Maui Invitational: Game 2

Gonzaga coasted to victory over a slower Wisconsin team Tuesday night to advance to the Maui Invitational championship game. The Bulldogs proved they were an underrated team, one which will probably be ranked for much of the year.

Even though the Badgers avoided the foul trouble that plagued them the night before, they still got beat up on the inside. And not just by big man Robert Sacre. No, it was Gonzaga's penetration that manhandled Wisconsin. None of Wisconsin's guards could stay in front of Steven Gray or Demetri Goodson. In fact, the Zags' three starting guards combined for 42 points with only one 3-pointer among them. [box score]

Overall, way too much scrambling on defense throughout the contest. And more subpar shooting. Wisconsin shot under 40% for the second straight night and is hitting threes at a dreadful 24% clip (18-of-74!) through four games. The Zags made 33% more free throws (21) than the Badgers attempted (14). The unlikely trend gains momentum ...

The game commentators hit it right on the head when they were discussing how Wisconsin's offense comes within the confines of the system because the team lacks playmakers besides Trevon Hughes and perhaps Jon Leuer. Guys like Tim Jarmusz and Jason Bohannon can only take what the defense gives them. When the opponent gives nothing, those players give the Badgers nothing.

Even last night's stars had bad games. Hughes failed to get to the free throw line and had zero assists in 30 minutes. Keaton Nankivil had a tough night from the floor, including another missed dunk that may have brought down the house. My conclusion is that he must have small hands; I'm not sure how else he keeps clanking these.

The stats will show that Leuer shot under 50% from the field, but watching the first 35 minutes of play, you would have thought he hit everything. Leuer, who scored 18 points, found a real rhythm inside, especially with the short baseline jumpers. I would not mind if he stopped shooting treys altogether.

Early on, you could see bits and pieces of Hughes' style in Jordan Taylor's moves to the hoop. He continued to build on some those successfully drives and wound up with a career high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Pretty impressive and encouraging considering how much the team will need him to fill that role next season.

Tomorrow's title game matchup between Robert Sacre and Cincinnati's Yancy Gates should be fun to watch. Wisconsin will play Maryland in the 3rd place game at 3:30 pm CT. Three quality opponents to start the season in my opinion. By the way, SI.com's Luke Winn wrote a good article about the recent evolution of the preseason tournament scene and how it has been influenced by the Worldwide Leader.

Maui Invitational: Game 1

Wisconsin's 65-61 opening round victory over Arizona in the Maui Invitational was hard to watch, but watching Keaton Nankivil finish made it worthwhile.

Nankivil was looking plenty aggressive with a couple of dunk attempts gone awry in the second half. But he converted with authority when it counted -- the final two minutes. Even though I'd have traded the aggressiveness of the missed dunks for four points in a heartbeat, those plays set the stage for his strong finish, when Wisconsin absolutely had to have a big man on the attack. The junior is averaging 10 points and 7 boards through three games.

It was great to see the senior point guard seal the deal in the end also. Trevon Hughes seized the moment with his fourth steal -- off a missed free throw -- to regain possession with four seconds left and ensure victory. He paced the Badgers with 24 points and overcame some shaky free throw shooting and questionable shot attempts to make another big play. Even more encouraging was the chemistry he seemed to have with Nankivil in this whistle-fest that is now typical of the tropical early season tourneys. [box score]

On the very same day that a report about biased officiating hit the media, 55 fouls were called in this game. After one half, Wisconsin would probably agree with the researchers findings that referees call more fouls against the team that is leading. Fortunately the calls evened out in the second half. (Amazingly, the Wildcats lost three players to fouls in the end while only Jon Leuer fouled out for the Badgers.)

Last, but not least, freshman Mike Bruesewitz made a huge impact in covering for the decimated front court. Wisconsin had the best player on the court in Hughes, but the toughness that Bruesewitz brought to the table was the second-best thing to happen to the Badgers. He tore up the boards (6), tipped rebounds to others, took two charges and got on the floor for loose balls. I love the way he sets screens. In general, he just got you excited that he's playing this year.

My favorite play of the game was when Hughes picked up a deflected ball, accelerated to get in front of his man and then handed the ball off to Bruiser for a two-handed jam. It was a very smart move by Hughes to get the youngster an easy bucket to reward his hustle and get him involved on both ends of the floor after his rough debut back in Madison last Wednesday.

The second best play of the night for me was when Hughes found himself in a mismatch guarding Arizona's post player, yet stole the entry pass with a clean deflection.

Wisconsin came out with a lot of energy, opening a 13-0 lead, while Arizona lacked direction. But after building the lead UW lost its focus. The Wildcats got back into the game when the Badgers started running too much and taking quick shots. Arizona frosh Derrick Williams owned the paint for the majority of the game, putting both Leuer, Nankivil and even Ryan Evans into foul trouble from the start. His parade to the charity stripe led to a game-high 25 points.

The dark side of this win is that last season's reversal of free throw fortunes continues. Arizona nearly made as many freebies (26) as Wisconsin attempted (29). Even these numbers are skewed because Arizona had to foul in the final minute.

Outside shooting is another concern. Wisconsin needs a third shooter since Nankivil's 3-point shooting has come down to earth this season. Neither Tim Jarmusz nor Jordan Taylor look capable yet. Inside, Jared Berggren still looked out of place. Uncomfortable. Plus, he missed a box out that lead to one of the Wildcats' few first half buckets. Although, with all the bricks being thrown up, Wisconsin really did a great job of rebounding in the first 20 minutes, considering their true bigs were both on the bench.

Wisconsin faces Gonzaga tomorrow night in round two of the tournament.