Wisconsin Knocked Out Of Big Ten Race

It sucks to be out of the Big Ten Conference title race. Now Wisconsin fans are left to rationalize away the team's downward trending performance because the team has exceeded preseason expectations. Small consolation. The Badgers are 3-3 in their last six games and sit in fifth place.

What sucks worse is getting blown out in the last two losses to unranked teams and losing three in a row to Minnesota. And this one was a thrashing.

Tubby Smith mulled over a twin towers starting lineup for this game, but it didn't matter who started. Minnesota's height and length was too much for No. 14 Wisconsin, starting with Ralph Sampson III. The Gophers out-rebounded the Badgers 36-20 in a game where every tipped ball, bounce and call seemed to go Minnesota's way. [box score]

Prior to tip-off, I suspected that Wisconsin needed to pounce on Minnesota early and limit its turnovers to have success at the Barn. The Gophers have lacked confidence lately and called a players only meeting earlier this week in an effort to manufacture some confidence. A fast start by UW could have really frustrated a team like that. But even though Wisconsin controlled the ball well, the Badgers couldn't sustain a 6-0 lead.

In fact, once Jon Leuer checked in, Minnesota rattled off a 14-2 run and never trailed thereafter. Leuer got some open looks but didn't quite look up to game speed. The bandaged wrist appeared to prevent him from grabbing a couple rebounds with both hands properly and he failed to convert a bunny that he normally would have dunked. It will take a few more games to get the big guy comfortable again.

Blake Hoffarber got loose for 12 of his 16 points in the first half, hitting from all angles, and also pulled down a game-high 9 boards. Nice game. Wisconsin shut him down in the second, but the end of the first half ensured that the Badgers would be playing uphill the rest of the night.

Trailing by just five with under a minute until halftime, Ryan Evans got called for a horrendous loose ball foul on a rebound he corralled fair and square with two hands above Justin Cobbs. Bo Ryan, naturally got T'd up and the Goofs hit all four gift free throws. Just like that, it's a nine-point game.

Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes combined for 37 points, including 9-of-19 3-point shooting, but the "Minnesota Baadgers" let the team down. Jordan Taylor, Jon Leuer and Mike Bruesewitz shot a combined 3-of-22 from the floor. Taylor had two indefensible (and uncharacteristic) turnovers, while Bruesewitz fouled out after 20 minutes of play and four rebounds.

Rob Wilson was credited with one minute of PT in a game where UW had trouble getting to the rim and drawing fouls. Go figure.

Parting thoughts
:: Hughes was nearly invisible during the game's first 10 minutes. He really stepped up his defensive intensity in the second half, including a highlight-reel theft from Devoe Joseph that led to Pop's layup and three-point play opportunity. Where was that intensity from Hughes earlier? He needs to put together a complete game for 40 minutes ... it's been awhile.

:: Stories about Lawrence Westbrook's attitude and his odd relationship with teammates and coaches have surfaced this year. So his petty attempted dunk over Keaton Nankivil at the end of the game just cemented his status as the least likable player in the Big Ten. Westbrook appeared to be dribbling out the game's final seconds when he realized the shot clock was going to expire so he blew by Hughes and went to the goal hard. Keep in mind Westbrook had not scored a field goal all night until this point. I doubt he would have tried that garbage if the Gophers were losing. Any way, I'm just as disappointed that Nankivil didn't deliver a harder foul.

:: A throw-away line in Tom Oates' article yesterday stated that Wisconsin "reduced its turnovers to a trickle" when Taylor replaced Leuer in the starting lineup. That got me thinkin' (and fact checkin'). Wisconsin actually committed 36 turnovers in the four Big Ten games before Leuer's injury (9 TOs/g) and 70 in nine games without him (under 8 TOs/g). Tonight in his return, Wisconsin only turned the ball over five times so it wasn't a Taylor-Leuer thing.

:: Wisconsin has only one more chance for a good road win, that one being at Illinois to finish the conference slate. Without Wisconsin's two miraculous comebacks against doormats Michigan and Penn State, this team would be .500 in league play right now, theoretically having lost six out of nine games. Thank goodness for reality ...

:: The Badgers clearly struggle with tall teams, having missed on all their recent recruits at the center position. While J.P. Gavinski and Ian Markolf ride the pine indefinitely, it is most frustrating that redshirt freshman Jared Berggren has a warm seat next to them. Rumors of Berggren's off-season progress were evidently way overblown.

Wisconsin Delivers A Decisive First Loss

Michigan State's dreams of an undefeated Big Ten campaign were dashed convincingly by the hot-shooting Wisconsin Badgers, 67-49, at the Kohl Center Tuesday night. For the moment, Wisconsin (17-5, 7-3) has gained sole possession of second place in the Big Ten conference race.

The keys to the game were evident. I counted four of them. Wisconsin got out to a big early lead, shot well, dominated the turnover battle and limited MSU's second chances.

The Badgers jumped all over the fifth-ranked Spartans right from the outset, perhaps due to Greg Gard's preparation that Bo Ryan gushed about in his legendary post-game interview with Erin Andrews (those facial expressions!). It was crucial that the team was able to maintain the early energy and a nice 8-1 cushion.

Keep in mind that Michigan State (19-4,9-1) seemed to be hitting everything in sight at this point also. The Spartans were not punch drunk. However, when MSU did miss, a Badger was there to clean the glass. Wisconsin refused to falter despite Trevon Hughes sitting with early foul trouble. The Badgers stayed aggressive and extended the early lead to 34-17, finally carrying a 15-point lead into the break. [box score]

I was completely wrong about Jason Bohannon in my game preview. Not only did he break out of a recent slump with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, but he bottled up Chris Allen on defense. Quite a performance for J-Bo, hitting step backs, treys and just being opportunistic.

Joining Bohannon in playing all 40 minutes was sophomore Jordan Taylor. Can you believe Bo gets this kid for two more full seasons? Hughes on the bench in the first half and forcing shots early in the second half, Taylor never skipped a beat. He acts like he already knows it's his team. Taylor added 4 rebounds and 4 assists to his 17 points, turning the ball over only once.

Props to Ryan Evans for grabbing some big rebounds and Keaton Nankivil for playing good position defense. But Rob Wilson was impressive too, hitting all five of his shots for 10 points. He was aggressive when posting up and looked comfortable doing it. Contributions from all angles basically broke Michigan State's spirit. Wisconsin's timely shots never gave the Spartans a chance to come up for air.

When you add in the unfortunate injury to Kalin Lucas, the Spartans never really had a prayer. The Badgers shot over 50% from the floor. While four Badgers scored in double figures, it took a late flurry for the first Spartan (Durrell Summers) to crack that same barrier. Oddly, Korie Lucious indicated that the team saw the writing on the wall before the game:

"In practice, we just haven't been bringing it like we should have," Lucious said. "We haven't had the energy like we should have and Coach (Izzo) has been telling us that for the last couple days."

Michigan State eventually padded their rebounding totals (31 total, 11 offensive) in part because of their own turnovers (13). They were able to corral nearly 38% of their own misses, far above the lofty standard Wisconsin usually surrenders. That statistic did not translate into any momentum whatsoever though.

It should also be noted that once Hughes got his head back into the game, he made several great passes and paced Wisconsin with 7 assists against only one turnover. The team had only five turnovers in all.

Badgers, Spartans Jockey For Early Position

With Minnesota's loss to Purdue, Wisconsin's next two games will go a long way to shaping the early conference pecking order. Before the Badgers (12-2) get a shot at Purdue, they face off against arch-nemesis Michigan State (11-3). Wisconsin has lost four in a row in East Lansing, dating back to Bo Ryan's first loss to Tom Izzo in 2005.

This seems like two evenly matched teams, though Vegas has installed Sparty as the clear favorite. As the guys from MSU blog The Only Colors point out, both of these teams are doing what they do best. Namely, the Badgers are taking care of the basketball and the Spartans are hoarding their own missed shots. But no team in the nation limits opponent's second chances like Wisconsin.

The 17th-ranked Badgers enter the game scoring about 72 ppg, 10 fewer than the 10th-ranked Spartans. But MSU also gives up approximately 10 more ppg than UW does. See that evenly-matched theme again? As usual, it will come down to execution.

Trevon Hughes has led UW in scoring the past two games to snap out of the sleepwalk he was in prior to facing Ohio State. But the trepidation for Badger fans stems from Jon Leuer's inability to stay out of foul trouble at all in the team's first two Big Ten games (the same Leuer, btw, that The Only Colors mentioned as a possible Big Ten POY). Guys like budding rebound machine Draymond Green could make life difficult again for Leuer when coupled with MSU's ability to drive past the Badgers' perimeter defense to the cup.

Both teams have some depth, with a rotation of seven players and the ability to go 10 (UW) or 11 (MSU) deep if they have to. After seeing Ryan Evans perform against Duke earlier this year, I feel pretty comfortable with Bo's rotation staying composed in a big game. Can he duplicate this poise on the road?

With all the recent history between the two teams, it was not surprising to hear reports that Kalin Lucas allegedly toed the MSU company line with some comments in a recent interview, much like Goran Suton last season. But why would Lucas need to artificially inflate this game by ignorantly calling Wisconsin dirty? Are these guys being brainwashed by the head coach? There is not a single dirty player on this Wisconsin roster; in fact, if anything, many of the current Badgers are still learning to be less passive. Greg Stiemsma ain't walking through that door, Kalin.

Could it be that the Spartans need to pump themselves up to get that marquee win that has eluded them since beating Gonzaga? Since starting 4-0, Izzo's bunch has dropped every game against quality competition -- on a neutral site versus Florida, at North Carolina and at Texas. Incredibly tough slate, no doubt, but you can see why Michigan State might be searching for a balm of sorts. Right now the conference buzz is about Purdue, but a win over this year's new media darlings from Madison would put the Spartans right back at the forefront of the title chase. I, for one, have not forgotten that talent-wise Michigan State is just as stacked as it was to begin the year.

Links:
- Hughes was named one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award yesterday. I'd handicap this year's award for best point-guard as a two-horse race between Duke's Jon Scheyer and Kentucky's John Wall, with Sherron Collins at Kansas an outside consideration. Hughes is among the second-tier group after those three, but we shall see ...
- Sounds like Milwaukee native Calvin Godfrey is pretty comfortable with his new high school team up in Minnesota. The former Milwaukee Custer forward lit up Jordan Taylor's old crew, Benilde-St. Margaret's, on Tuesday night as the Twin Cities Hoops Czar chronicled.

Wisconsin's Basketball Rivals

It's "Rivalry Week" according to ESPN. All that really means is that Duke is playing North Carolina this week. Wisconsin happens to be hosting Iowa, a border rival, on Wednesday night.

While I don't put much stock in the Worldwide Leader's labels, I would consider the Hawkeyes decent rivals. Iowa has been within two spots of Wisconsin in the final Big Ten standings six of the last 10 seasons. Though it has not won the regular season Big Ten title in that span, Iowa's program has some history. These two teams have also shared some memorable Big Ten Tournament matches. Yet, despite upsetting Wisconsin earlier this year, Iowa has not been keeping up its end of the deal lately in this rivalry.

Only four teams have accounted for 13 of the 14 Big Ten champions in the last decade -- Illinois (4), Michigan State (3), Ohio State (3) and Wisconsin (3). Indiana was a part of the four-way tie in 2001-02. Because the Badgers have been so successful under Bo Ryan, it has been natural for Wisconsin's games with conference heavyweights like Michigan State and Illinois to take on more meaning to fans and players ... and certain coaches too.

The two biggest ingredients in a rivalry are that the games always matter and the teams are close in proximity. When it comes to conference rivals, I automatically discard five teams (Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, Northwestern and Michigan) which have not sustained the same level of success as UW. These contests simply have not been meaningful as often when you are talking about title chases. Some of these teams also have more natural rivalries of their own due to location.

Even though Wisconsin and Ohio State are two of the stronger programs in the league, Ohio State is just far enough away that any bad blood that develops simmers down in between games. The recruiting turf rarely overlaps and the fan bases do not deal with each other on a day-to-day basis. Conversely, Wisconsin shares its longest border with Minnesota and the Gophers will always be a big rival in most sports, so you have to throw them into the mix for "top rivalry." With the resurgence under Tubby Smith, Minnesota gets the nod over both Iowa and Ohio State. For the foreseeable, this will be a "homecoming" game for the handful of Badgers plucked from Minnesota.

That leaves Illinois and Michigan State. I have said many times that I look forward to the games with Michigan State the most. Since rivalries are based on a lot of emotion anyway, I am sticking with mine. Depending on what course the programs take over the next 10 years, though, I think the Illini are a better bet to remain a long-term rival. Thus, I consider Illinois to be Wisconsin's "Rival 1B". It is interesting to look back on the ebb and flow in the intensity of the competition between the Badgers and some of their Big Ten neighbors.

With that in mind, Marquette has to be considered Wisconsin's number one basketball rival. The public vs. private institution juxtaposition fuels spirited debates that boil over into hatred. Both schools are drawing form the same recruiting base and even have maintained contrasting playing styles lately, which only drives the intense "my dad can beat up your dad" pride on both sides even further. Whether the teams are both nationally ranked or not, this game always matters, at least to people in the state. And it will always be that way. Plus, without a football team, the Marquette community has to hold the annual clash in high regard.

Ranking UW's conference rivalries:
1. Michigan State
2. Illinois
3. Minnesota
4. Iowa
5. Ohio State
6. Purdue
7. Northwestern
8. Michigan
9. Indiana
10. Penn State

Fighting For Bragging Rights

The home court winning streak is over. And the Badgers just gave it away.

Wisconsin gave the intrastate title belt away by missing free throws. The Badgers shot only 60% from the line, but the statistic cannot do justice to how critical each of those 10 misses were in the game [box score]. Not only could the Badgers have kept the game tight, but they could have extended their lead on repeated occasions while the outcome was still in doubt. Being in the bonus for the last 12 minutes of clock, it was inexcusable that Wisconsin did not make Marquette pay dearly from the charity stripe.

The Badgers went 3-of-8 from the free throw line over a four-minute span in the middle of the second half, including missed front ends of bonus opportunities by Hughes and Leuer. The botched 1-and-1 by Hughes came on the heels of the double technicals he and Dominic James earned for their main event stare down with UW leading, 50-46. To be fair, the extracurricular activity hardly deserved technicals. Nevertheless, Hughes had a chance to extended a 9-3 Wisconsin run that had his team seemingly in control. Yet, the missed freebies completely stifled that momentum and gave a talented opponent hope and heart.

Wisconsin gave the game away by giving the ball away. Marquette brought tenacious pressure defense, as expected. However, the 18 turnovers by UW included many unforced turnovers in the second half. Greg Stiemsma in particular had a terrible game, throwing away three consecutive passes with dumb decisions. Those 18 turnovers matched the season-high set at Duke, another team with good guards and pressure D. The blueprint has been laid out for how to defeat these Badgers.

I think this was clearly Wisconsin 's game to lose, being on their home court. Even down three points with a minute to go, I don't think anyone was truly fearful of losing. That is, until Marcus Landry's awful foul 70 feet away from the ball before an inbounds pass. Trade those two free throws in for one stop and you could be looking at a tie game rather than a Golden Eagle free throw parade. But, not everything was simply given away ...

Marquette took this game with excellent passing. Marquette is eons ahead of Wisconsin in terms of seeing the court and delivering the basketball near the hoop. I'm not a big fan of James' wild approaches to the basket, but he was superb at drawing defenders in this game and had a few dazzling dishes. He really outplayed Hughes.

I've got to give credit to the Marquette coaching staff. The passing lanes and dump-downs on the baseline were exploited to no end. Meanwhile, this Wisconsin club is clearly a step below past incarnations defensively. Say what you want about Tucker, Taylor and Chappell individually, but they appear to have been, at the very least, much better at team defense than their successors.

Marquette took this game by rebounding harder. The Golden Eagles out-hustled the Badgers for loose balls several times and their hunger on the boards showed that they valued the ball tonight much more than the players in Red and White did. It's a rare sight to see a three-guard offense get as many offensive rebounds as Marquette did, resulting in a 37-29 advantage cleaning the glass.

Overall, this was a scrappy, entertaining, hotly-contested rivalry games. The visitors were the higher ranked team in this one and they showed why. Wisconsin's lack of guard depth was exposed again with Flowers and Hughes in foul trouble. Brian Butch disappeared after a truly fantastic first half in which he shot 6-10 from the floor for 16 points. He finished with 17. Flashes of brilliance in the post by Landry continue to convince me that the coaching staff is wrong in trying to move him to the wing. Landry also doubled as the team's best passer tonight.

But it all comes down to Hughes. He was not the passer, shooter, defender or playmaker this team needs him to be. The missed free throws and untimely technical show how far Pop has to go to become "clutch."

Meet Me In St. Louis

Rick Majerus is back in the game, baby!! I'm remaining moderately composed only because the big guy has been known to change his mind before. Regardless, his hiring means I no longer have to suffer through his periods of excruciating babble on Big Ten telecasts. Sure, over time I will probably grow to miss the occasional "O-ffense" reference, but for now, I will celebrate with a double-stacker ham and cheese sandwich.

Do yourself a favor and check out this spectacular archive of Majerus quotes. If only he was that entertaining on the air ...

I found it odd that Brad Soderberg got dumped for Majerus when that is precisely what Wisconsin intended to do back in 2001 when it let Soderberg go. Also, Majerus (a Sheboygan, WI native) got his head coaching start at Marquette, which like St. Louis, is a Jesuit Catholic university. We all know Majerus as the long-time Utah coach, which got me asking myself one question: does Rick Majerus enjoy maintaining a personal basketball rivalry with Mormons? Utah and BYU are bitter rivals, and the Catholic-Mormon angle is a cheap rivalry that journalists can drum up every time. I hope the Billikens schedule the Cougars soon.

Lastly, are there any Wisconsin fans out there worried that Majerus might try to lure Trevon Hughes to transfer to St. Louis? He sure buttered him up during every Badger game. Maybe no one told Trevon about it. But seriously, that's one heck of a man crush.