2012-2013 College Basketball thread

[RobDeer 45]

WOW, UW, I did not expect that today. Missed the game and thought I was seeing things when I checked the score.

[Baldkin]

http://hearth.com/econtent/images/uploads/woodshed.jpg

[fondybrewfan]

UW better just take care of business against NW, Purdue, Penn State, and Nebraska and then hope you can steal one at MSU. I really don't see them finishing any worse than 4th with that remaining schedule. Bo's streak will continue

[homer]

UW better just take care of business against NW, Purdue, Penn State, and Nebraska and then hope you can steal one at MSU. I really don't see them finishing any worse than 4th with that remaining schedule. Bo's streak will continue

 

After Gasser's injury I thought finishing .500 in conference would have been an amazing achievement. Can't believe they are still sort of in the running for the title (although not likely to happen). Bo just said, well our offense might struggle but we will shut any one down and keep it close. If they could be just average offensively they have potential to go on a run in the tourney with that defense. Man, if Gasser hadn't gotten hurt....oh well.

[brwrsfan]

UW better just take care of business against NW, Purdue, Penn State, and Nebraska and then hope you can steal one at MSU. I really don't see them finishing any worse than 4th with that remaining schedule. Bo's streak will continue

 

After Gasser's injury I thought finishing .500 in conference would have been an amazing achievement. Can't believe they are still sort of in the running for the title (although not likely to happen). Bo just said, well our offense might struggle but we will shut any one down and keep it close. If they could be just average offensively they have potential to go on a run in the tourney with that defense. Man, if Gasser hadn't gotten hurt....oh well.

 

The success they've had has really been stunning to me. Gasser gets hurt. They stuggle mightly in non-conference, losing to Virginia, getting smoked by Florida. Barely beat the two worst Big Ten teams to start the year and I know I stated that with the brutal Big Ten this year, that they likely would miss the tournament or be hard pressed to make it as one of the last teams in.

 

The fact that we're sitting here with 6 games left, the Badgers are 8-4 in Conference (wtih wins at Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State) and are a virtually lock to make the tournament at this point is just downright hard for me to believe. I'm happy of course, but this just came out of nowhere IMO. As long as they take care of business against the bad teams, they will finish top 4 again and likely a 4-5-6 seed in the tournament. Easily Bo's best coaching job to me...the roster isn't that good, the Gasser injury, etc. Sure, they have droughts and aren't a great team, but they've won games and thats all that matters.

 

Buzz Williams deserves props too when you consider who they lost last year, to be right there in the Big East (and quite frankly with a real chance to win it) is very impressive as well. If they win the games they should, they should easily finish near the top too.

[RobDeer 45]

Who you guys taking tonight, IU or MSU?

[fondybrewfan]

I have an irrational hatred for MSU; so I am taking IU against my better judgment.

 

I guess it probably isn't an irrational hatred. Mateen Cleaves can kiss my behind. I know most other fans can't stand Bo; but I can't stand Izzo either.

[brwrsfan]

I can't stand Izzo or Crean and I've hated IU for a very long time. I guess in the grand scheme of things, I'm cheering for MSU. Only because we play them again and could give them a loss, whereas I really only see Indiana losing to Michigan the rest of the way.

 

I'm cheering for a brawl though. I just can't bring myself to cheer for either of them basically ever.

[homer]

I hate Crean and I hate the MSU fan base. I guess ideally I wanted Crean ejected pre-game and then IU to blow out MSU.

 

Oladipo is a stud. Too bad he's played himself into the lottery and out of reach for the Bucks...unless they continue to tank of course.

[brwrsfan]

For some reason the Badgers game at NW tonight has me nervous. We seem to struggle there, even though NW is pretty bad. We've also gone through a TON of tough games lately and could be primed for a letdown. Hopefully I'm wrong, they really need to take care of the bottom feeders now that the tough part of the schedule is over.

[hawing]

For some reason the Badgers game at NW tonight has me nervous. We seem to struggle there, even though NW is pretty bad. We've also gone through a TON of tough games lately and could be primed for a letdown. Hopefully I'm wrong, they really need to take care of the bottom feeders now that the tough part of the schedule is over.

Oh, it totally has a trap-game setup, and the Badgers seem to have a tendency to play up/down to the level of their opponent. Here's hoping they can overcome that.

 

Last night I made sure to watch IU-MSU, figuring that either way I'd see a coach I dislike lose. However, I'm coming to realize that Tom Crean has pretty solidly displaced Tom Izzo as my most detested "B1G coach named Tom." Izzo is the kind of guy I dislike because he's not in my corner; I think if I were at MSU or if he were at UW, I'd be all about him. Crean...ugh, just looking at him makes me want to groan, and I don't think it has anything to do with his coaching history (i.e. Marquette days).

 

Though I don't wish such an outcome on anyone, both Crean and Thad Matta are guys who, when I see them in coaching action, make me wonder which of them is going to have a stroke first.

[brwrsfan]

Glad we were wrong Hawing, it helps when NW can't score, but we just physically dominate them at every position and got the easy win. It's not often this Badger team is so much better athletically than an opponent like this. We were just so much bigger and destroyed them on the glass.

[hawing]

Glad we were wrong Hawing, it helps when NW can't score, but we just physically dominate them at every position and got the easy win. It's not often this Badger team is so much better athletically than an opponent like this. We were just so much bigger and destroyed them on the glass.

Yup, high-five on that. Now I would selfishly like them to play well on Tuesday vs. Nebraska, as that is the last game of the year to which we have tickets. I do not want my last in-person memory of the season to be a stinker.

 

So...anyone else think Northwestern's court looks like it was partially stained with fading purple magic marker?

[Dragonbait]

I thought the color on my TV was going out.... with Wisc wearing the whites and that faded purple..... ugh... hard to watch visually.

[brwrsfan]

Those jerseys are just horrible. They wore them at least one other time this year. It's like an off white, with white/cream color lettering and almost no red color whatsoever. I hate them but if they play like they did last night, they might as well wear them every game. The NW court looks horrendous. I know you want to incorporate purple, but that was just way, way too much.

[Funketown]

UNC-NC State started at 4:00. A NASCAR race ended at 4:03. ESPN is playing the NASCAR race post-race coverage. I'm going to break something.

[TooLiveBrew]

Tough loss for Marquette, but shouldn't really be a bad loss in terms of the tourney seeding. I guess the biggest negative to take away from it is that they're just not a good shooting team.

[trwi7]

Oh baby!

 

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18fsn21d1lw7vjpg/original.jpg

[jjkoestler]

What does Ryan Evans bring to the table? I'm not trying to be snarky, but I cannot figure it out. He seems to be solid defensively (so is the majority of WI) and pretty terrible offensively. What am I missing?

[TheCrew07]

His gritty veteran presence or some such...

 

I didn't think you were being snarky, everyone in my little circle of friends groans every time he takes a shot and if by chance the ball actually finds it's way through the basket Ryan gets a cheer of a surprise out of us.

 

I'm not sure how the Badgers are competing in the Big 10 starting 2 guys that from an athletic standpoint look like they should be D3 players.

[PKBadger]

What does Ryan Evans bring to the table? I'm not trying to be snarky, but I cannot figure it out. He seems to be solid defensively (so is the majority of WI) and pretty terrible offensively. What am I missing?

 

Leads the team in rebounding.

 

I'm no fan of his offensive game either, but he is a very good and versatile post defender. Bo places a lot of value on that.

[Baldkin]

Bo's hope is that Evans returns to last years form, it's their best chance to make a run, and I've no qualms for Bo giving Evans all the time right now, since they've been playing so well.

 

If Evans keeps playing 35 mpg at the expense of Dekker (and he hasn't snapped out of it) come tournament time.... then there may be an issue.

 

Also, how good is Sam I AM?

[brwrsfan]

Evans is solid defensively and on the boards, but with his struggles offensively, he just needs to stop shooting so much. I cringe every time he shoots. He's obviously brutal on the offensive end this year, yet continues to take 8-12 shots per game, thats just too many.

[TooLiveBrew]

Also, how good is Sam I AM?

Every time he plays he shows at least a flash of superstardom. Tonight was obviously no exception. He's such a natural scorer... really a joy to watch.

 

On Evans, he defends & rebounds well, is a good leaper, & decent finisher near the rim. But he's completely lost any semblance of a jumpshot. He'll get streaky & hit a couple, but on balance I'd rather him just never take another jumpshot again.

[homer]

Evans is solid defensively and on the boards, but with his struggles offensively, he just needs to stop shooting so much. I cringe every time he shoots. He's obviously brutal on the offensive end this year, yet continues to take 8-12 shots per game, thats just too many.

 

I don't mind him shooting as long as he isn't forcing it which he's been doing a lot of. Tonight was more in the flow of the offense and while he still missed some open jumpers I don't mind him taking those because he was really good at hitting them last year. They could use him in the tourney.

 

And Sam Dekker is good.