Wisconsin Basketball 2025-26

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Still time in this one, but Nova really slowed the pace and defended well in the half court in the first half. Not a lot of energy in the building, and the Badgers not providing much of a reason to get excited.

Combine that with Villanova shooting really well, and you get a 13-point deficit at the break. Really need to push pace and play with a bit more confidence in the second half. Villanova will grind us up if we let them.

[yourout]

I trust that Gard will get things somewhat straightened out but right now this is not a big dance team 

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

My takeaways from this one:

To start, college basketball seasons are funny things. You play thousands of possessions. Flip a dozen, and it's the difference between elation and devastation.

This was one of those games tonight. It's a big dividing line in the season (the end of competitive nonconference play), and the result is the difference between feeling pretty good and being clearly disappointing. We ended up on the wrong side of that tonight. It doesn't mean the season is over. It just means that, RIGHT NOW, we're on the outer edges of the bubble as opposed to the inner ones.

Carrington being hurt really impacted us. This was his kind of game, and him being unavailable meant we were without a  confident, athletic guy when we really could have used one. Rapp, Bieliauskas, and Janicki all looked tentative and didn't bring anything to the table offensively. They looked clueless at times.

Willard went zone at some key points, and we really struggled with it. I thought that flipped the game after we cut it to 5. He goes zone, Nova gets a couple stops and goes on a 7-0 run of their own. 

Some bad luck/tough whistle situations too. The possession where we had a stop but Nova threw up prayer and got tangled up with Blackwell hurt. I also thought we failed to clear the defensive glass at several points early in the 2nd, which made it harder to get back in it.

When we pushed pace, we had more success. A couple of sloppy dribbles from Boyd, but I'll live with that in a game where you really want to speed the other team up. One issue I have with Gard is that he has never really been quick to allow full-court pressure. He's not a great switcher of defenses, and it hurts us in games like tonight. When you play fast and you have really good guards, you need to ask them to exert pressure in the backcourt more often. Not doing that allowed Villanova to limit possessions more effectively, and it made getting to overtime feel like a massive victory.

Villanova reminded my of some of the old Badger teams. They were ANNOYING. Scrappy, slowed us down. Was totally fine grinding the game out. Made it feel like a 6-point deficit was 14. In some ways, their style hurt them in the last 5 minutes. Letting Lindsay cook in regulation might have saved them from OT. But he hit the shots when it mattered. We didn't. 

Give credit to this team for finding a way into the extra session. They need to play with 2nd half urgency all game. Consistency is the biggest thing I see during this competitive portion of the schedule. You get it from Boyd and Blackwell. Maybe Rohde, who knows his role well. Winter was great tonight. If he plays like that, we'll probably get things corrected.

Boyd will be kicking himself for missing a couple FTs. Nova missed a key front end too. Like I said, thin margins.

Go get 'em in the B1G, after some get-right buy games.

 

[Jim French Stepstool]

14 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

My takeaways from this one:

To start, college basketball seasons are funny things. You play thousands of possessions. Flip a dozen, and it's the difference between elation and devastation.

This was one of those games tonight. It's a big dividing line in the season (the end of competitive nonconference play), and the result is the difference between feeling pretty good and being clearly disappointing. We ended up on the wrong side of that tonight. It doesn't mean the season is over. It just means that, RIGHT NOW, we're on the outer edges of the bubble as opposed to the inner ones.

Carrington being hurt really impacted us. This was his kind of game, and him being unavailable meant we were without a  confident, athletic guy when we really could have used one. Rapp, Bieliauskas, and Janicki all looked tentative and didn't bring anything to the table offensively. They looked clueless at times.

Willard went zone at some key points, and we really struggled with it. I thought that flipped the game after we cut it to 5. He goes zone, Nova gets a couple stops and goes on a 7-0 run of their own. 

Some bad luck/tough whistle situations too. The possession where we had a stop but Nova threw up prayer and got tangled up with Blackwell hurt. I also thought we failed to clear the defensive glass at several points early in the 2nd, which made it harder to get back in it.

When we pushed pace, we had more success. A couple of sloppy dribbles from Boyd, but I'll live with that in a game where you really want to speed the other team up. One issue I have with Gard is that he has never really been quick to allow full-court pressure. He's not a great switcher of defenses, and it hurts us in games like tonight. When you play fast and you have really good guards, you need to ask them to exert pressure in the backcourt more often. Not doing that allowed Villanova to limit possessions more effectively, and it made getting to overtime feel like a massive victory.

Villanova reminded my of some of the old Badger teams. They were ANNOYING. Scrappy, slowed us down. Was totally fine grinding the game out. Made it feel like a 6-point deficit was 14. In some ways, their style hurt them in the last 5 minutes. Letting Lindsay cook in regulation might have saved them from OT. But he hit the shots when it mattered. We didn't. 

Give credit to this team for finding a way into the extra session. They need to play with 2nd half urgency all game. Consistency is the biggest thing I see during this competitive portion of the schedule. You get it from Boyd and Blackwell. Maybe Rohde, who knows his role well. Winter was great tonight. If he plays like that, we'll probably get things corrected.

Boyd will be kicking himself for missing a couple FTs. Nova missed a key front end too. Like I said, thin margins.

Go get 'em in the B1G, after some get-right buy games.

 

Lots of good stuff in here, so since I'm late to the party I'll just launch my thought off this.

Coming into this game I wanted primarily to see the defense step up. For the most part it did, at times exceptionally. I would take 56 pts from the opponent every time & take my chances.

Offensively, obviously 16 TO is too many. What I saw from my seat at the FF, we had what we usually try to create---an open middle w/no post ups. What you want out of that is a screen from a big, and either a pop to the key or wing for a jumper or a roll to the hoop. What we were usually getting was either no screen, or a screen followed by sort of a half-hearted flop around an area about 15-19 ft from the hoop w/little intention of doing anything positive. This gummed up the HC offense, which caused a LOT of dribbling to nowhere by Blackwell & Boyd, and forced drives into fairly thick traffic. THAT'S how you turn it over 16 times. For the most part, I didn't think we were all that much better offensively in the 2nd half; the only difference was Blackwell started making plays after being a 1st half no-show.

The 'big' opposite Winter (who played really hard) is still a problem. Bieliauskas was, at times, effectively physical, at times not, not overly quick to the ball, looked hesitant to engage on the offensive end & had bad hands throughout the night. That assessment sounds pretty bad, but yesterday it put him approximately 500 miles ahead of the performance turned in by Rapp. Janicki wasn't any better, Garlock had his usual 'incomplete' due to limited minutes, and Carrington wasn't available. So the bench options were mostly lacking. Hayden Jones had a bad play or two, but was the best off the bench last night, which at this point in his career is a problem for the team. Carrington MIGHT'VE made a little difference if available as a 'small four' last night. The other options were that bad.

Villanova didn't shoot lights out but their 3-pointers couldn't have come at better times for them. Three or four early that put them into a lead we spent virtually the entire game trying to erase; then a couple early in OT that put UW into another hole, just after expending a lot of energy getting out of the first one (with the aforementioned poor bench play). The last 2-3 minutes they were probably running on fumes.

[Jim French Stepstool]

14 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

 

Willard went zone at some key points, and we really struggled with it. I thought that flipped the game after we cut it to 5. He goes zone, Nova gets a couple stops and goes on a 7-0 run of their own. 

Some bad luck/tough whistle situations too. The possession where we had a stop but Nova threw up prayer and got tangled up with Blackwell hurt. I also thought we failed to clear the defensive glass at several points early in the 2nd, which made it harder to get back in it.

When we pushed pace, we had more success. A couple of sloppy dribbles from Boyd, but I'll live with that in a game where you really want to speed the other team up. One issue I have with Gard is that he has never really been quick to allow full-court pressure. He's not a great switcher of defenses, and it hurts us in games like tonight. When you play fast and you have really good guards, you need to ask them to exert pressure in the backcourt more often. Not doing that allowed Villanova to limit possessions more effectively, and it made getting to overtime feel like a massive victory.

 

 

Really good points. Not to rip on Gard, I thoughjt he mostly did a good job w/what he had to work with last night, but Willard was terrific in his decisions AFA changing up the defenses.

Blackwell IMO was fouled on a drive late & it wasn't called. Not a terribly officiated game, but that one hurt.

I mentioned to one of my companions about how I'd love to see a little full-court pressure thrown in. And when it was, it looked promising. But when you can't rely on the bench, it's tough to do except very, very late.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

1 hour ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Really good points. Not to rip on Gard, I thoughjt he mostly did a good job w/what he had to work with last night, but Willard was terrific in his decisions AFA changing up the defenses.

Blackwell IMO was fouled on a drive late & it wasn't called. Not a terribly officiated game, but that one hurt.

I mentioned to one of my companions about how I'd love to see a little full-court pressure thrown in. And when it was, it looked promising. But when you can't rely on the bench, it's tough to do except very, very late.

Yeah, great thoughts in both posts.

I think you're especially right about the defense looking improved, and that's a positive takeaway. We might look back on this one in February and think it said more about Nova than Wisconsin. Let's hope so.

Looking at the noncon, we didn't take any bad losses. That's good, since, provided we take care of CMU and Milwaukee, there are not many bad losses left on the schedule. Maybe a Q3 here or there if we really play poorly at home against a bottom of the B1G opponent. But that's not a bad place to be in.

Of course, this team is going to have to win some games against much better competition than Villanova to have a real shot to do anything in March. I think it's fair to call Nov/Dec a clear disappointment. Luckily, what matters in NCAA is how you play in the new year. This team still has potential. It's just gotta find the right combo and get some of the bench guys to take a step up, as you said really well.

 

[Playing Catch]

3 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Bieliauskas was, at times, effectively physical, at times not, not overly quick to the ball, looked hesitant to engage on the offensive end & had bad hands throughout the night.

I could've sworn Tim Brando told me that Bieliauskas had a great game, contributing to the vaunted swing offense.

This team isn't playing well. Very inconsistent on both ends. Wildly so, at times. Boyd is really skilled, but it looks like he's struggling with a lot of the responsibilities of playing the point for Bo/Gard, and I worry he's too slight to be able to have success against the big, bad guards of the B1G if he's having to play in the half-court. He's great in transition, but that requires the Badgers defense to get more long rebounds and live-ball turnovers, which they've struggled to do against disciplined offenses.

I don't like what I see, possession-by-possession, but I believe in both the talent and coaching. There's been many years where they've muddled through the mid-season only to blossom late.

[Jim French Stepstool]

6 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

I could've sworn Tim Brando told me that Bieliauskas had a great game, contributing to the vaunted swing offense.

 

If that's true it's just another good argument for being in the studio audience as opposed to subjecting yourself to the talking heads on TV.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

16 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

 

I don't like what I see, possession-by-possession, but I believe in both the talent and coaching. There's been many years where they've muddled through the mid-season only to blossom late.

I am reminded a little of the 2015-16 team a that started 9-8 and then Bo abruptly retired. Lost to Western Illinois out of the gate. Took some time to gel. Ended up one possession away from the Elite 8. 

I don't think this team can be THAT good, but it's a hopeful comp. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

Blackwell out w/an unspecified injury. He was moving around in warmups, so it doesn't appear to be anything worth jumping off a bridge over.

Thought I heard Hayden Jones was getting a start tonite.

[yourout]

Pretty poor performance so far. 

Some really bad turnovers and missing free throws.

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, yourout said:

Pretty poor performance so far. 

Some really bad turnovers and missing free throws.

Yep. A decent, well-executed press by CMU but it shouldn't be generating the TOs it is. Lotsa different combinations on the floor trying to fill the Blackwell minutes. One of the hallmarks of the program is to go into the locker room, figure stuff out & cut the TOs way down in half two. We'll see. Kinziger rips off the redshirt; didn't see that coming.

Considering all the different combos I think the defense was mostly OK & is heading in the right direction. To me it sorta feels like a race to get as much consistency-stuff figured out as they can before the new year & Purdue coming to town.

[yourout]

Better all around second half.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

 One of the hallmarks of the program is to go into the locker room, figure stuff out & cut the TOs way down in half two. 

In the 2nd half, they turned the ball over the first time they got their hands on it, and Greppi committed one in the last minute of the game. The rest of the half they had one or maybe two. So there's that.

Focusing on the reserves:

You'd wish this wasn't a necessity, but Rapp seems to be one of these guys who plays pretty hard & effectively if he sees the ball go through the hoop after entering the game. Seven boards & three assists w/o a turnover along with the 18 pts. You just hope he can give you enough on the defensive end in the Big Ten to justify his minutes cuz he can certainly help stretch a defense out of shape.

It's starting to look like the reports of improved shooting from Janicki might've been premature. Still, he's going to get minutes not only due to the defense but overall smarts. He did a great job of helping everyone get organized when CMU tried going zone. And NINE assists w/one TO. You can't ignore that.

I'm beginning to think they find a way to win in Milwaukee last Friday if Carrington was available. A veteran who not only can make shots but is willing to stick his nose in the fray is valuable, not to mention a role model.

From the footage I saw of him in HS Kinziger reminded me a little of Ben Brust, with more defensive potential & the ability/moxie to play PG if needed. Nothing I saw tonight dissuaded me from that assessment. All in all a nice debut.

A couple bad decisions from Jones (who actually started the game). But I think the combination of size/ability/feel for the game will lead him to having an effective role once things 'slow down' for him a little. Now that Kinziger is added to the mix it'll be a challenge for minutes. You'd think the smaller lineup w/Carrington, Janicki or Jones at the 4 is going to be an option vs certain lineups.

 

[Samurai Bucky]

It seems like the Badger guards will dribble into trouble, panic, and then jump pass into no-man's land.  I was getting very frustrated with the TOs in the first half.

I didn't seen the Nova game.  I don't know if it was the same thing causing them to have 16 TOs in that game or not.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 minutes ago, Samurai Bucky said:

It seems like the Badger guards will dribble into trouble, panic, and then jump pass into no-man's land.  I was getting very frustrated with the TOs in the first half.

I didn't seen the Nova game.  I don't know if it was the same thing causing them to have 16 TOs in that game or not.

There was some of that vs 'Nova, but also a lot of 'dribbling to nowhere' when the bigs wouldn't screen & roll properly, got stuck in no-mans' land and Blackwell & Boyd tried to create through thick pressure because the defense wasn't being stretched.

The high-low game, pick & rolls and duck-ins by the bigs was much better last night.

[Jim French Stepstool]

So it's UWM tomorrow night. The battle for consistency---in running the offense properly, in finding & recognizing good shots, in defending for as much of 40 minutes as possible---continues. Some good things, mostly on the defensive end, vs Villanova & a mostly impressive outing vs CMU. But they've been idle for a little over a week, so it'll be interesting to see how much carryover there is. UWM is not without talent; from what I saw of them in Fiserv earlier this month you need to keep them from turning you over. Whatever they accomplish, on either end, make them earn it in the half court. Any recipe for them making a game of it most likely includes our bigs not showing up. If Bieliauskas & Rapp perform well, move EFFECTIVELY w/o the ball, then combined with Winter the paint area should be no problem.

Looking forward to seeing how the minutes shake out re Janicki, Carrington & Kinzinger.

[yourout]

Has Carrington played in the 1st half?

[yourout]

What an ugly game.

[Jim French Stepstool]

20 hours ago, yourout said:

Has Carrington played in the 1st half?

He didn't get in until the 2nd half. I was there, so didn't hear anything about availability & until he was finally used I assumed he was being held out.

In the postgame, Gard addressed it. No injury, no doghouse, the way he put it was that the backup guards are going to be by committee & the 'committee leader' will not always be the same guy due to fouls, matchups, etc. It'll be a challenge for minutes in the backcourt, game-to-game. Right now Gard is very pleased with Kinzigers' first couple games. And with good reason.

[Jim French Stepstool]

I liked the defense, especially on the interior in the 1st half. In the 2nd, I couldn't figure out if we were actually fouling more or the refs just decided to start exercising their whistles. Bottom line, you're happy holding someone to 60 pts. The 'connectivity' on that end is getting better. I credit UWM with continuing to try to drive the ball & finally getting to the line. They needed to b/c the 3pt shooting from them was pretty atrocious.....

As was UW's. If the Badgers shoot even a mediocre/average % from 3 & the FT line they're somewhere btwn 90-95 pts. But I'm happy if the defense continues to head northward. If they struggle on that end like they did vs Nebraska & BYU they won't outscore people in the B10 enough to turn in a solid resume. Just maintain the defensive curve & hope shots start dropping consistently. 

Word is that Winter is a little hobbled w/the ankle. I'm hoping Blackwell is OK. He wasn't bad last night but didn't seem overly engaged (5 shots).

[yourout]

Buckys defense looks bad early.

[yourout]

Purdue is getting much easier looks.

[yourout]

Purdue is the better team... By a lot 

[Jim French Stepstool]

7 minutes ago, yourout said:

Purdue is the better team... By a lot 

If we don't take care of the ball, yes. Down seven due to the shots we DIDN'T get up due to the miscues. Usually UW cleans that up after halftime when need be, and it needs to happen tonite. Gotta be on top of your game vs a veteran team that knows how to guard & implement a scouting report.