Late Bloomer Chooses Red Shirt

Ryan Evans is the first and possibly the only Badger freshman to announce that he will be taking a redshirt season in 2008-09. A smart decision by Evans if you ask me and this move surprises no one.

The announcement does not rule out any further redshirts from one of the big men. Ian Markolf certainly has a college-ready build, so would not necessarily need the year to bulk up. Conversely, bulking up would be about the only reason I can see for Jared Berggren to redshirt, as he is more skilled at this point. Ultimately, the player makes that decision for himself.

I hope to revisit the topic of redshirting big men very soon ...

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Turning to the NBA for a few 'graphs, Yi Jianlian is lighting it up from the outside with the New Jersey Nets this season. And he's shooting over real people, not just chairs! This is the type of thing you have come to expect if you are a Milwaukee Bucks fans (see Nowitzki, Dirk). The grass is always greener in another town for many former Bucks. Will Milwaukee be more patient with Joe Alexander? I hope so.

Regardless, Milwaukee is probably fine with Jianlian's development. Milwaukee's record is only 4-5 right now, but New Jersey is a smelly mess at 2-5. Michael Redd has a legit running mate in Richard Jefferson, with Bogut anchoring the lineup down low. While the team still has serious depth issues in the frontcourt, LRMaM has supplanted Charlie Villanueva in the starting lineup at least temporarily. Mbah a Moute has shown signs of being an excellent defender, something the Bucks have lacked for years. It will be interesting to see how the traditionally lackadaisical Villanueva responds.
In the backcourt, Ramon Sessions slowly easing his way into his rightful place atop the muddled point guard heap in Cream City. It is only a matter of time before his potential outweighs Luke Ridnour's "heady, veteran leadership."

Speaking of the Nets ... since popping off for a career-high 38 points the other night (shooting a ridiculous 20-of-24 on free throws), former Badger great Devin Harris has missed several games because of a twisted ankle. Tough sleddin' for the Nets without him. In Phoenix, Alando Tucker is still waiting to make his season debut. He had his left knee scoped last Tuesday, so he will miss 2-3 more weeks of action.

Wisconsin Survives and Adds Signees

Wisconsin 64, UW-Whitewater 47
In last night's final exhibition, Wisconsin overcame a frisky UW-Whitewater squad in the final 10 minutes to post a deceptive 64-47 victory. The Warhawks made the Badgers earn it.

Keaton Nankivil got the start again, with Jon Leuer first off the bench. The ensuing substitutions went like this: Tim Jarmusz second, then Jordan Taylor ... *long stretch of no subs* ... Rob Wilson, Kevin Gullikson ... and finally Ryan Evans got in during the last minute. There is a solid 8-man rotation being set here, with Wilson, Gullikson and one of the bigs (hopefully) getting playing time as the situation dictates.

I am almost 100% sure that Ian Markolf will redshirt, but not as certain about Evans. He could use one since Wilson and Jarmusz seem equipped to get the extra PT on the wing. Based on some of Bo Ryan's comments after the game, I am hoping that Jared Berggren sees some action this year. Bo mentioned that as far as freshman go, "Jared is not that far behind," which seemed like one of Bo's typical sly, half-compliments. Redshirts must be determined by Sunday's opener.

Looking at the statistics, it was hard to tell why Wisconsin had such trouble with Whitewater. The Badgers dominated the rebounding department in the second half, which is usually how such games go. The 12 turnovers was a bit too high for an exhibition game and that total including four traveling violations. Ick. Taylor struggled early with three TOs, but settled down. Leuer had four TOs as well and was seemingly benched after his last one.

Besides the turnovers, I noticed that Trevon Hughes still does not appear to be 100 percent healthy. A glaring weakness last night was the ability to penetrate the defense, which Hughes usually provides. Only Jason Bohannon accomplished this with much effectiveness. Conversely, however, J-Bo had trouble sticking with his man on defense. It was not all his fault, though, as the team defense left a lot to be desired at certain points. I think it goes without saying that this team will not be as tough defensively as last year's edition. Bohannon logged a ton of minutes because Hughes sat with some questionable foul trouble. J-Bo's mark, Warhawk guard Miles McKay, sprung for a game-high 16 points. Bohannon eventually fouled out, though he was also on the raw end of some calls in terribly over-officiated game -- thanks Ed Hightower!

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Wisconsin adds two on signing day
Today Mike Bruesewitz and Diamond Taylor signed national Letters of Intent to play for Wisconsin. Now that both are officially in the fold, Bo Ryan is finally allowed to comment on each of these players from the Class of 2009.

Rivals.com tabbed Bruesewitz as the Big Ten's top incoming power forward for next season. While not on many people's radar when he verballed, Badger fans have warmed to the idea of having a successor to Krabbenhoft running around the court. It sounds like Bruiser's game is a perfect match for the swing offense. Bo on Bruesewitz:

"While always possessing a competitive fire and desire to win, he has recently made huge strides in his perimeter game out to the 3-point line. His improving perimeter ability combined with his post skills and work ethic make him a more complete player that will allow him to continue to excel when he gets to Madison."

The staff clearly views Diamond Taylor as a combo guard. Bo on Taylor:

"It has been neat to watch Diamond develop from a camper who attended our basketball camps when he was first entering high school to the great young man he is today. His versatility and knowledge of the game will allow him to play multiple perimeter positions at our level."

Second Badger Named to Watch List

Trevon Hughes was among the 31 players recently nominated for the Bob Cousy Award*, which goes to the nation's top point guard. Honestly, that's quite an honor considering the struggles Hughes went through last year.

Committee members must have been watching the three gems Hughes delivered against IPFW, Illinois and at Minnesota (the exception being the four turnovers against the Gophers). Taking care of the ball was a central problems in Pop's sophomore season. If you notice, the games in which Hughes was able to limit his turnovers, he was also virtually non-existent offensively -- neither scoring nor assisting others.

Improving on last year's subpar 1.17:1 assist-to-turnover ratio will be the barometer for success with Hughes. If he can turn in more performances like he did last February versus Michigan State, and harness his explosiveness, Hughes will live up to and maybe even surpass the modest preseason hype he has received.

The good news for Hughes came on the heels of Marcus Landry's inclusion on the preseason Wooden Award watch list. Landry and the rest of the big, bad Badgers will take on "lowly" UW-Whitewater in their exhibition finale tonight at the Kohl Center. No one is expecting a stunner like the one UW-Platteville delivered to Bradley this past weekend, but the Warhawks are a legit D3 powerhouse. I guess it's not a bad time to be from Whitewater, eh Stanley?

*Ed. note: The deadline for schools to nominate players for the Cousy Award is Jan. 10, so you will see this list grow quite a bit. Marquette and Michigan State fans can back away from the ledge now ...

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Wednesday is national signing day, which means high school seniors Diamond Taylor and Mike Bruesewitz will officially pledge themselves to the Cardinal and White. Speaking of which, Rob Schultz of the Capital Times digs into the recruiting practices of Wisconsin under Bo Ryan. The article leaves you with an impression of an efficient coaching staff, especially when you see the fiscal comparisons that Schultz uncovered. Of the five Big Ten programs that responded, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue and Iowa have all spent more than double the dollar amount that Wisconsin has in recruiting for men's basketball over the past two seasons.

With regards to recruiting, the bottom line when discussing the "Wisconsin way" is that Bo would probably rather be a distinguished turtle than a tainted rabbit. Slowly and steadily, Ryan has built the Badger program, avoiding the large character risks and maintaining program-wide morale and camaraderie. He does this by focusing--right away--on players who want to be Badgers; those who don't let their own agendas get in the way of the team's agenda. So while other programs can currently tout better tournament records and Final Fours on their resumes, I have faith that Bo is building for the long haul. Some day, UW will wind up on top of the whole heap, if only for one shining moment.

Cheesy right? Well, this is Wisconsin. Enough rah-rah for now ... I'll save it for tonight's game.

Wisconsin Record Watch

The two seniors from the Class of 2005 each enter this season with their eyes on team goals. But both Joe Krabbenhoft and Marcus Landry have a chance to creep into the Wisconsin record book [pdf] by simply keep up the pace at which they have been producing over the years. Here's a look at a few potential milestones.

Joe Krabbenhoft
With a repeat of last season's performance, Krabbenhoft will place third in all-time offensive rebounding and approximately sixth in total rebounding. Needless to say, Joe's board work has been stellar. The ever-versatile Krabby needs only 87 assists to pass Michael Flowers for ninth place on the all-time assists ladder. Krabbenhoft will probably crack the Top Ten list for most minutes played as well.

Assuming another postseason bid this year, Wisconsin is guaranteed to play 31 games (success in the Paradise Jam, Big Ten Tournament or NCAA Tournament will increase that number). Even though games played is reflection of team success more than any other statistic, it's worth mentioning that if Krabbenhoft plays in every game this season, he will at least tie Alando Tucker for the most games ever played in a Wisconsin men's basketball uniform.

These are but a few reasons why "Dakota Joe" gets the loudest applause from Badger fans.

Year: Off-Def-Total Rebs
'05-06: 45-85 = 130
'06-07: 53-120 = 173
'07-08: 73-160 = 233
======================
Totals: 171-365 = 536*

Assists:
'05-06: 44
'06-07: 58
'07-08: 90
============
Totals: 192**

Minutes played:
'05-06: 505 (16.3/g)
'06-07: 724 (20.1/g)
'07-08: 1118 (31.1/g)
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Totals: 2,347***


Marcus Landry
The academic problem in Landry's sophomore season puts a damper on his chase for a few milestones. Therefore, it is a real tribute to Landry's athleticism that he is knocking on the door of the Top Ten in career blocked shots. Greg Stiemsma finished in 5th place all-time with 96 blocks and Marcus can take a run at that total as a senior since he may be asked to defend the interior more again. Landry also has 132 offensive rebounds so far. If he duplicates last year's total (65) he will place sixth all-time, behind Brian Butch, though his final resting place will depend on Krabbenhoft's totals.

Blocked Shots:
'05-06: 6
'06-07: 31
'07-08: 27
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Totals: 64****

Year: Off-Def-Total Rebs
'05-06: 22-28 = 50
'06-07: 45-71 = 116
'07-08: 65-129 = 194
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Totals: 132-228 = 360*

* Claude Gregory holds the career rebounding record with 902 total career rebounds; Tucker's 314 offensive rebounds are a career Badger record.
** Tracy Webster holds the Badger record with 501 career assists.
*** Tucker also holds the Badger record with 4,247 career minutes played in 4+ seasons.
**** Rashard Griffith holds the Badger record with 124 career blocks in only two seasons.

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!

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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.

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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}