Rewinding Wisconsin-Texas

The first thing that came to mind as I left the Kohl Center a week ago was something my friend Mike said during the game -- that Texas got its points so much easier than Wisconsin did.

While the Badgers strained to get more of their baskets, the Longhorns made things look easy. Pulling down 38 rebounds (15 offensive) to UW's 22 rebounds was the primary culprit. Of course, the silky smooth jumpers that A.J. Abrams dropped over, around and through tight Badger coverage seemed like a dream too. But the combination was a nightmare for Bo Ryan's club.

The game's flow was stilted by too many whistles from Ed Hightower. On the Wisconsin side, both Marcus Landry and Jon Leuer were saddled with foul trouble. However, Texas was just as affected, if not more. Enormous center Dexter Pittman and skilled big man Connor Atchley both sat the majority of the second half after picking up their third and fourth personal fouls, respectively. What a shame too -- I thought watching Atchley and Leuer go at each other would have been a great comparison.

Damion James picked up the slack, notching his second straight double-double (18 pts/15 rebs) against the Badgers. Gary Johnson added 16 & 8 in 33 minutes to Abrams' game-high 21 points as Texas dominated Wisconsin in the front court matchup. [box score]

No one other than Abrams impressed me from the Texas back court. Trevon Hughes was superb for the Badgers, but his 18 points, 4 rebs, 3 assts and 1 steal were not enough by itself. That stat line will always be overshadowed by Hughes' ill-fated drive for two points when Wisconsin trailed by three points on its final possession. The whole state is still shaking its collective head on that one ...

The remarkable thing really is that Wisconsin was still in the game at the end. The Badgers shot the lights out in the first half, finishing 9-of-19 behind the three-point line (compared to Texas' 3-of-16). Yet the team still trailed at the break thanks to an"alley-oop" by Texas that could have easily been offensive goaltending. Add that to Johnson's banked jumper late in the shot clock after a great defensive stand by UW and you have a game where the luck was simply on the side of Texas. The Badgers only turned the ball over once after halftime, but the game came down to free throws. Texas was unconscious, missing only one freebie the entire game (15-of-16); Wisconsin was only average (14-of-21). The result, a five-point loss as predicted, could have been reversed with a swing of a few free throws on each side.

Looking back, UW got nice games from Jason Bohannon and Hughes, but nothing from the bench, the seniors and little in the paint. Landry was a non-factor and Joe Krabbenhoft had a terrible night. His bad pass at midcourt right out of a timeout in the latter stages of the game was a huge shift in momentum at a crucial spot and was one of four Krabby turonvers in the game. Bo's Badgers can only go as far as those two seniors take them.

Anticipation: The Wisconsin-Texas Rematch

Forgive my posting absence of late. The day job and the approaching holidays have taken up most of my time. Since my last appearance, Wisconsin has posted one of it's better performances of the year against an allegedly frisky UW-Green Bay team and followed up with a ho-hum dispatching of Coppin State last Saturday.

While the win over the in-state Phoenix was a decent "pick-me-up" I did not see anything at Saturday's game that indicates the Badgers are prepared to knock off an elite team. The question is this: Is Texas elite?

Despite losing D.J. Augustin from last year's squad, Texas (9-2) still has the uber-quick A.J. Abrams and Damion James. James, if you'll recall, dominated UW last year to the tune of 21 points and 15 rebounds. If your memory is really good, you will also remember that the Longhorns played without Gary Johnson in last year's tilt because of the heart condition he was dealing with. Well, Johnson is now healthy and playing well.

Texas looks elite, by virtue of its depth and wins over UCLA and Villanova. It's two losses are pretty good ones too -- to Notre Dame, 81-80, and just a few days ago to Michigan State, 67-63.

Incidentally, the Longhorns lost to the Spartans last season just prior to hosting Wisconsin. Hopefully the Badgers can make tonight's game déjà vu ... all over again. This is one of two or three games that Wisconsin fans have had their eyes on all year. However, the trip to Madison has probably been circled on the Longhorns' calendars since last year. I think we learn as much about Texas tonight as we learn about Wisconsin.

From the Red and White's perspective, will Jon Leuer still be able to thrive as UW's lone dynamic offensive player when the lane is populated by redwoods from Texas? I'm not sold on that. Can Trevon Hughes rise to the occasion and show the Longhorns what they missed when he was injured last season? Perhaps, but I think what it will take is solid -- not necessarily great -- efforts from every other player.

Just for fun, keep in mind that the two players I predicted to be Wisconsin's most consistent scorers this season were Landry and Jason Bohannon. Just like everyone on the team not named Joe Krabbenhoft, consistency has not been either player's calling card yet this year. That is why we have no idea what will happen against Texas. But over the last three games, both Landry and J-Bo have averaged around 13 points on decent shooting (51.6% by Landry; 44% by J-Bo). Add a nice game from Leuer or Hughes to mistake-free basketball from the bench and you have the recipe for a great game.

Wisconsin always has a chance to win when at the Kohl Center, but I think the Longhorns have to much for this year's Badgers. Texas by five.

Hook'em Bucky

Wow.

It's been a few days since the Badgers shocked the 9th-ranked Texas Longhorns and I'm still giddy. Just the type of win Wisconsin needed to validate the non-conference portion of the schedule. Not only did the Badgers get their first road win against a top ten opponent in 27 years, but the team inspired a great new one-liner from Jay Bilas: "Bo Ryan is a thief!"

It was a thrilling game that was tight the entire 40 minutes. If I had to categorize the upset, I'd apply two labels. First, the Most Pleasantly Surprising Finish Ever. Losing arguably the team's most talented player the night before a game in which UW squared off against the quickest point guard in the nation, no one expected the Badgers to hang with the Longhorns, let alone win on the road. Secondly, I would call the performance Wisconsin's Best Executed Game Plan of the Year. Bo out-coached Rick Barnes and effectively set the tempo in Wisconsin's favor. What a breath of fresh air to see Wisconsin pound the ball inside to its best scorers (Butch and Landry) with smart passes (14 assists) and few turnovers (10 total). [box score]



While the ending was historic, none of it happens without Brian Butch. The Polar Bear dominated the post, using shot fakes and a deft touch around the rim. He tallied 21 points, 11 boards and three assists to lead UW in each category. Even so, when Butch missed the front end of a bonus opportunity -- part of another poor showing at the free throw stripe -- I thought the Badgers were sunk. But that's where the hometown boy come in ...

The last 30 seconds contained three of the most important plays of Michael Flowers' career. Saying he stepped up is more than a huge understatement. It started with his hustle for an offensive rebound in the corner after an absolutely pathetic possession in which J-Bo fired up an off-balance prayer with the shot clock winding down. Bo's decision to go for a quick two-pointer out of the timeout was perfect; the execution by Marcus Landry was priceless.

A missed free throw by A.J. Abrams (Texas was equally awful at hitting freebies) was all Wisconsin needed to complete the coup. And there are hardly any words for that ... as Bo proved by choking up in the post-game interview.