Hughes Eyes Post-Wisconsin Career

The long, often harsh, road toward a professional basketball career begins today for Wisconsin guard Trevon Hughes as the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament tips off once again.

Coincidentally, Hughes will be teaming up with Cornell's Ryan Wittman on the K&D Rounds Landscaping team. The PIT website will update with scores and stats as they become available throughout the week.

Hughes is one of 64 seniors hoping to make a good impression on even one NBA team. And if not, then at least some European scouts. The rosters have shuffled a bit since they were announced due to some injuries. Draft Express breaks down who the top prospects are and the surprising omissions. Stay healthy Pop!

Previous participants at Portsmouth include former Badgers Marcus Landry and Brian Butch, who both recently found themselves called up to the big leagues. Landry was recalled by the Celtics, meaning Boston now has two Badgers on its roster (the other: Michael Finley). Butch was signed by Denver for the remainder of this season after a stellar stint in the D-League.

Hughes acquitted himself just fine in last Friday's NABC College All-Star Game at the Final Four. It's no surprise that he jacked up a trey about 10 seconds into the game, but he also dished out four assists and stayed true to form with solid rebounding (six boards). Jason Bohannon started out hot in the weekend's 3-point shooting contest but was eliminated in the second round.

Update: Pro Badgers Around the Globe

Since everyone has been keeping an eye on Marcus Landry's attempt to stick on an NBA roster, it seemed like a pretty good time to review which ex-Badgers are still playing professionally:

Marcus Landry
- After finishing up the preseason schedule, Landry will find out Monday if he will be staying with the New York Knicks. The Knicks currently have 13 players with guaranteed contracts and Landry is up against two other players with partially guaranteed contracts -- Joe Crawford and Chris Hunter -- for the final roster spot. Keep your fingers crossed. [edit: He made it!]

Greg Stiemsma
- Stiemsma played in South Korea, Turkey and the D-League last year and has been in Sioux Falls, SD, and the Madison area this month. According to reader Stephen Chung, however, Stiemsma was the #2 overall pick in the Korean Professional Basketball League's international player draft this summer. If you have a Korean character set installed on your 'puter and speak Korean, here's an article!

Brian Butch
- Butch landed in Athens, Greece and got off to a decent start the other day. His coach with the Ilysiakos club has instructed him to only shoot 3-pointers! You can follow the Polar Bear's adjustment to Greek living on his Jump Around blog for the Big Ten Network.

Michael Flowers
- Flowers is ballin' in Holland with Matrixx Magix Nijmegen. He's teammates with the Great White Flight, Henry Bekkering. Brother Jonte is doing well in France's top league. [stats]

Alando Tucker
- Tucker is struggling to find his stroke and playing time in the preseason. [stats]

Kam Taylor
- Kam is killin' it in France with STB Le Havre, which I believe is in the top French league also. After three games, Taylor is one of the league's scoring leaders. [stats]

Mike Wilkinson
- Wilkinson is back in Turkey after a year in Russia.

Devin Harris
- Harris is injured (strained groin) ... again. But you can buy a personal appearance -- and Nets tickets -- for $25,000!

Kirk Penney
- In case you had not heard, Penney was the Australian National Basketball League MVP last season. He is playing with the New Zealand Breakers again this season.

Michael Finley
- Meanwhile, Finley scored 20 points the other night to lead San Antonio to victory. His game has aged quite nicely.

Others
- Jason Chappell (Austria), Ray Nixon (France), Zach Morley (Spain), Rashard Griffith (Romania)

Badger Duo Wraps Up Summer League

In each of the past two seasons, a fifth-year senior has finished off a remarkable career in a Wisconsin uniform and embarked on a journey to the NBA. One was drafted in the first round and one was not drafted at all. Yet both Alando Tucker and Brian Butch have faced similar scrutiny regarding their skills and potential to contribute on the next level after college.

In both cases, the road began in the NBA's Summer League, where both players have suited up again this year. By Sunday night, the final games were in the books for each team.

Although he has been away from the fold for over a year now, Tucker is still trying to claim a foothold in the NBA. Sent back and forth between "the association" and the D-League more times than a utility infielder in baseball, Tucker flashed scoring ability in spades against lower levels of competition, but never crack the talented Phoenix lineup with the stingy Mike D'antoni at the helm. Who knows what the Suns can expect with Terry Porter now coaching, but some hope for 'Do to finally get his break.

The summer league numbers were, once again, promising. Tucker led the Suns in scoring four out of five games, including an impressive 24 points in less than 20 minutes of playing time in a win versus the Spurs.

He is obviously not passing the ball a lot (or well enough to get assists, that is) but his shooting percentages on 3-pointers (44%) and free throws (80%) jump off the page at you, earning him the label "Mr. Efficiency" from TrueHoop. Clearly, Tucker has enhanced his already considerable drive to improve himself. He will need that drive to prove he is not a one-dimensional player.

Meanwhile, Butch faces much steeper odds this time of year after going undrafted. The silver lining, of course is that Butch can workout for multiple teams that may see a need for the big man's shooting touch. First came summer ball with "O.J. Mayo's Team" (Memphis) in Las Vegas, where Butch posted meager numbers with two DNPs sprinkled in between. After five games and just over 28 total minutes played, Butch is still looking for his first 3-point bucket.

Because Butch played for Memphis, he appears to have relinquished his spot with Atlanta in the Rocky Mountain Revue league which just started over the weekend. Butch is not on a roster for that six-day league hosted by Utah.

Other players of note in the official NBA Summer League include Kyle Weaver (Charlotte), Jonte Flowers (Detroit), former UW-Milwaukee star Clay Tucker (Cleveland), and the newest members of the Milwaukee Bucks, Joe Alexander and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

The "other" Tucker was solid for the Cavs though they lost all five games, but Flowers hardly saw the floor. Weaver's most impressive play and extended playing time came in his team's three losses.

As for Alexander, a modest start is a safe way to label his summer play so far. He showed a diversified skill set, but also suffered through a couple of tough shooting nights. It is too soon to judge him. Same goes for Mbah a Moute, whom I will refer to as LRMaM from now on. LrMaM put up some nice rebounding stats and chipped in some points as well. I hope I am wrong about that pick, especially in light of the latest "upgrades" to the Bucks roster. Who gets traded first: Mo Williams or Charlie Villanueva?

Free agent Matt Freije of Vanderbilt fame lit it up off the bench for Milwaukee's summer squad. With a glaring hole at PF for the Bucks, it's too bad the 6'10" Freije only weighs 240 and is allergic to rebounding.

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Links:
- Sadly, Joe Krabbenhoft reaffirms his love of Minnesota sports [video]
- With Wisconsin scholarships full through 2010, 2011 will likely be the next big recruiting class for the Badgers. One region that is already loaded with top freshmen is Indiana. Both The Hoosier Scoop and Jody Demling comment on the rising stars, Marquis Teague in particular. Bo Ryan probably won't go into such hostile Big Ten territory, but with so many good players, he shouldn't rule it out.

Big Ten Network Panders to Shut Ins

The Big Ten Network is attempting to fill its gigantic summer programming void by dedicating one entire day in June to each of the 11 conference schools. Wisconsin Day will be June 19.

But the interesting tidbit for Badger basketball fans is that three different men's basketball games will air. Not too shabby for a "football" school. Included are Wisconsin knocking off #2 Minnesota on two Ty Calderwood free throws in '97, this past season's Big Ten Tournament Championship game versus Illinois, and the Brian Butch bank job against Indiana from four months ago.

My suggestion to the network is MORE PANDERING. How about three days of classic games each? That equates to about a month of programming, locked and loaded. If a whole day is devoted to Wisconsin and there is not one Rose Bowl* or one Devin-to-'Do alley-oop involved, someone needs to speak out. (*Note: The network has since clarified its schedule and will air the 1999 Rose Bowl in the wee hours of June 20th.)

As it is, one day apiece for eleven teams does not even provide two weeks of content, so they spread it out. I mean, do they want to fill this month or not? I would argue that you could snag more hardcore fans by extending the dedicated block for each school than the number of normal viewers you might lose for a couple days by temporarily ignoring the other 10 schools. Those people are tuned out anyway--it's summer.

And another thing: A lot of people might have DVRs now, but I don't (I don't even have the Big Ten Network). What if I am busy on June 19? No glorious Badger revelry for me. I guess more manpower in the BTN editing bays is the only answer.

The 24 hours of coverage begins at 6 AM Central Time and will include two hours of "campus programming" (Zzzzzz ...). The day reaches its apex I suppose with the Big Ten Tonight's half-hour Year In Review (in HD!!!) show for each university. For Wisconsin, spring football, women's soccer, track & field championships and the 2003 Ohio State football game round out the programming items.

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NBA Pre-Draft Camp Measurements

We did not have the pleasure of digesting Alando Tucker's measureables last season because he skipped the Orlando workouts. This year, Brian Butch is the team's lone draftable commodity, though even that is debatable in many communities.

As for his workout, Butch measured out with few surprises. He is not remarkably fit (10.8% body fat) or strong, but is very slow (3.52 secs in a 3/4-court sprint). Actually, Butch did fare surprisingly well in the lane agility. The Polar Bear was one of only five players 6'10" or taller to run a sub-12 sec drill. Sadly though, Butch also posted one of the worst maximum vertical jumps (26.5") ever recorded in the last 18 years. Butch may already be positioning himself for a European contract by his choice of agent, Chris Luchey.

DraftExpress does a great job, as usual, of presenting the winners and losers of this circus event. Luckily, The Bratwurst's sleeper pick that I have blindly adopted (Richard Hendrix) fared well, as did Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo and Joe Alexander. The site also takes a fun trip down memory lane with a history of draft measurements. There does not appear to be a overall ranking of the players this year according to their measurables, which is probably for the best.

On the Stove Top: 5/29

Prospect Profile pages have been added to Hoops Marinara for several Wisconsin recruits. The goal is to track some of the links, press and stats of those future Badgers who have verballed, but have not yet signed a LOI. For instance, the first two pages up are for the Class of 2009: Mike Bruesewitz and Diamond Taylor. Class of 2010 is on its way shortly. Reader comments are encouraged and the posts will be constantly revised to hold the most up-to-date material.

NBA trade talk heats up as draft approaches
The Michael Redd trade rumors are swirling. I have been saying for a year and a half that it would be in Milwaukee's best interests to get some value for Redd in a trade and it looks like now might be the time.

With Milwaukee GM John Hammond clearly open to any possibilities that will improve the Bucks and the Cavaliers still in dire need of a move to capitalize on LeBron James while he's around, Cleveland fans are clamoring for Redd, just as they did three years ago. The Bob Boozer Jinx blog at the Sports Bubbler is all over the Bucks fans' perspectives.

Now that Scott Skiles is at the helm, you can almost see the end of the road appearing on the horizon for one of the great pure shooters of the decade. I don't think the new coach/GM will tolerate Redd's inability to either make those around him better or play consistent defense. He is a great scorer and a reliable free throw shooter, but had a surprising knack for ill-advised shot attempts. Maybe Redd will throw some Joni Mitchell in our face when he does leave, but Milwaukee is going nowhere with Redd on the roster and that's the bottom line.

The Bratwurst speculated on recent comments by Charlie Villanueva indicating he might be the one moved this off-season. Brett Boyer discusses a wide range of trade options, some far more likely than others. In any event, the Bucks could easily decide to move it's upcoming first-round draft pick (#8) or swap with a trading partner. Since Brook Lopez' stock is plummeting, Boyer and others now see Russell Westbrook as a logical #8 pick due to his athleticism and defensive potential. But Boyer has advocated Alabama' junior Richard Hendrix as a big-time sleeper in this year's crop, someone the Bucks could target if they moved down in the June 26 draft.

The 6'8" Hendrix, who has not hired an agent, can rebound, block shots and shot a high percentage last season. He was one of several players who has impressed onlookers already at the Orlando pre-draft camp. No mention of Brian Butch, which could be a positive or a negative depending on your personal bias. It surprised a few people that Butch was invited to the camp, but the Polar Bear has at least continued to rebound.

Thoughts on the Maymon press conference
After all that has been said during the recruitment of Jeronne Maymon, it was refreshing to be able to watch video of him making his announcement and draw my own conclusions. A few things stood out:

- EDITED: Apparently my hearing was pretty bad last week. I listened to the audio several times before I posted and still couldn't figure out whether Maymon said he had been text messaging Wesley Matthews and Bob Gibbons for info on Buzz Williams. When I listened again, he was pretty clearly just talking about Matthews (see comments), which is a relief. In true NCAA fashion, I have applied a self-imposed slap on the wrist as punishment for my error.

- "If I stay my whole four years ..." Ugh. That's the antithesis of a Bo Ryan mantra in a nutshell. The posse, the family, the person--something--has made Maymon a big believer in himself. Thinking positively, that attitude probably has helped his game develop, knowing he the people around him have faith in his ability. But you certainly get the idea that he and his father feel spurned by Wisconsin and cannot wait to play against the Badgers.

- I honestly got the impression that Maymon put a lot of thought into this decision, but still really had no idea what to do. Maybe even as late as the morning of the announcement. Since this is a 17-year-old kid we are talking about, I am a big believer in Freudian-slip type statements and how Maymon spoke of text messaging Vander Blue was telling.

That uncertainty probably grips a lot of youngsters, so setting an arbitrary deadline might keep them from wasting more time agonizing over the decision that in many cases is win-win. Marquette expressed desperate interest and offered a location close to home and that was enough.

- The dad is ridiculous and holding up that "Jeronne + Marquette" sign was hilarious. Jeronne knows it too.

Elsewhere:
- Speaking of Bob Gibbons, his All Star Report website reports that Evan Anderson was named to the 16-U All-Tournament team at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions this past weekend. They agree with me that Anderson could be a combination of some very recent UW big men:

"... Anderson (Eau Claire North, Eau Claire, Wis.) has a bit of Brian Butch’s skill set mixed in with Greg Stiemsma’s raw physicality. The end result could be the best big man to come out of Wisconsin in quite some time. Anderson did a great job finishing strong around the basket, controlling the glass, and knocking his opponents around defensively."

The People's Choice

A poll on uwbadgers.com asking who was Wisconsin's most valuable player this season has Michael Flowers comfortably in the lead with 46% of the vote, followed somewhat surprisingly by Joe Krabbenhoft (19%), Brian Butch (16%) and Jason Bohannon (11%).

Flowers got my vote as Wisconsin's MVP as well. Lacking guard depth this season, Flowers logged a team-high 1,139 minutes and he made every one count. Despite a few statistical blemishes on his defensive record (Manny Harris at Kohl Center, Drew Neitzel in the Big Ten Tournament and the infamous Stephen Curry), Flowers delivered on high expectations defensively. He also led the team in assists for the second straight year.

Delivering the unexpected was what made Flowers so special. The senior's remarkable improvement on 3-pointers was vital to Wisconsin's success. After shooting 27-of-86 (31.4%) from deep last season, Flowers proved to be the best 3-point shooter among UW regulars this year, hitting on 49-of-119 (41.2%) attempts, including a phenomenal 44% in Big Ten play.

Some would argue that even the unexpected became expected of Flowers. A team as steady as the Badgers will not be remembered for very many glamorous plays, but this Madison LaFollette grad was behind most of them: the game-winning sequence at Texas; raining treys in the first-half at Indiana; the steal and score to beat Michigan State. When everyone was waiting to see who would step up, Flowers usually did. And that is why he was the most valuable Badger in 2007-08.

Brian Butch, Jonte Flowers attend Portsmouth
Fellow senior Brian Butch joined Mike's brother Jonte Flowers this past week at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a sort of pre-draft prep camp. Both players will need to do a lot of work over the next few months to convince an NBA team to take a shot on either of them.

Over the course of three games, Butch played fairly well, although he did not necessarily stand out from his teammates. He continued to shoot the ball very well from behind the arc (43%), though he was nearly incapable of getting to the free throw line. Butch averaged 14 pts, 7.3 rebs, 2.7 assts, 1.7 stls & 1 block as his team posted one win and two losses. Flowers' team also went 1-2 and his stats were similar (13 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3 apg & spg) to Butch's.

Even without Butch, Michael Flowers or Greg Stiemsma next season, the Sporting News has listed Wisconsin as a possible No. 1 seed in next year's NCAA Tournament. As TSN notes, the Bo Ryan has plenty of returning talent at his command, though you would be hard-pressed to find the Badgers in the top ten of anyone's early rankings. However, each list seems to be giving UW respect despite its personnel losses.

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Man, kids can be annoying can't they? I watched a video posted to Wisconsin's official website a few weeks back that shows the team practicing in Omaha for the tournament. It is pretty boring until the very end when the players are shown acquiescing to the dozens of children screaming for their favorite Badger to sign something. Some kids don't even know the players' names (some kid yells, "Hey, 45!" at Krabbenhoft). Trevon Hughes is ever the ladies man ... and autographs a girl's forehead!

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The demand for Milwaukee Bucks autographs might be at an all-time low, but the team appears to have taken a step in the right direction by luring John Hammond away from Detroit to be its new general manager. Hammond has spent the past six years as the vice president of basketball operations for the Pistons, who are closest thing to NBA royalty you'll find in the Eastern Conference these days. The connection between Hammond and former NBA Coach of the Year Rick Carlisle bodes well for the Milwaukee's future, unless Chicago snaps him up sooner.

So at least there is something to be optimistic about in Milwaukee, now that the Buzz Williams hiring at Marquette is off to a great start.

Badgers Add To '08 Class: Ryan Evans

Rumor became reality tonight as Ryan Evans officially announced that he will become a Wisconsin Badger. Evans, a 6'6" wing out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, AZ, is the fifth player in the UW's incoming 2008 recruiting class.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports Evans was chomping at the bit to commit to Bo Ryan's team. He was finally rewarded with a full scholarship, according to Rivals.com. Evans is reportedly a bit raw offensively, but part of that can be attributed to his rapid growth spurt over the past two years.

According to MaxPreps.com, Evans averaged over 18 ppg & 7 rpg to lead Hamilton in both categories. The Huskies compiled a 21-11 record this past season, bowing to Phoenix St. Mary's in the AIA's Class 5A-Division 1 semifinals.

Allotting the last open schollie to Evans means a lot of talented players closer to home will not become Badgers. The complaints about not getting Jamil Wilson might continue on for years, but more disconcerting would be the extremely large class size next year. Signing five players for 2008 means the team will only have two scholarships to offer in 2010, which appears to be another very deep recruiting class. Evening the numbers out by using a few redshirts would only lock up those scholarships an additional year.

With the addition, however, UW could field an entire starting lineup down the road from the Class of 2008 alone.

Perhaps because of the sheer distance between Madison and the Phoenix area, Evans is the most obscure Badger recruit. His recruitment arc was similar to that of Mike Bruesewitz. He was an unknown commodity, until suddenly, a quiet but solid internet buzz grew to indicate an impending commitment.

Video | Photos (Recruiting Planet)

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Brian Butch finished with 9 points in the DiGiorno's College All-Star Game played last Friday at the Final Four, though he did not shoot particularly well. At least he was invited. He did nail a couple of 3-pointers. You can see one (sort of) in CBS' video highlights.

All-Big Ten Awards Announced

Butch named first team; Bohannon wins Sixth Man of the Year
The Big Ten Conference announced its 2007-08 awards live on the Big Ten Network Monday afternoon, a first in college basketball. Wisconsin's Brian Butch was the lone Badger named to the All-Big Ten first team. He was selected by both the coaches and the media.

D.J. White and Eric Gordon are the Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively. Purdue's Robbie Hummel was a first-teamer on both ballots also, while Matt Painter was named the Coach of the Year. The coaches chose Marcus Landry for the second team and Michael Flowers for the third team; the media flip-flopped Flowers (second-team) and Landry (third).

It's a little surprising to see a conference champion with such little representation overall, but understandable. Not a single Badger was honored as the conference's player of the week throughout the season. You will notice quite a contrast in the statistics between Wisconsin players and Wisconsin as a team.

Despite naming Drew Neitzel to the first team, the coaches did get one thing right and that was naming Jason Bohannon the Sixth Man of the Year unanimously. Bohannon is a true representative of the "sixth starter" concept, much like a Jason Terry has with the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA.

Before you go ballistic about Michael Flowers being passed over for Defensive Player of the Year laurels, remind yourself that it is a good idea to not take such awards too seriously. History could have predicted that scoring average would be a big indicator of what players are picked for first team recognition. It seems the same can be said for steals and the Defensive POY. When the award went to Purdue's Chris Kramer, it was not completely unexpected, but still highly disappointing for Badger fans who have seen how good Flowers really is for four years now.

Kramer was tops in the Big Ten season with 2.6 steals per game, while Flowers was only seventh with 1.6 spg. But Mike averaged fewer fouls than all but two of those ahead of him in steals per game and plays better position defense in my observation. Flowers will have to take pride in knowing he clearly is a superior all-around player.

As for other Badgers, Trevon Hughes was a honorable mention pick on both ballots. Joe Krabbenhoft joined Flowers on the coaches' All-Defensive Team. Krabby strikes me as the type of guy that might laugh when informed of the news and then point towards his new Big Ten Championship hat and t-shirt.

The Big Ten still has some integrity in this process though. Elsewhere, the awards are getting out of hand. As we saw with the high school All-State team selected by the WBCA and now the All-Big East Awards, these designations are nowhere near exclusive anymore. There were 11 players named First Team All-Big East -- that doesn't make any sense!

This just reminds me of children's leagues like YMCA flag football where everyone gets a participation trophy. Enough coddling ...

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Jeronne Maymon has been named the AP's state Player of the Year; Jamil Wilson was also named to the first team.

Badgers and Diamonds and Preps, Oh My!

UW now the undisputed champion; Top Big Ten teams falter
Without exception, Wisconsin is the best of the Big Ten again. The Badgers did not want to share that recognition with any others and as expected, took care of business at Northwestern to ensure this title was all theirs. Anticlimactic? Yes. Trite? Not in the least.

It was a banner day for multiple reasons, in front of a crowd of red in Evanston. Jason Bohannon set a UW record by making his 39th consecutive free throw. With the 65-52 win, Wisconsin also lowered their nation-best scoring defense average (54.4 ppg coming in). Seniors Brian Butch and Michael Flowers added to their career totals in rebounds and steals, respectively. Butch led the Badgers with 20 points and a career-high 14 boards [box score].

With a trophy on the team's resume, it seems the Badgers are even getting more recognition for the talented players they are. Northwestern coach Bill Carmody referred to them as "big, strong guys who overpowered" the Wildcats.

Although it does not diminish UW's accomplishment, the Sunday performances of some other top conference teams may give detractors more fuel for the anti-Big Ten fire. Eric Gordon could not save Indiana as Penn State shocked the Hoosiers in overtime at Happy Valley and Ohio State added to its postseason credentials with a big win over Michigan State. These two losses didn't exactly buff the image of a couple of Wisconsin's signature wins. Before Purdue righted the ship against Michigan on the road, it appeared as though the Big Ten's second, third and fourth place teams would all lose on the same day.

On the bright side, the Buckeyes seem to have bolstered their reputation enough in the last week to get a NCAA bid. Just keep in mind that while getting five bids would be nice for the conference, getting actual wins in the tournament is way more important for dispelling the national perception that the Big Ten is weak.

Vote for Flowers for the Pontiac Game-Changing Performance of the Year. The other candidates pale in comparison. To not get a mention in the CBS 's corny dialog would be a slap in the face if it was not so expected.

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Do not bother searching around for videos of Diamond Taylor on the Internet. I don't think there are any yet, except for this low quality one featuring his entire AAU team. Taylor has worn #30 for the Illinois Wolves in the past and is planning to play for them again this summer.

Although Taylor might want to develop into a Devin Harris-type of player, from what I have read, his ball handling will need some work. At least we know that he is a smart kid who apparently really wanted to be a Badger.

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Bridesmaids once again: Madison Memorial takes second
We have beenhearing words like "monster" and "beast" a lot this weekend and it has not been in reference to Kansas State frosh Michael Beasley. I guess people don't bother to think of any new adjectives to describe Madison Memorial's Jeronne Maymon because the existing ones fit too well already.

Maymon averaged 30 pts, 14.6 rebs, 4.7 blks, 3.7 stls & 3 assts over the course of three games at state, the obvious choice for tournament MVP. The junior forward was also announced as the only unanimous selection to the WBCA's Division 1 All-State team on Saturday. Not even 2008 Mr. Basketball DeMarcus Phillips can say the same.

It is a shame that Maymon's teammates and coach did not offer him more support in the championship game against Wauwatosa East [audio]. To see that talented squad make the same defensive mistakes over and over again seemed to be an indictment of head coach's Steve Collins ability to make and respond to adjustments. The second part of the equation was the youth and depth of the Spartans.

A couple of moments stood out that could have swung the game in Memorial's favor, mistakes that can be chalked up to inexperience. First, I recall toward the end of the first half a possession where the Spartans forced the Red Raiders into an awful shot, but simply did not break to get the rebound. The lack of hustle backfired as a red jersey sneaked inside a circle of white and grabbed the rebound. On the reset, 'Tosa East hit one of its five first-half treys, part of a splendid overall shooting performance.

Secondly, Vander Blue's bullheaded drive to the basket on a 3-on-1 fast break with 1:12 remaining in the game was an error in judgment, plain and simple. Instead of passing to one of his open teammates or pulling the ball back out, the charging foul was a critical turning point. But in the end, Memorial's complete inability to shoot from the outside was the simplest explanation for the loss. Fortunately, many of the Spartans have a chance to redeem themselves next season.

Oddly, I've never thought of Memorial's uber-talented teams as having much depth. In Saturday's game, there was no doubt that Maymon would play all 32 minutes -- there was simply no substitute for his presence. The rotation only seemed to go about seven deep at most throughout the entire weekend, which is odd for a team that specializes in full-court, manic defensive pressure.

Stephen Bardo Is A Moron

Immediately after Wisconsin dismantled Michigan State in front of a nationwide cable audience, the ESPN talking heads asked "analyst" Stephen Bardo to name which team he would pick to go farther in the post-season. Bardo went on to spew some vague, nonsensical reasons why he likes Michigan State better. Can someone get him a television set? The Badgers improved to 24-4 and 14-2 in the Big Ten by holding the Spartans (22-6, 10-5) to 42 points! Bardo must be dreaming.

I was hoping to be able to provide a running diary of this game, but the opportunity did not materialize. My lack of both the Big Ten Network and a DVR has made that type of post difficult this season. But even if I had put one together, I may have been at a loss for words -- how does one react to an "comfortable" victory over Michigan State?

The obvious answer would be to react jubilantly. After all, this may have been the biggest game of the conference season given the timing and possible title implications. This was the type of game where every single basket is magnified in importance. Taking care of the ball is paramount. Bo Ryan and Trevon Hughes saw to that, as the team set a school record with only one turnover.

One could also respond with a bit of surprise. Take a closer look and it was a game of bucking expected trends. Michigan State's problem all year has been turnovers, but the Spartans cut down on those versus the Badgers. Joe Krabbenhoft hit two long jumpers to keep MSU's defense guessing as it sagged to limited UW's inside game. Those jumpers were vital, as Krabby's garbage hoops did not fall and his attempt at leading a 2-on-1 fast break with Michael Flowers was pathetically timid. Instead of Jason Bohannon raining threes, it was Brian Butch catching fire from 3-point land. Those four treys, a career-high, were crucial to proving Izzo wrong: Wisconsin can beat you from the outside. [box score]

A quick Butch 3-point shooting breakdown ...
First 18 games: 3/32 (9.4%)
Last 10 games: 15/25 (60.0%)
Season total: 18/57 (31.6%)

Besides the Polar Bear's hot streak, one constant in this latest Badger winning streak has been Flowers. My affinity for him has been well-stated. His shooting accuracy is no longer a fad, it is reality. Through trial and error, Flowers now possesses the perfect level of aggressiveness on offense and defense. We have not seen him pick up a fourth foul in a game since January 10. Yet the results are even better, whether it be hounding Neitzel into a 1-for-10 shooting night or picking up his offensive production. Since the second loss to Purdue (5 games), Flowers has made 10-of-18 3-pointers, doled out 17 assists with 6 TOs and 6 steals.

I love the rivalry with Michigan State. Those with hatred for Marquette might disagree, but there is no bigger matchup for me each year. Nothing else touches it. It feels good to be on the winning side again, even if the Spartans seem a little off their game this year.

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Devin Harris got busy tonight against the Bucks in his New Jersey home debut. Check out the video highlights for his vicious drive and flush over Andrew Bogut. He moves so fast, he can't even stay upright all the time. Harris has some very nice running mates in Jersey like Jefferson and Carter, so hopefully he stays healthy and continues to spread his more-chiseled-yet-still-scrawny wings.

Notes From A Big Week

Take a listen to Bo Ryan's weekly press conference. He talks about the wear and tear that his guards are experiencing at this point in the season. Bo is also clearly unhappy with Trevon Hughes' shot selection. These clips and other recent quotes after the past few games are as close as you'll hear Bo come to calling out a player. Assorted thoughts on Purdue and Indiana are sprinkled in as well.

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I pulled out a few tidbits from the Journal Sentinel's Badger Blog. As you know, I've been keeping an eye on Brian Butch's climb up the Wisconsin career rebounding list. Dave Heller delivers the update on the offensive side, where Butch is up to 207 offensive boards, overtaking Michael Finley this past weekend for fifth all-time. The Polar Bear may have about 10 games left in his career in Madison, so it's likely he'll wind up between Andy Kowske (240) and Sean Daugherty (227) for fourth place in the books.

What's amazing about the offensive rebounding leaders is how far ahead of the pack both Alando Tucker (314) and Mike Wilkinson (311) are. Both of them played on successful teams and played more games than some others on the list, but I consider those extra games hard-earned. Tucker, of course, had the benefit of four extra games the year he broke his foot and redshirted, so I think I can safely proclaim Wilk to be UW's "King of Offensive Rebounding."

Note: Overall, Butch's current pace of 7 reb/g should sneak him into ninth place for total rebounds, ahead of Kowske.

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This tangent has been slow-cooking on the back burner for awhile, but I'm finally giving up on my secret hope that Finley could squeak into the Basketball Hall of Fame. At basketball-reference.com, he is the 27th most likely candidate among active players ... Manu Ginobili is even in front of him! Ginobili just got to ride the Big Fundamental's coattails longer, methinks.

You're a HOF'er in my book Finley ...

The Gatekeepers

Penn State had plenty to prove Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions needed to prove they could bounce back from a devastating meltdown against Minnesota, that they could hang with the Big Ten's elite and that they would be worthy of an NCAA bid come tournament time.

None of that happened. Wisconsin went into Happy Valley as gatekeepers and shut the door on Penn State early with stifling defense and uncharacteristicly hot 3-point shooting. The home team managed only one basket in the first eight minutes of play, by which time UW held an 18-2 lead. When PSU star Geary Claxton was lost to a knee injury near the midway point of the first half, this game was unofficially O-V-E-R. [box score]

Michael Flowers put forth maybe the finest all-around effort of his career, pacing Wisconsin with a career-high 23 points. He added 6 rebs, 5 assts, and one dynamic steal and lay-up. See what happens when you don't get into foul trouble, Mike? Flowers' 5-of-6 shooting on treys led the team to a 10-of-16 performance overall behind the arc. Not surprisingly then with the outside shot falling, neither team went to the free throw line much.

With a sizable lead, it was refreshing to see the Wisconsin players act like they smelled blood. Instead of letting another less talented league foe hang around, the Badgers shot with confidence and made the kill. And of course, they killed the Nittany Lions on the glass as well, led by Brian Butch's 12 boards.

We are witnessing a historic run by Butch, by the way. The former McDonald's All-American is on pace to have 256 rebounds by the end of the season, assuming he remains healthy and the Badgers play at least one game in the Big Ten tournament and one in the NCAA tournament. That is a conservative, but fair, estimate for number of games played and should he keep this pace, Butch could rise as high as 7th on Wisconsin's all-time career rebounding list. He is already halfway toward shattering the single-season UW record for offensive rebounds. The Polar Bear has 51 through the first 16 games; the current record of 86 was set by Alando Tucker in 2003 (as a freshman!).

With second-chance opportunities limited by Butch and Co., the Nittany Lions could not afford to shoot under 37% to Wisconsin's nearly 60%. Penn State's spirit clearly was broken with Claxton out. The Nittany Lions allowed the Badgers to throw a 19-0 run on them toward the end of the game that turned 12-point lead into an enormous 31-point lead. Now that it appears Claxton is out for the season, the Penn State postseason drive may have already been derailed ... yet again.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin's balance continues to be a major strength. A different player has led the team in scoring in each of the last four games. Flowers did nothing to nothing to kick me out of the driver's seat of his bandwagon -- I've always said when he is at his best, Wisconsin is nearly unbeatable.

Harley Is Back On The Mantle

When I was little, my grandparents always had a ceramic horse and buggy on their mantle above the fireplace. Over the years, the horse (named Harley), was knocked over enough times that he had a broken leg, a missing ear and busted pieces on his buggy.

Every once in a while, the pieces would get reattached with super glue so that Harley could maintain his rightful place atop of the mantle in all his majesty. But was the horse and buggy all that attractive or valuable? Not really. What was the purpose of keeping Harley on the mantle?

Wisconsin's game against Illinois last night was all about putting the ornament back on the mantle. Even though the Badgers have clearly taken the Fighting Illini's place in the upper echelon of league powers, the mantle had been missing something in Madison.

Here came Illinois, a mere 8-7 entering Thursday, carrying their own three-game home losing streak. Yet, the very same team was riding a two-game winning streak in Madison. In fact, Illinois is the only Big Ten school to beat Bo Ryan at the Kohl Center!

Some things never change in the Big Ten. Illinois (8-8, 0-3) still gave Wisconsin (13-2, 3-0) a run for its money. With 9:35 left to play, there were the Illini, down only three points. They severely out-rebounded the Badgers (33-24) and shot the lights out from 3-point land (60%). The result? Offensively-challenged Illinois put up 60 points on UW!

But all was not lost ... far from it in fact.

Trevon Hughes finally looked like his pre-injury self, slicing to finish strong at the hoop and being disruptive defensively on the perimeter. Despite the 60 points allowed, Wisconsin was a collective pest on the defensive end. Hughes snagged a career-high six steals out of UW's nine total thefts. Meanwhile, Marcus Landry contested every shot inside, getting credit for two of Wisconsin's five blocked shots. [box score]

Landry should have been credited for even more blocks as well. He had two gems versus Shaun Pruitt alone. On the first, Landry was reading Pruitt all the way as help defense and jumped on a Pruitt shot fake. But he put his fast-twitch muscle fiber to work to immediately stuff Pruitt on his second jump. Then you had the second-half block from behind where Landry's hand pinned the ball between the rim and backboard on Pruitt's dunk attempt.

At the same time, it was painfully evident that Landry is destined to be a post player for life. With just under ten minutes left in the first half, Illinois cranked up the man-to-man pressure two full notches. Give them credit. But the Illini were overplaying so aggressively that Landry's defender left the entire wing and baseline area open for a drive. But Landry just couldn't pull the trigger and the offense continued to stagnate. I hate that feeling, yelling at a player to do something through the television screen.

Luckily, UW now has a workhouse in Brian Butch to mop up rebounds and press the issue inside. He and Landry make a fine duo in the paint. The slimmer Polar Bear is doing everything a fifth-year senior should be doing. And if Hughes continues to play under control, even I might get optimistic for this team. That is saying something.

The team made the necessary adjustments in the turnover department, with only two in the first half and nine in all. And thus, things are now right with Illinois at the Kohl Center. That particular ornament is back in one piece above the fireplace.

After both my grandparents had passed, my dad took the ceramic horse and buggy back to our house, to put on our mantle. That's the funny thing about Harley: even though he's not so pretty, it feels good to see him up on the mantle.

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-Wow. And you thought Bennett-ball was bad.
-Could Kenny George [pic] have tipped in a few of those misses? Watching him play is both painful and amazing, at the same time, as Chris West points out.

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.

Moving On and Moving Up

While ESPN's Andy Katz had a nice article last week on Brian Butch's progress rehabbing from his gruesome elbow injury, word came out today that Butch missed the cut for Team USA's Pan Am Games roster. Although I thought a month ago that his outside shooting and rebounding might have been an asset to the squad, maybe the fact that Butch may not be 100% recovered yet played into his performance at the tryouts.

Regardless, there were five big men chosen among the 14 finalists, with the roster to be trimmed down to 12 in the coming days. Beloit's very own Kyle Weaver made the cut, along with Washington State teammate Derrick Low, so it looks like the committee was putting value in team chemistry. Drew Neitzel was an obvious choice, but Tennessee's Chris Lofton was a surprising omission. I love that they stuck Eric Maynor on the team as well.

While Butch will be moving on in his rehab instead of playing ball in Brazil this month, Alando Tucker has managed to shine occasionally in NBA summer league action. With one game left to play today, Tucker is the leading scorer on the Suns, averaging over 18 ppg in four games. Unfortunately, the Suns only won once. I was able to catch the first Phoenix game live on NBA.com, but joined late and didn't see much of Tucker. You can actually watch the entire Phoenix-Philly game in which Tuck poured in 29 points on NBA TV. From the highlights, his shooting looks more fluid and he appears comfortable as an NBA 2-guard. But it's only summer league, right? I can't wait to see him lace'm up for real this fall.

A Pair of Badgers Get Some Respect

It looks like being a mature, likable, well-spoken, four-year player with big dreams does pay off.

On Monday, Converse signed Alando Tucker to a shoe contract worth at least one million dollars. So even though Tucker does not appear to be a lock to get drafted in the first round, he is already going to be one of the first athletes in his draft class to get paid (insert Ohio State joke here). That is simply unheard of in NBA circles. He joins Dwyane Wade as non-smoking, non-drinking basketball spokesmen for Converse, which is actually owned by Nike.

Even on his worst days this past season, Badger fans could tell that Tucker was the heart and soul of the Wisconsin basketball team because of his leadership on and off the court, and his interaction with teammates, coaches, fans and the media. It's nice to see a good person be rewarded for being just that -- a good person. Well, and a very good basketball player.

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Speaking of honors, Brian Butch was recently one of 30 college players invited to the USA team trials to be held July 12-14 for the 2007 Pan American Games. When I finally looked at the list of invitees, it reflected quite well on the state of basketball in the state of Wisconsin.

Along with Butch, two other players on that list hail from a Wisconsin high school. Washington State's Kyle Weaver is from Beloit and Marquette's Wesley Matthews played his prep ball at Madison Memorial. Only two other states can boast as much talent in the pool: Illinois and Maryland.

Of course, there is a difference between being invited to compete and actually being selected for the team. As has been mentioned on Badger message boards, Butch is one of only two centers invited to try out. When you think about it, isn't Brian Butch exactly the type of player USA Basketball would want in an international competition. Sure, Butch's athletic shortcomings are well-documented, but the guy can really shoot. I think he has a great shot at making the team, and that is coming from the self-proclaimed "Sports Pessimist."

As for Weaver and Matthews, though, the competition is a bit tougher. Weaver is still diversifying and strengthening his offensive game so he would have to make the team in a defensive stopper role. He's one of the better defenders on the list, but you'd expect the staff to select someone who could score more consistently. Matthews, on the other hand, does a lot of things well, but nothing great. The team will almost certainly have dead-eye shooters like Chris Lofton, Drew Neitzel and Jon Scheyer, in addition to some pure scorers. When you add in the necessary bangers and board men down low, a couple of true point guards and maybe one or two straight-up freak athletes, Matthews will likely be weeded out.

Fellow Golden Eagle Jerel McNeal would seem to have a better shot at the team, again because of his defense. In all, three players from Wisconsin colleges were invited to the team trials, a number matched by Washington (Wash/Wazzou) and Tennessee (Memphis/Tenn/Vandy), and surpassed by only -- you guessed it -- North Carolina (Duke/UNC/NC St.).

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Now I wish Tucker had gone to the NBA's Orlando Pre-draft camp, just to see his workout numbers. No surprise here: Mike Conley Jr. was the fastest guy in camp. Somehow they manage to rate the value of each category and concluded that Conley was the fourth-best prospect based on measureables. Carl Landry performed well and was rated fifth, mostly because he is wicked strong on the bench press (21 reps at 185 lbs. tied him for second most) and pretty quick too. The top dog according the ratings was Maryland's D.J. Strawberry, so take them with a grain of salt. I know you will.

Feel free to check out the body fat % on the future No. 1 draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks.