Closing Up Shop

As I alluded to yesterday, change is in the air. So I am taking my talents to South Beach.

Errr, I mean, to a different Web site. From now on, you can find my thoughts, rants and commentary on Wisconsin Badger basketball over at the fantastic Bucky's 5th Quarter community.

Please update your bookmarks and news feeds appropriately. I highly encourage every reader to become a member of the growing Badger community over at B5Q. And if you find the all-sports approach isn't for you, don't worry -- the irrepressible Hoops Marinara tweets will still alert you to newly published basketball articles at the new site. Sign up!

So whether you followed Hoops Marinara via a feed subscription, the Twitter account or just by occasionally Googling a hoops recruit's name, I hope you check out the great things we will be doing over on the SBNation platform (which hopefully will include a preview magazine for the 2011-12 season). All the recruiting information from this site will be transitioned over to a visible spot at B5Q very soon. I cannot promise kindness, but we will be killing 'em with content.

Lastly, a quick thanks to everyone who has supported me and read my stuff here over the past three and a half years of independent blogging. It was a blast.

P.S. -- If I ever again have a coherent thought about the Milwaukee Bucks or WIAA basketball that is not Badger-related, it may wind up here.

Vote for Postseason Awards

Tuesday night was the Wisconsin men's basketball postseason reception. In particular, the season highlight video put together by Matt Ryan was very well done and is worth a look.

Along the same lines, online voting ends today for the 2009-10 men's basketball awards. When I watched the nominees for Play of the Year or Individual Performance of the Year, I got a renewed sense of appreciation for the great year this group of Badgers really had. Now that a few weeks have passed since the end of the season, it doesn't seem so bad that the team peaked earlier than you'd like -- the enjoyable part is that Wisconsin reached a significant peak, highlighted by three home wins over teams ranked in the Coaches' Top 5.

Voting is closed -- see the winners now!

Allow me to make a case in each category:

1. Best Game of the Season: 73-69 win over Duke
A no-brainer really. Duke is a combination college hoops royalty and the evil empire all in one, so this was a big hill to climb. A wire-to-wire win eradicated a bad memory from 2007 and this contest was close enough throughout that the outcome was truly up for grabs. A not-so-close second place goes to punishing Michigan State, 67-49, at the Kohl Center in February.

2. Greatest Individual Performance: Trevon Hughes vs. Duke
Several good options here, but Hughes played perhaps the finest game of his career against the Blue Devils. Not a stat-stuffer event (he added just 2 rebs, 2 assts, 1 blk & 1 stl), but Hughes was the one Badger who the team was counting on to athletically get his own shot that night. He delivered with 26 pts. And had zero turnovers to boot. The sheer variety of way in which he scored was dazzling.

I would be remiss if I didn't reiterate how much I enjoyed watching Keaton Nankivil hit 7-of-8 treys in the losing effort at Purdue. Just amazing, which is more than I can say about Jason Bohannon's barrage against Indiana I'm afraid. The Hoosiers are just terrible. But both Hughes' night on the road in Evanston and Jordan Taylor's performance against Penn State both received heavy consideration for my vote. I remember feeling resigned to Wisconsin dropping a home game to the Nittany Lions of all teams while listening to that game on the radio. Then Taylor became possessed ... and a minor miracle ensued. Good times!

3. Play of the Year: Hughes' steal and alley-oop to Nankivil vs. Iowa
Showtime at the Kohl Center showcased Pop's defense, ball handling and knack for the moment, as well as Nankivil's athleticism. Gave the crowd exactly what they wanted to punctuate a big win.

Note this wasn't called the "most important" play of the year or else I would have voted for Jon Leuer's winner against Wofford, which was incredibly clutch. And the prettiest has got to be Hughes' spin and rainbow J against Duke. That one is etched in my memory for good.

4. Greatest Team Accomplishment: Beating three Top 10 teams
This is one of those things that happens once in a generation really (at least for Wisconsin it had been 21 seasons). Kind of ties into the 16-1 home record also. Leading the nation in fewest turnovers looks nice on the résumé, but I'd trade it for a few more wins in a heartbeat.

5. Team MVP: Jon Leuer
This one was tough. I believe Leuer is the most talented player on the roster and he really came into this own this year. As the only legit post presence on the team, he was the single player most vital to UW's success. Wisconsin's success without Leuer was admirable, but the way Hughes reverted to his old ways at the season's end pretty much clinched this one in my mind. A close third to J-Bo, who really stepped up when Bo needed him most (during Leuer's injury).

6. Most Improved Player: Jordan Taylor
Just a sophomore, Taylor had basically become Wisconsin's true point guard even before he was inserted into the starting lineup. His mercurial assist-to-turnover ratio (3:1) stands out the most, along with his assists, but it was his confidence that took the biggest step. Perhaps that's why he improved his 3-point shooting from 19% to 32.5% and his overall FG% from 26% to nearly 40% (a 71% and 51% improvement, respectively!!).

This category was clearly a two-horse race between JT and Leuer. Leuer started the year as a bit player with potential to a potential NBA draft pick and one of the favorites for next year's Big Ten Player of the Year award.

7. Which non-starter are you most excited about: Ryan Evans
And of the four players, this was my order: Evans > Rob Wilson > Mike Bruesewitz > Jared Berggren. Wilson was my first thought, since I believe he will blossom with a bump up to more playing time as a junior. Love his aggressiveness. The more I thought about it though, aggressiveness is Evans' game too. And as a freshman, Evans played even more than Wilson did, despite still being such a raw prospect. His skill set is much different than anyone else on next year's team. Evans is a big x-factor -- I'd love to see that haircut in the starting five next year.

On the Stove Top: 4/9/10

Greg Gard is one of five official finalists for the UW-Green Bay head coaching position. The process is expected to drag into next week when a round of more formal interviews will take place on campus. Former Wisconsin interim head coach Brad Soderberg declined consideration.

: : :

In a follow-up to Wednesday's post, day one at Portsmouth went pretty smoothly for Trevon Hughes. He led his team to a blowout victory with a well-rounded effort. Other Big Ten players in the tournament include DeShawn Sims and Lawrence Westbrook. Hughes goes up against Baylor's Tweety Carter as his team resumes play tonight.

: : :

Draft Express was on the scene as the Nike Hoop Summit practices began and incoming UW recruit Duje Dukan got a shout out for his shooting prowess. While Dukan measured over 6'8" tall in shoes, I found it interesting that his wingspan was only 6'7". So despite his nice height as a shooting forward, Dukan is not necessarily "long" in the hoops sense.
[Saturday's results] [box score]

: : :

The premature speculation toward next season ran rampant after Duke's win over Butler Monday night. More often than not, Wisconsin is again being overlooked. Here's just a sampling of early Top 25 lists for 2010-11 and where (if) the Badgers ranks ...

• NBC's Beyond the Arc: Not Considered
• CBS' Gary Parrish: #23
• FOX's Jeff Goodman: Among "More to Watch"
• ESPN's Andy Katz: Not even "On the cusp"
• SI's Luke Winn: #15
• Rush the Court: Just missed
• Rivals: Among "Others considered"
• Online Sport Fanatic: #18
• CollegeHoops.net: #21

Keep in mind these lists hang in varying degrees of accuracy due to the stream of NBA early entrant announcements. The Sporting News keeps a nice up-to-date list of those players.

Q&A: Michigan Preview

In anticipation of Wisconsin's upcoming tilt with Michigan, fellow hoops-only blogger Dylan from umhoops.com agreed to exchange a few thoughts about the two teams. Believe it or not, the Wolverines have a chance to move ahead of the Badgers in the Big Ten standings Wednesday night, so the game is pretty important for postseason resumes and conference jockeying alike.

Check out Dylan's stellar blog for my half of the preview.

HM: We know the 3-pointers (29.5%) aren't dropping for Michigan. Has this been the biggest difference so far between last season and this season that has held Michigan back or is it something else?

UMH: We've actually had some healthy discussion about whether three-point shooting is the real problem for Michigan. Michigan shoots a ton of threes and hasn't made them at nearly the same clip they did last year. The statistics show that when Michigan can hit over 33% they are hard to beat. The problem is they have been just dreadful from behind the arc, one of the worst major conference teams in the country.

Will the UConn win carry over and kick start the Wolverines? How do you feel about the fans rushing the court afterward?

Michigan is playing the best basketball they have all year. They've won 4 out of 5 and really let the one loss, versus Northwestern at home, slip away in painful fashion. The schedule hasn't been the toughest but it's clear that Michigan has gained a little bit of confidence back after a dreadful start this year.

As for rushing the court, I was disappointed. I didn't think it was the right call but it also shows that our fan base is just dying for something to cheer about. Football has obviously been a disaster and this was the year the basketball team was supposed to take the next step and that obviously didn't happen. At the end of the day, it was probably fun for those involved but still a little foolish.

Wisconsin may be morphing into a perimeter-oriented team (POT) before our eyes. As someone familiar with John Beilein's teams at Michigan, is there a more hopeless feeling than watching a POT having a bad shooting night?

I was shocked to look at the stats and see how much Wisconsin looked like a perimeter oriented team. The Badgers have actually attempted a higher percentage of three point field goal attempts in conference play than my very own three point happy Wolverines (3PA/FGA 44.9% to 41.9%).

Considering that we are a POT that is shooting 29% from three-point range, I can tell you that I am very familiar with the hopeless feeling of watching missed three-point shots clang off the rim. The flip side is that a game can turn on a dime. Michigan scored 16 points in the first half at Penn State, didn't make a three until midway through the second half, and still managed to catch fire and come back from a double digit deficit thanks to the three point shot.

As painful as it is, a team that relies on the three is never out of the game.

Though people might assume Michigan will deploy a zone, should Wisconsin fans expect Beilein to throw a variety of defenses at the Badgers?

Michigan likes to start with their man-to-man defense which has improved by leaps and bounds over the last several weeks. They usually go to the 1-3-1 zone after made baskets for a stretch here and there, especially if it causes some turnovers and seems to work. Against bigger teams like Connecticut, Michigan also will throw in some 2-3 zone. Still, contrary to the popular belief that Michigan is an all 1-3-1 team, you will see very healthy portions of man-to-man defense.

Can DeShawn Sims take advantage of Jon Leuer's absence and wreak havoc in the paint on Wednesday?

Sims has the ability to be a dominant player on any night. However his tendency to disappear in some games, especially on the road, frustrates Michigan fans to no end. Most of the reason that Michigan has been playing so well in Big Ten play is because DeShawn Sims has brought his A-game (20.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 61.1 eFG% in conference play).

Sims tends to get comfortable against smaller opponents and if he makes his first couple shots he can definitely get on a roll. That being said, Wisconsin is great at defending two-point shots (42.8%) so it will probably be tough for him to get going. When Michigan is at their best they play inside out through Sims first and then spreading the ball out to their guards for three-point shots.

Which member of the supporting cast must have a good game in order for Michigan to steal one on the road?

The key for Michigan is that DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris play their game and at least one other player steps up. Laval Lucas-Perry, Stu Douglass, and Zack Novak can all shoot the ball from three-point range. When one, or even better two, of them can hit a few three pointers Michigan becomes very tough to beat. The problem is that none of them have been extremely accurate from three-point range this year.

Who Is the New Badger Villain?

While completing my holiday hibernation, I agreed to answer a few questions for the Wisconsin preview that is up now at From The Barn. The impressive Minnesota basketball blog is compiling thoughts from around the league as we prepare for the conference season.

The toughest question for me to answer was an unexpected one about which Badger is most likely to rub Gopher fans the wrong way. It's no secret that guys like Brian Butch, Greg Stiemsma and especially Joe Krabbenhoft have been disliked by rival fanbases over the years. The feelings usually stem from the way the players look and alleged dirty plays to the fact that the guys are successful players who simply seem like they've been on the team forever. Most Big Ten fans would call this the Jess Settles Theory.

A few names are already popping into your mind right now, but you will have to read the preview to find out who I selected. After you do that, send me some feedback on these two questions:

1. Who is your most despised "villain" on any Big Ten opponent's current roster and why?




2. Which current Badger player do you see playing the role of villain in other fans' minds?

: : :

As far as the Badgers recent performances are concerned, it was nice to see Jason Bohannon break free a bit against Illinois-Chicago, hitting 5-of-6 from deep en route to 15 points in 31 minutes. I hesitate to say it was his best game of the year because he did more damage against Maryland, plus he was one of several Badger guards who coughed up a possession in uncharacteristic fashion against the Flames on Sunday. Jordan Taylor had one such mental error (a bad pass) that still has me scratching my head. The Badgers need to get serious in a hurry after feasting on a couple of non-conference appetizers because hosting Ohio State on New Year's Eve is an important task.

Big Ten Previews, Charts and Graphs

Once again, Michigan basketball blog UMHoops has gathered a number of fellow bloggers together for a slew of Big Ten previews. For the second year in a row, I was happy to take part in the process. If you are down with O.P.P. (Other People's Previews), check out my Wisconsin preview that kicked things off last Monday. I think they are about halfway through the league by now.

(I just now realized I had this post all typed out and then just, uhm, forgot to post it.)

Hopefully I accurately gauged the general pulse of Badger fans heading into the year, tainted only slightly by my own opinion. Let me know if you agree or think I royally missed the mark.

One of the links Dylan included over there as an intro to the previews was a grid showing what percentage of statistical production returns for each conference team this season.

For a different perspective, The Only Colors -- a Spartan blog -- has a 2009-10 preview aerial focusing on last year's efficiency rating vs. returning minutes. Compare that graph to to last year's efficiency margin vs. returning minutes aerial by the Big Ten Geeks and you will see these things aren't always the best predictors of success.

So yes, if you are scoring at home, I'm officially down with O.P.P., O.P.C. (Charts) and O.P.G. (Graphs).

Hoops Marinara on Twitter

It's official. I broke down and joined the Twitter madness.

As much as I wanted to stay away from tweeting personally, there is no doubt that it is a great way to gather and disseminate information, which is what this blogging thing is all about. A Twitter presence will only make Hoops Marinara better (this blog just went third-person on ya, believe it).

So visit here and start following!

Slight Redesign

I made some tweaks to the site this weekend, mostly notable adding the left-hand column. That enabled me to add the tag cloud that I never got around to adding before.

All the sidebar content should be easier to see and get to now. Yes, there are a couple of ads, but also a better site search tool and more fluid ways to share content via ShareThis. Next task would be a new header banner, but no promises. Any feedback is welcome!

Summer Furlough

It has been well over a month since the last update here. I've sat on some of the recent summer topics, so let's review a few of the things I have not been posting about:

Football roundtable
I like sticking strictly to the hardwood, but I did participate in a Badger football preseason roundtable with some fellow UW bloggers. Part one covers the offense and part two covers the defense (part three is in the works as well). Check it out if you are so inclined. Special thanks to Duff Beach at On Wisconsin! for extending the invite and putting this together along with Adam Hoge of Bucky's 5th Quarter. All I have to say is ... I am waiting 'til next year for the gridders. And I mean that in a good way.

NBA Summer League
Marcus Landry made a name for himself in the NBA's Summer League by catching fire from long-range and generally making an impact with the Sacramento Kings. Cowbell Kingdom called him the most reliable outside shooter on the squad. Landry had nothing to lose and just might have earned a training camp spot.

The team didn't win much, but Landry shot 48.5% from the field and hit 10-of-24 from behind the arc in about 20 mpg. This in addition to a handful of block and rebounds--not bad for a non-drafted invitee, eh? [video interview]

On the other end of the spectrum, Joe Krabbenhoft got the invite to Portland's summer squad but barely got off the bench. Greg Stiemsma had one decent appearance with Memphis, but fared only slightly better than Krabby in terms of playing time.

Vander Blue attends summer school
The news that Madison prep hero Vander Blue was attending classes this summer seemed to renew hope that he may still be a Wisconsin lean. But the speculation is just that, as traditional western powers Arizona and UCLA are now very involved and on his list of three or four campuses to visit. Florida also appears to be a likely finalist for Blue's talents.

The senior-to-be continued to perform well on the grassroots scene despite skipping a few events to focus on his academics. Blue continues to play things close to the vest, as he should. As his grandfather stated, when Blue gets cleared to play D1 ball as a college freshman (hopefully with a good ACT score later this month and other fulfilled requirements) we will hear a lot more on this subject, starting in September most likely.

Cameron Wright now holds a slew of big-time offers of his own and should not be considered Plan B for the Badgers ... they would be fortunate to get either kid for 2010. The catch-22 is that the true "Plan Bs" are beginning to make their final decisions too and may be off the market if eith Blue or Wright spurns Bo at the last moment. Port Washington's Josh Gasser is getting ACC and Pac-10 offers at this point after being told he could walk on at Wisconsin. Players like Darren Tillman and Darryl Trayham have been mentioned in this class, but not repeatedly. Rather that scrambling for scraps, perhaps the program would hold the scholarship for 2011 (more below), especially if Diamond Taylor is a redshirt candidate this season.

U.S. falls short in World University Games
In July, Bo Ryan appeared to be cruising to the gold medal game of the World University Games, before his team collapsed against Russia in the fourth quarter. Team USA held a 10-point lead through much of the game and led by six with 2:30 left. Do you think that reopened some old wounds from last season for the coach?

Clemson's Trevor Booker went 0-for-4 from the free throw line, part of a 20-for-31 team performance in the semifinal game [box score]. After starring for most of the tournament, Penn State's Talor Battle shot 9% from the field. Sadly, Purdue's Robbie Hummel summed things up:

"We didn't give enough to win. Russia played harder than we did, and we didn't get some calls, but that's the way the game goes. It was a very tough loss, and we are all very disappointed."

Team USA settled for an anticlimactic victory over Israel to claim bronze in an extremely hostile environment. It would have been nice for Bo to grab the gold and get a little publicity nationwide for how he runs things here at Wisconsin. But considering how little these games were even covered (ESPN did not even run scores for the tourney until USA's loss), it's not a big deal. Though the Americans seemed destined for a rubber match with Serbia, the host Serbs wound up with the gold as many expected. At least Bo got to teach a coaching clinic while abroad.

I bet Bo wished he still had some of those WUG big men on his roster when he returned to Madison. Bo did work closely with Big Ten adversaries Battle, Hummel and Evan Turner, which I suppose could give him at least one additional nugget of insight when Wisconsin plays one of their teams this season. And in turn, Turner said he learned patience from the ordeal.

With such a deep team, the scoring and rebounding was very balanced in typical Wisconsin style. Individually, Team USA players excelled in two areas. West Virginia's De'Sean Butler and Battle were both in the top eight for 3PT% while Turner (#4) and Hummel (#10) both had great assist-turnover ratios for the tournament.

New recruiting targets emerge
Wisconsin has at least expressed interest in D.C.-area sophomore Darion Atkins. Atkins is a 6'7" center who probably projects as a forward at the collegiate level. It's possible the staff first caught wind of him as they kept tabs on Jeremy Glover, since Flint Hill played Atkins' Landon School team last season.

Darion Atkins, F - Rivals :: Scout :: stats

The talent in Ohio continues to capture the attention of Bo Ryan and his staff. The signing of Rob Wilson last year seemingly opened some connections in the state as several Class of 2011 guards have seen their names pop up in conjunction with UW's recruiting efforts.

Trey Burke, G - Rivals :: Scout :: ESPN :: stats
Trey Lewis, G - Rivals :: ESPN :: stats
Traveon Jackson, G - Rivals :: ESPN :: stats
Jakarr Sampson, F - Rivals :: Scout :: ESPN :: stats

In addition, two guards from Rockford in the 2012 class, Austin Angel and Fred Van Vleet, are on the radar.

: : :

Removed the following prospects from the recruiting sidebar:
: : : Class of 2009
F Mike Bruesewitz, Minneapolis
SG Diamond Taylor, Chicago
SG Jeremy Glover, Oakton VA [+]
: : : Class of 2010
F Kyle Kelm, Randolph WI
: : : Class of 2011
G Nick Latzke, Minneapolis
PF Mike Shaw, Chicago [v]
F Wayne Blackshear, Chicago

Link of the Night

The Ohio State blog Eleven Warriors had an interesting post today about one guy's behind-the-scenes experience at the Big Ten Network headquarters. Unfortunately Hoops Marinara has no such access anywhere. Sigh.

Before I delve into the offseason in the coming weeks, I wanted to note how happy I am that Trevon Hughes' Game-winner against Florida State was named the tournament's Pontiac Game Changing Performance. The American voters got it right. The Siena and Villanova clips were equally deserving, maybe even Oklahoma State, but I would have rolled my eyes a bit if the Gonzaga or Pittsburgh clip had won (the Missouri entry was a joke).

I am always afraid that these contrived contests will end up like those episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos, where the clip of the dog in a life jacket wins the money over the only finalist video that actually made you laugh.

In the context of the whole tournament, I though Scottie Reynolds' game-winner (sent 'Nova to Final Four) and Kalin Lucas' three-point play (regional semis against defending champs) were the two most important shots on the list. But Pop's shot was the only one that combined four essential elements: 1) it was an upset, 2) his team was trailing, 3) it was overtime, and 4) it left little to no time for the opponent to get another good chance to score.

: : :

Other old news:
- Gopher-to-be Royce White was named Minnesota Mr. Basketball over Badger signee Mike Bruesewitz. Tubby fans rejoice.

- I did not stick around for the montage after the butt-whippin' UNC served up to Michigan State. But after hearing Wisconsin got two clips into this year's One Shining Moment reel, I finally watched the thing. Nice memories ... - Kirk Penney was named the 2009 MVP of the Australian NBL. He led the league in scoring at over 24 ppg after finishing second in scoring last season.

Blog Poll - Week 5

Here is my Top 25 for the end of the regular season. You can check out the weekly BlogPoll analysis here. I will check in with some Badger-specific thoughts later tonight.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Pittsburgh	1
2	North Carolina	2
3	Connecticut
4	Michigan St.	1
5	Oklahoma	4
6	Louisville
7	Memphis	1
8	Duke	1
9	Kansas	1
10	Villanova	1
11	Wake Forest	1
12	Washington	2
13	UCLA	4
14	Missouri	1
15	Marquette	4
16	Gonzaga	2
17	Louisiana St.	2
18	Purdue	2
19	Xavier	2
20	Florida St.
21	Butler	4
22	Syracuse
23	Arizona St.	4
24	Texas A&M
25	Ohio St.
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: West Virginia (#22), Clemson (#23), Illinois (#24).

Blog Poll - Week 3

In a hurry, I skipped right past posting last week's poll and managed to miss this week's deadline I think. That means you probably missed me handing a vote to Arkansas by accident instead of South Carolina, so I felt like I had to include the Gamecocks for one more week to make up for the transgression.

I didn't feel like knocking Oklahoma down since Blake Griffin did not play too much this weekend. And you will notice, I didn't give to much credit to Texas for winning that one either. The Pac-10 hurt themselves this week, while the rest of those teams in the teens and early 20s I feel are getting stronger.

I have high hopes for some traditional power matchups in this year's tournament since the mid-majors appear to be in a down cycle. However, that also means we are bound to see one or two huge upsets, since everyone is writing them off. Gonzaga certainly blasted it's last two opponents, remaining one of only two non-BCS schools (Xavier) that I've place in my Top 25 so far.

Rank	Team
1	Pittsburgh
2	Oklahoma
3	North Carolina
4	Connecticut
5	Michigan St.
6	Villanova
7	Duke
8	Marquette
9	Louisville
10	Memphis
11	Wake Forest
12	Missouri
13	Purdue
14	Arizona St.
15	Kansas
16	Washington
17	UCLA
18	Louisiana St.
19	Florida St.
20	Gonzaga
21	Clemson
22	West Virginia
23	Xavier
24	Illinois
25	South Carolina

CBS Sports Blog Poll

I just submitted by my first set of picks for the basketblog poll hosted by CBSsports.com, which should debut this week.

Even though Illinois beat a weakened Purdue team, I replaced the Illini with the streaking Ohio State Buckeyes. Making the other picks were pretty tough for me this first time, but after finishing, there was no question in my mind that the Big East and the ACC are head and shoulders above the other conferences.

Individual teams that I seem to have a soft spot for this season are Oklahoma (hasn't played anyone in the Big XII yet), Louisville (fun to watch), Villanova (coached by George Clooney) and Missouri (don't ask). Now that Michael Redd (season), Andrew Bogut (2 months+) and Luke Ridnour (month) are all out, I am hoping the Milwaukee Bucks tank the rest of the season for a shot at Blake Griffin. Griffin posterized Colorado all night long this past Friday.

If you think my picks are wack, leave a comment.

Rank	Team
1	Connecticut
2	Oklahoma
3	Pittsburgh
4	North Carolina
5	Duke
6	Xavier
7	Louisville
8	Wake Forest
9	Michigan St.
10	UCLA
11	Villanova
12	Marquette
13	Memphis
14	Kansas
15	Washington
16	Missouri
17	Clemson
18	Butler
19	Miami FL
20	Gonzaga
21	Purdue
22	Florida
23	Minnesota
24	Arizona St.
25	Ohio St.

Another Brick In The Wall

My dream will have to wait another year. Not only did the ACC display its superiority again, but Duke emerged unscathed. The Big Ten improved overall to five wins this year, but eight of the 12 ACC teams still have a .500 or better record in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Now, sure most of the games were close and there were positive moments. Unfortunately, the marquee teams from the ACC lambasted the "best" teams from the Big Ten. Purdue laid an absolute egg. That performance will have people drooling over Duke for weeks, fair or not. Kyle Singler is very good though and he shut down Robbie Hummel.

Top-ranked North Carolina sealed the deal by running away from Michigan State. Will a home team win at Ford Field at all this year?! The game was entertaining at the start, however, the Spartans simply do not stack up inside -- especially without Goran Suton. I am still waiting to be impressed by Raymar Morgan with my own two eyes.

Other thoughts, with the help of the Big Ten blogosphere:
Minnesota looked very aggressive Tuesday and could definitely be a player in the Big Ten. The Gophers have been trained to hound the perimeter and try to swat every shot attempt. This enabled them to control the tempo. Two players stood out. Damian Johnson is long and athletic. Freshman Colton Iverson is not a looker but looks real good in the post. Iverson is a player I imagine most Badger fans can respect. If you were looking for the next big man in the conference to worry about, see this kid in two years. Minnesota should be scary at that point with Royce White and Rodney Williams also on the roster.

Obviously, Ohio State benefited from the ejection of Jack McClinton and thus, turned the tables on Miami in the second half. McClinton made his first four 3-pointers before he got the boot with about 10 minutes left int he first half. Ho hum, another road win, one of six in the challenge.

After seeing the pathetic finishes by Illinois and Iowa, all you could do was vomit. For the Illini to not get a shot off is unforgivable and the Hawkeye freshman missing (badly) on the front end of a bonus situation is pure heartbreak. If either of those finishes flipped, the Big Ten would have a big smile on its face right now. Penn State added another very weak finish on Wednesday but still managed to escape Atlanta with a nice win over Georgia Tech. The Nittany Lions made some minor mistakes in press break mode, like passing up an easy basket that would have put them up six points, and looked terrible form the charity stripe. Part of the problem was failing to get the ball to their best free throw shooters each time.

The fans back in State College probably chewed their nails off, but they have a reason to be optimistic about their backcourt. I really like is PSU's sophomore point guard Talor Battle, who teams with senior Stanley Pringle to form a quick, offensive-minded pair. Former Badger recruiting target Iman Shumpert posted a nice line as well.

In other Wednesday action, Indiana lost big to Wake Forest as expected, and Michigan proved me wrong by getting shell shocked to the tune of 46 points in the second half. Luckily, Northwestern picked up the slack with a convincing romp over Florida State. Could that be a spark towards something more for the Wildcats?

That put me at a paltry 5-5 on my predictions. There's always next year ... for me and for the Big Ten.

Decision '08: The Kool-Aid

Michigan hoops blog UMHoops has been running a Big Ten season preview for each conference team with the help of fellow bloggers. I was happy to lend my thoughts for the site's Wisconsin preview.

Being a natural pessimist, I was trying to think of reasons why the Badgers would not win another Big Ten title. Purdue, Michigan State, injuries, youth ... bad luck ...

The times, though, they are a-changing. I have made a decision to be optimistic this season. I have sipped the Kool-Aid and poured myself another. Marcus Landry, Joe Krabbenhoft, Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon are as experienced a foursome in Bo Ryan's swing offense and defensive concepts as one could hope for.

The performances of Keaton Nankivil in the scrimmage and Jon Leuer's bounce back in the first exhibition game were encouraging. It's important not to overvalue their play in meaningless games, but what I realized is that Wisconsin's Big Four will not need too much help to be successful. They need capable support. The team as a whole has shown glimpses of continuing the strong outside shooting that I feared might have been a blip last year. The conference schedule is kind. The team can and will get contributions from capable freshmen. Can Wisconsin go 16-2 again? Yes they can!

: : :

Check out the new poll and let us know which non-conference game who are most looking forward to this season. To view the Paradise Jam bracket for UW's potential opponents, click here.

: : :

Removed the following prospects from the recruiting sidebar:
: : : Class of 2009
F Jamil Wilson, Racine WI [v]
: : : Class of 2010
F Harrison Barnes, Ames IA
F J.D. Weatherspoon, Columbus OH {Xavier}

Things That Go Clang In The Night

The Night of the Grateful Red returned for its second incarnation last night at the Kohl Center. From missed layups and dunks in the first warm-up drill to a painfully developing slam dunk contest, the session looked every bit like the "first practice of the year" that it is.

Every year, I know this going in. Yet I still get that occasional twinge in my stomach, thinking "shouldn't these guys be better at this?" That is, until I get home and see similar contests across the league via the Big Ten Network's Midnight Madness special [highlights]. The fact is that all of these dunk contests are hard to watch.

This year's event did not include a scrimmage, so I was disappointed that we did not get to see any of the new players in action for the first time.

So on to the recap ...

This year's dunk contest field grew to five participants, including newcomers Ryan Evans and Rob Wilson. Keaton Nankivil got a nice dunk in after a try or two, but it was Morris Cain leading the way in round one. Rumors persisted that Evans was freaky athletic and that proved true as he topped Cain in the finals and capped the night off with an East Bay Funk-style dunk between the legs (after three or four tries, admittedly).

Prior to that, the seven contestants in the 3-point shooting contest displayed their skills behind the new white 20'9" arc. Jon Leuer struggled and his form still looks incredibly goofy. Frosh point guard Jordan Taylor handled himself well in his first performance on the new floor of the "Herb Garden." It was a great move to put Joe Krabbenhoft in this contest and believe it or not, he won it! We can only hope that is a sign of things to come. Maybe that has been the problem all these years -- Krabby is just too strong for the shorter 3-point line. Yeah, that's it ... too strong.

There was no way for Bo Ryan to top last year's dance video and I think they knew that. They tried to spice it up this time with an old school vs. new school dance-off between Bo and Marcus Landry that fell flat.

Despite adding cheerleaders, the whole dance concept is a little tired. However, it does give some individual flavor to each player as they are introduced. For example, Wquinton Smith is by far the best dance man on the squad. He could do Dancing With The Stars easily. I thought Jared Berggren, Tim Jarmusz and Brett Valentyn were awful. But then I saw J-Bo attempt to dance. Not pretty. Too timid. He is going to get grief from Bo all year long for that.

Final thoughts: Nankivil still looks like he should be able to pack more muscle onto that big frame of his. But after two seasons of waiting, maybe it's not going to happen ... While Wquinton was the same height as his dance team partner, Ian Markolf showed he was a legit 7-footer by kneeling next to his cheerleader and still edging her height-wise ... The cowboy hat during player intros might become an annual tradition. Last year it was Trevon Hughes, this time it was Krabby.

: : :

Links:
- This running the hill business has taken on a life of its own. At any rate, I look forward to seeing the Bo Ryan's best-conditioned team yet.
- Mike Wilkinson is out of action due to a knee injury, so back in town for the Penn State game, he explained how fanatic Greek basketball fans are compared to Wisconsin football fans. The craziest part of the article is wife Alexis telling how she used to get death threats from Michigan fans. Ah Wolverines ... stick to football.
- One of my favorite new blogs is Jerry Tarkanian's Shark Bytes for the Las Vegas Sun. If you followed college hoops in the late '80s or early '90s, this will be a hilarious retreat.

Adding New Features

I am trying out some new features on the website, as well as reminding everyone of some older content:

• I just added the new 'Followers' widget from Blogger. So if you read Hoops Marinara, do me the favor of adding yourself via the Readers section in the right-hand column. Hopefully it adds some value to the blog. Thank you kindly ...
  
  
• The first poll has been added along the right-hand side as well, an enhancement that was looooong overdue. Predictably, the first question I pose to you involves Bo Ryan's starting lineup this season.
  
  
• The recruiting sidebar has been cleaned up. As the Badgers officially welcome their freshmen quintet, so too must the Class of 2008 give way to the Class of 2009 atop the recruiting front. The Roster Origins Map that resides there has also been updated for the new season. (Now with more Wquinton!)
  
  
• If you think the UW Video Spotlight shows the same videos over and over, you are wrong. I update the search criteria every week or two to showcase a different past or present Badger baller. So keep checking in.

Consider this a call to arms for those casual readers out there. If you know of a good link that is relevant to Wisconsin, the Big Ten, college basketball or recruiting that you think would be a good addition to the blog roll, go ahead and suggest it, either through an email or a comment on a post. Hopefully the new polls will push the site to become a little more interactive as well.

: : :

"Retired" prospects from the recruiting sidebar:
: : : Class of 2008
Signed Letters of Intent: 5
PG Jordan Taylor, Minneapolis [v]
PF Jared Berggren, Princeton MN [v]
SG Robert Wilson, Garfield Hts OH
C Ian Markolf, San Antonio TX
SF Ryan Evans, Chandler AZ

Diamond Taylor Video

The best part of starting this open threads project for Wisconsin's latest recruits is that it forced me to hunt down elusive material. Prior to this I had never seen video clips of Diamond Taylor ... at least any in which he was identifiable. Luckily, today I stumbled across video of a Coach Gene Pingatore's 800th win from back in December that includes footage a nifty baseline move by Taylor. I also found a collection of very short summer league clips, like the one embedded below. These are the kinds of thing you can find compiled on Taylor's Prospect Profile page.

SJ vs Simeon - Diamond Taylor Pull-Up Jumper

Prospect profiles are now online for the last five preps to commit to Bo Ryan, which includes one from the upcoming freshman class. In the future, the green folder icon () next to any player listed in the Wisconsin recruiting sidebar will link to the open thread player page.

So far ...
2008: Ryan Evans
2009: Mike Bruesewitz | Diamond Taylor
2010: Vander Blue | Evan Anderson

Links:
- Has Northwestern become a player in recruiting? Nah ...
- Wisconsin was a "Near Miss" on Van Coleman's list of Top 40 (41) Recruiting Classes
- Mark Miller analyzes the top state players from the NY2LA Invitational at Wishoops.net

Reflecting Back On Wisconsin's Exit

After getting a good night's rest, I feel better equipped to make more rational statements about Wisconsin's season coming to a close.

I want to give some props to Jason Bohannon, the one player that seemed determined to create something out of nothing when all seemed lost for UW. He scored 11 points, dished a team-high three assists and added one steal. An unfortunate year-long trend for the team has been the lack of assists. Assists can be viewed as a subjective statistic at times, but I think passing is one area in which the Badgers can be a better team next year.

The typically reliable Joe Krabbenhoft only tallied three rebounds and had three turnovers as well. If that weren't bad enough already, Stephen Curry was caught guarding Krabby many times, but Joe did not post him up successfully at all. That's inexcusable. He needs to take a big step forward offensively next year as a senior. And he will be needed inside with the departures of Brian Butch and Greg Stiemsma.

Being upset by a 10-seed was another terrible ending to a great season, no matter how good Davidson really is. Luckily, the Badgers were truly playing with house money at this point, despite their lofty top-ten ranking. If you would have told me to start the year that Wisconsin would be Big Ten regular season and tournament champs, go 31-5 and make the Sweet 16, I would have been ecstatic. That is the only thing that can comfort Badger fans at this point. Try it, it works.

As you might expect,the initial reaction by a few other Badger bloggers was much like mine--one of despondence, frustration, and surprise at seeing a totally different Wisconsin team out on the court. The Wisconsin Sports Bar actually broke down the six losses that Davidson has suffered this season and determined that a shift in the ratio of Stephen Curry's 3-point attempts to the team's 3-point attempts as a whole has made the Wildcats a better team. The other trend in Davidson's losses were foul trouble for Curry or an advantage from the line for its opponent. Last night, Wisconsin did not get Davidson into any foul trouble and therefore did not have a significant enough advantage in that area (14/21 vs. 9/12) to make up for Curry's supporting cast hitting 6-of-13 from long-range.

The play of the "other players" did not escape Davidson head coach Bob McKillop. Point guard Jason Richards played flawless basketball, but the rest of the team is talented too. In fact, Davidson was ranked higher than Wisconsin in those all-important preseason polls. With the Big Ten clearly experiencing a down year, Davidson may have been just as battle-tested as Wisconsin thanks to their pre-conference schedule.

On UW hoops message boards, expressing the usual mix of hopeless doomsday theorizing or stoic, blind support of the program. Many posters are simply giving Davidson a lot of credit. I plan on rooting for the Wildcats from here on out. My pool brackets have already flat-lined anyway.

Redemption for the Flowers family
Things looked bleak for Winona State in the first half against Augusta State in the NCAA Division II Championship game. But the Warriors (38-1) did something in the second half that the Badgers could not do in their game: play with confidence. Winona State punched back and with 10 minutes left in the game, had completely erased what had been a 16-point deficit. Led by Jonte Flowers, Winona State then extended the lead and held on for a 87-76 win.

Flowers, the tournament's MVP, pulled a mini-Curry, exploding for 25 of his 30 points after halftime, compared to Augusta State's 32 second-half points. He hit some timely 3-pointers and stepped up his trademarked defensive pressure even in the face of foul trouble. He would have been a nice addition to UW's program, but I doubt he would trade his experiences in Minnesota for anything. I did notice that Flowers missed two fast break layups off of his own steals. Mike Flowers had some trouble finishing on the break this year also -- do small hands run in the family?

Congratulations to the whole Madison LaFollette crew (Flowers, Quincy Henderson, Curtrel Robinson) at Winona State that captured its second national title in three years.

State Tournament Field All Set

Maymon, Blue advance; Wilson's big game not enough
This weekend brought to rest many dreams in the world of high school basketball. In Wisconsin, the Division 1 field has been pared to eight, while the three lower divisions have now determined their final four participants.

Personal fave Janesville Craig lost a heart breaker on Friday night, 65-62, when Lake Geneva Badger made 15-of-32 treys, including one in the final seconds. Lake Geneva (18-5) then jumped all over top-seeded Verona in the first quarter of the Sectional #6 final, thus sailing into Thursday's first quarterfinal match-up with Madison Memorial. The triumphant Spartans (21-2) marched through three games as the top seed in Sectional #3, winning by an average of 21 points. On Saturday, Memorial pulled away from Waunakee, who entered the game 23-0 after sneaking by Madison LaFollette.

After fighting off a midweek ankle injury, junior forward Jeronne Maymon poured in 27 points against the Warriors, while sophomore guard Vander Blue contributed 16 for the Spartans. Memorial exhibits fearsome pressure that opposing coaches have called "relentless." The style reminds you of a few Milwaukee high school teams from years past, which is ironic now that the boys state tournament will lack a team from the Cream City for the first time since 1978. Memorial has the look of a favorite.

Of course, several Milwaukee area teams may still stand in its way. Top-seeded Germantown (22-1) escaped Sectional #5 by beating second-seeded Milwaukee Vincent. Ready to greet Germantown in Madison is gritty defending champion Oshkosh West. West (17-7) got no love in being assigned a 4-seed, but "upset" crosstown rival Oshkosh North to make their third straight trip to the Kohl Center.

Another team making its third straight appearance is Brookfield Central, which will play Bay Port in the quarterfinals. The Lancers (18-5) overcame a mammoth performance from Jamil Wilson to beat Racine Horlick and secure their seventh trip to the state tourney in nine years. Central countered Wilson's 37 points and five threes with its own 3-point shooting in Horlick's own gym. Luckily for Wilson, he has one more year to get to state with most of the team returning intact next fall.

While Milwaukee King toppled undefeated juggernaut Milwaukee Washington, 59-58, on Thursday, Wauwatosa East (23-1) eliminated the Generals to win Sectional #8. Now it will be the Red Raiders facing off against Eau Claire North (18-4) in the late game this Thursday. So college fans will get to see at least one potential Wisconsin recruit, center Evan Anderson, on the big stage. UW assistant Gary Close was in attendance at the Marshfield sectional final, so you can bet Anderson is the team's to priority for 2010.

Breaking it down, four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds and one #4 seed advanced to the D1 state tournament. Monroe is one of three #1 seeds that moved on to State in D2. The Cheesemakers will take their first step toward a repeat championship when they play upstart 4-seed New Berlin Eisenhower.

In Division 3, the expected domination by parochial schools continues. As I suggested about a week ago, the percentage of private school teams from larger urban areas increased each round. They comprised five of the eight sectional finalists and now three of the four semifinalists.

A few years ago, many thought undefeated state champ Whitefish Bay Dominican was the best team in any division. With St. Louis-signee Kwamain Mitchell at the point, this season's squad is in the hunt for another gold ball. Over the weekend, top-ranked Dominican avenged last season's tournament loss to fellow D3 powerhouse Racine St. Catherine's. Joining Dominican at the Kohl Center will be Iola-Scandinavia, Eau Claire Regis and LaCrosse Aquinas. In another case of dominating margin of victory, Aquinas has won by 59, 31, 26, 29 and 29 points over its five-game waltz through the bracket. Unfortunately, Aquinas and Dominican meet right away in the semifinal round.

Not surprisingly, Randolph punched a ticket to Madison for the 12th time in the last two decades. Leading scorer Bryan Johnson teams with 6'9" sophomore Kyle Kelm and another Tillema (Tyler) for the Rockets, who are looking for their sixth D4 state championship in seven years. See Wishoops.net for a description of how Tyler differs from his more recognizable older brothers.

: : :

Links:
- The Star Ledger has a couple of interesting tidbits in a recent article on Devin Harris.
- Somehow, Hoops Marinara was mentioned in an ongoing argument regarding recruiting in the comments section at the JSOnline's Badger Blog. I'm flattered to be sure -- people are reading. But to the fellow who wasn't too pleased with my "blogger" profile, next time you quote something, at least be accurate.