Next up for the
Big Ten Picture is the
Wisconsin Badgers. Scott Tappa, who runs a Badgers blog called
Badgercentric, has provided a great preview of the 2008 Badgers.
According to his site, Tappa is a "big fan of Wisconsin sports, a sports editor at newspapers in Fremont, Ohio, and Oshkosh, Wis., and author of the What's on Tapp sports column for The Daily Cardinal."
Scott Tappa:
2007-08 recap
After losing All-American
Alando Tucker and clutch point guard
Kammron Taylor from the program’s first 30-win team, a slight step back was expected for
Bo Ryan’s team. Instead, the Badgers responded with a 31-win season that included Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. Signature wins at Texas, Indiana, and over Michigan State in Indianapolis were highlights for a balanced team that showed the defensive prowess for which the UW program has come to be known. Purdue was the only conference opponent to beat Wisconsin, winning both in West Lafayette and Madison.
In the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin beat Cal State-Fullerton and, more impressively, Kansas State, before a terrible performance in a loss to Cinderella Davidson.
Brian Butch seized the opportunity to become a go-to guy in his fifth season and responded with an All-Big Ten season, highlighted by a bank shot 3-pointer to win in Bloomington.
Michael Flowers’ lockdown defense was overshadowed by his game-winning 3-pointer in Austin and steal and layup against the Spartans. Shot blocker
Greg Stiemsma will also be missed.
Returnees
Butch and Flowers leave big holes, but no bigger than Tucker and Taylor did the year before. A number of players with starting and finishing experience return, and several promising youngsters appear ready to step into larger roles. The returnees:
Trevon Hughes, point guard: Filled Taylor’s shoes nicely, the truest point guard that UW has had since the early departure of
Devin Harris. Has the ability to score in bunches and complete spectacular passes, but needs to play more consistently. Also needs to shake his propensity for suffering minor injuries; in the Big Ten Tournament final against Illinois, Ryan did not substitute for Hughes after he appeared to aggravate an ankle injury. Capable on-ball defender.
Jason Bohannon, shooting guard: Got off to a slow start, leading Badger fans to worry that he was not athletic enough to create his own shot. Turns out he was probably just suffering the effects of an offseason injury. Known for his 3-point shooting, as the season went on he showed a diversified game. Other than the long ball, his second best move is a runner in the lane. That and his free throw shooting make Bohannon the team’s best closer. Whether or not he can consistently guard opposing 2 guards remains to be seen.
Joe Krabbenhoft, forward: One of the best glue/chemistry guys in the country, does the dirty work for this team. Tenacious defender and rebounder, and good passer. Came to Madison with a reputation as a good shooter, but has never seemed confident looking to score. Will he see his scoring average rise with Butch’s departure? The guess here is no. But Krabbenhoft is arguably the team’s most valuable player.
Marcus Landry, forward: Also got off to a slow start last year as he played the 3 spot in a big lineup. But once he moved back to his regular 4 spot, Landry excelled. Capable of hitting 3-pointers, he is better suited on the blocks. Often compared to his older brother Carl, a former Purdue star, and Tucker, his game is not identical to either, although it is more similar to Carl’s. Will probably be the team’s top post defender - he guarded Greg Oden respectably as a sophomore despite giving up 5 inches – but the team would be better served with him focusing on his offensive game.
Jon Leuer, forward: The team’s most impressive freshman last year, he was the silver lining in a blowout loss at Duke and scored 25 points in the Big Ten opener at Michigan. But Leuer faded into irrelevance by season’s end as the rotation tightened and frontcourt minutes became scarce. Where does he fit into this year’s team? Is he a designated 3-point bomber to play alongside Bohannon as zone busters? Or will he have an all-around game that allows him to guard opposing bigs? He’s 6-10, but rail thin, and it will be interesting to see how much muscle he’s added come fall.
Tim Jarmusz, guard: Didn’t expect him to play much last season, but started getting minutes on the wing near the end of the Big Ten season. Didn’t star, but didn’t embarrass himself either. Big shot guy comes from a winning high school program and is a good 3-point shooter, could fill the role Bohannon filled his first two seasons. He’s 6-6, but it’s doubtful he can keep up with the conference’s quicker wings.
Keaton Nankivil, post: The leading candidate to be the fifth starter at center. Didn’t play much as a freshman, but comes from a terrific high school program and is a high character kid. Has a Big Ten body – broader shoulders, very strong – but can he avoid foul trouble? The thought here is that given the lack of standout Big Ten big man, Nankivil will average less than 20 minutes per game and Ryan will go with a smaller lineup featuring Krabbenhoft at the 4 and Landry at the 5.
J.P. Gavinski, post: Still seen as something of a project, moves fairly well but with an unrefined game. Don’t expect this redshirt sophomore to play much.
Newcomers
Jared Berggren, post: The most decorated newcomer. With the departure of Butch and Stiemsma, has a chance to crack the rotation and win minutes in the post. Decorated Minnesota high schooler but his team was blown out in an appearance in Wisconsin.
Jordan Taylor, point guard: Could see minutes as Hughes’ backup, but it’s more likely Ryan would let Bohannon bring the ball up the court when Hughes is on the bench. Taylor was the Minnesota state player of the year last season and a good student.
Ian Markolf, center: 7-1 Texan is actually bigger than Stiemsma, but the bet here is he doesn’t see much action as a true freshman.
Robert Wilson, wing: Could potentially see minutes if the team is desperate for another athletic wing defender, but the better bet is that he doesn’t play much or redshirts.
Ryan Evans, wing: A surprising late commitment from Arizona, doesn’t seem likely to play much as a true freshman.
Prediction
Individually, Hughes, Bohannon, Krabbenhoft, and Landry are all capable of all-conference seasons. With the departure of Butch, Flowers, and Stiemsma, all four are likely to see their numbers increase slightly, rather than one guy realizing a huge jump. It’s the way this program operates.
Team-wise, from here it the Badgers look like a solid #3 in the Big Ten. Michigan State and Purdue clearly have more talent and fine coaching. Iowa, Indiana, Northwestern, Michigan, and Penn State are down. That leaves Illinois, Minnesota, and Ohio State as comparable rosters, and none can match Wisconsin’s returning talent, chemistry, or – arguably – coaching.
Prediction: Wisconsin will win at least 22 games, finish in the top 3 in the Big Ten during the regular season, advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, and win at least one NCAA Tournament game. Anything beyond that is subject to matchups and the team’s execution that day.
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IUplanet:
Scott seems to have hit the nail right on the head with his prediction, from what I can see. Wisconsin is by no means a lock for third in the conference, but at this point it looks like a likely destination for the Badgers, and third would still be a very respectable finish when you look at the talent Purdue and Michigan State are packing.
Wisconsin will miss Flowers and Butch. They will need some reserves or freshmen to step up and take over for Flowers' defensive presence and Butch's ability to create mismatches on the perimeter and bang inside. Nonetheless, the Badgers will not need to worry about the Hoosiers this year and should have a clearer shot at the upper echelon of the Big Ten.
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