't think I'm being hyperbolic. The Badgers did well to take advantage, they scored 116, so they did awesome. But, no, that defensive effort from Iowa was beyond the pale pathetic.

[Jim French Stepstool]

I was wondering how the 116 pts stacks up historically, in conference games. Turns out it was the most this century; the last time this number was reached was 1995 when (ironically) Iowa scored 116 vs Northwestern. It doesn't even sniff an all-time mark. In the 60s teams reached triple-digits a lot more often they do now. Michigan hung 128 on Purdue in '66.

[young guns]

18 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I'd guess they scored triple-digits in the league at least a couple times when Stew Jackson was the coach.

That '67 game vs SMU was in Milwaukee, in the holiday tournament that was once held in the old arena.

EDIT: You are correct. Only once under Jackson. They scored 97 vs NW in the Van Gundy year a couple years later, and 95 vs Illinois in 2014.

My earliest memory of watching Badger basketball is of a Michael Finley team, probably 93 when I was 8.  I distinctly remember watching the start of the next season and wondering why he wasn't on the team anymore and if we had traded him.  I had no concept of pros vs college at the time.  Most of my real memory of the team starts with Dick Bennet lead teams and so those 2 final 4 teams were offensive juggernauts to me in terms of badger basketball.  I was shocked when I was looking back to try to answer my question of if we had ever broke 100 in conference play to see that they had only averaged in the 70s for ppg.

[Jim French Stepstool]

On 1/4/2025 at 9:30 AM, Playing Catch said:

I would. Iowa literally won't win another B1G game if they continue to play defense like that. It was one of the worst defensive displays I've ever seen in the B1G, and I don't think I'm being hyperbolic. The Badgers did well to take advantage, they scored 116, so they did awesome. But, no, that defensive effort from Iowa was beyond the pale pathetic.

We'll see I guess. I think they'll win some simply because they can outshoot people from the floor & the opponent will have an off-night shooting, or be sloppy with the ball vs their press.

If I was Iowa I would play at a slower pace. IMO their offensive talents aren't really enhanced by rushing the ball up the floor, they can still zone press (the one thing they do fairly well defensively) w/o pushing the pace and they're better off with fewer possessions per game due to the lousy halfcourt D. And playing fast seems to minimize the talents of Freeman, who can be a force inside. Fran will figure these things out any day now.

[Jim French Stepstool]

History suggests tonites' game in Piscataway will be a tough win to secure. A smaller, claustrophobic gym, the type of place where every time you run your offense it seems like there are seven defenders out there & every time you put up a shot the rims are bent like at a rigged state fair arcade. But Rutgers doesn't seem to have the same level of defense as some past teams, probably a result of playing a few freshmen big minutes & Steve Pikiell not having the edge of several guys learning his system for 2-3 years like in past years. But I still expect a grinder.

Ace Bailey is a 6'10" FR that can score in a variety of ways & there isn't a good defensive match for him in the starting five so we'll probably see a lot of Gilmore on him. Bailey isn't physical so perhaps Amos gets a crack at him too. Hoping to see continued aggressiveness from Crowl & Winter, along with the type of rebounding we saw last time out.

Dylan Harper, another talented 1st-year guy, missed their last game due to illness but I imagine he'll be good to go.

[Playing Catch]

As the Badgers are on the road at a tough venue and a decent B1G opponent, I expect they won't enjoy a lot of trips to the line, nor will they shoot well from deep. If they are to win, I think they will need to pound the glass on both ends, and really work hard to touch the post on offense.

They'll need to rotate bodies on Harper, and make him work on defense, and as you mentioned have Gilmore frustrate Ace Bailey, while Crowl/Winter box out Sommerville.

Grind them to a pulp. Can this Badger team do that?

[Jim French Stepstool]

58 minutes ago, Playing Catch said:

 

Grind them to a pulp. Can this Badger team do that?

Getting Sommerville & Ogbole in foul trouble would be huge.

[RedStickBrew]

This team is really fun to watch right now 

[yourout]

1 minute ago, RedStickBrew said:

This team is really fun to watch right now 

More quickness than I can remember in a while.

[yourout]

1 minute ago, RedStickBrew said:

This team is really fun to watch right now 

More quickness than I can remember in a while.

[RedStickBrew]

4 minutes ago, yourout said:

More quickness than I can remember in a while.

Having a couple legit NBA prospects helps too

[yourout]

Not going to get help from the zebras tonight.

[RedStickBrew]

4 minutes ago, yourout said:

Not going to get help from the zebras tonight.

Tonje especially relies on getting calls. He needs to be able to finish through some of that contact

[yourout]

Not feeling good about this.

[yourout]

To many turnovers.

[RedStickBrew]

What happened to this team so far this half? Sloppy play, turnovers, poor decisions…

[yourout]

Will we shoot a free throw yet tonight?

[yourout]

These refs suck.

[yourout]

Nice win in a historically tough place to play.

[yourout]

Dupe

[RedStickBrew]

21 minutes ago, yourout said:

These refs suck.

Refs allowed RU to come out the second half and thug it up with the clutching and grabbing to slow the pace of the game. Actually a really good job to come out of this with a win. Hopefully Winter and Klesmit are able to return soon

[Playing Catch]

I thought the reffing was okay. Rutgers clearly got the message to not foul, which allowed Wisconsin to shoot a lot of layups and open threes, instead of free throws. 

I didn't like both Blackwell and Klesmit twisting ankles. But having McGee and Janicki really makes one feel better about short-term injuries. Crowl was awesome tonight. Tonje was good. I agree that he seeks out contact to a fault, but percentage-wise, he's a good shooter anywhere on the floor.

Having Harper basically out was huge. I wasn't impressed by Bailey. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's good, but he doesn't look "lottery" good to me. "Lottery" good players shouldn't get frustrated by Carter Gilmore.

[Jim French Stepstool]

It was so weird playing RU on the road & seeing the home team not defend very well. Once Pikiell got them to guard better in half two, it looked like many of the games the teams have played there. Once it got too close for comfort the vets really stepped up.

Even though they didn't contribute a lot of points I thought the bench was terrific, again. It's great to see Gilmore & McGee turn into such assets after the former has been much maligned & the latter took quite a bit of time to acclimate. And Janicki just has that 'something' on the defensive end--anticipation, reach, positioning, and I'm sure he does a great job of studying the opposing players he anticipates guarding. He was royally screwed once & possibly twice on whistles that shouldn't have blown.

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

I thought the reffing was okay. Rutgers clearly got the message to not foul, which allowed Wisconsin to shoot a lot of layups and open threes, instead of free throws. 

I didn't like both Blackwell and Klesmit twisting ankles. But having McGee and Janicki really makes one feel better about short-term injuries. Crowl was awesome tonight. Tonje was good. I agree that he seeks out contact to a fault, but percentage-wise, he's a good shooter anywhere on the floor.

Having Harper basically out was huge. I wasn't impressed by Bailey. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's good, but he doesn't look "lottery" good to me. "Lottery" good players shouldn't get frustrated by Carter Gilmore.

FWIW Klesmit was moving around trying to stay loose, and even after it was apparent he wasn't coming back in he spent the final minutes on the bench rather than in the lockerroom, and claimed after the game he'd be "fine". Hope he's a good diagnostician. Winter had a couple fingers taped together which may suggest a dislocation. So I guess I'm more optimistic than not. EDIT: Just learned the issue with Winter was a cut on his hand & they couldn't control the bleeding sufficiently to get him back in the game. 

I agree that Baileys' talent is obvious. But he's not yet at the level to be relied on to be the best player on the team, not in this league. Certainly needs his body to mature---and his composure.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

Tonje especially relies on getting calls. He needs to be able to finish through some of that contact

I thought they defended his drives pretty well. No, he didn't finish to the same extent as he did vs Arizona & Pitt. Even so, I think he had all his points (15) in the 2nd half. He's gotten the whistles most of the season. As long as that continues..........