Wisconsin Basketball Thread 2017-18

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Certainly could be that Purdue's just really good. Three 25+ wins in a row and two of them on the road. Granted, they're not beating world beaters, but UW isn't the only team being embarrassed.

 

Could also be I'm just used to a little more competitive spirit.

 

I'll say this. Defense was much better last night, and things look a lot different when 3s are falling. Amazing how much that allows Happ to get to work. Illinois has been very competitive too, despite the 0-fer in the BIG, so it's not like they utterly lack talent.

 

Hoping for more signs of improvement as we get deeper into league.

[pacopete4]

At the game tonight. I’m about to go out there and pull Illikainen myself. What a terrible basketball player.

[pacopete4]

The end of an era. Hopefully Happ can go pro. It’ll help Barry realize Gard sucks and this program is doomed.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Still not ready to go that far.

 

But this may have been the worst game of the year so far. Iowa is a bad basketball team and to be non-competitive, even on the road, is horrible. Not nearly enough defensive effort, poor execution on offense, inability to handle the ball against pressure, just all-around ugly.

[nate82]

If the Badgers continue to play the way they have been I don't think they will even make the NIT.

[pacopete4]

I’m not sure I’ll ever pay to see another game in the Greg Gard era. I’ve never seen such poor effort and talent on a basketball court. Just way disappointed in what I witnessed last night. Utter confusion and wrecklessness with a lack of discipline all over the place. Disgusting.

[Samurai Bucky]

I'll give Brad Soderberg Greg Gard until the end of next year. I can understand that there are defensive schemes that won't be understood by young players, so if he can't teach them by next year, it is time to get somebody else.

 

Number of turnovers? Crazy bad

Lack of defense? Uggh...

Put Ethan Happ in bubble wrap, otherwise we are in even more trouble.

[pacopete4]

Badgers with better effort tonight but they still suck. They don’t have a single player that can knock a shot down somewhat consistently.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

I thought effort was much better too, especially through the first 15 minutes of the second half. Davison has a wide open look to cut it to three, it doesn't go down, and then MSU brings it back up nine on the other end. Killer sequence there.

 

Still, hard to care much about the result. Not to get too far into it, but the response of both Izzo and D'Antonio to the OTL report about the school's handling of sexual assault cases against football and basketball players was disturbing and just gross all-around.

 

Any coach that never lets that happen at UW is a good coach.

[pacopete4]

I thought effort was much better too, especially through the first 15 minutes of the second half. Davison has a wide open look to cut it to three, it doesn't go down, and then MSU brings it back up nine on the other end. Killer sequence there.

 

Still, hard to care much about the result. Not to get too far into it, but the response of both Izzo and D'Antonio to the OTL report about the school's handling of sexual assault cases against football and basketball players was disturbing and just gross all-around.

 

Any coach that never lets that happen at UW is a good coach.

I’m pretty sure there was a sequence just like the one you had above against Iowa just before half and we missed and instead of going into half down 1-2 points, we went in down by like 10.

 

And agreed with the rest of your post.

[pacopete4]

The Wisconsin Happ’s took another L. Happ drained a three ball but was like 7-20 from the FT line. Ish, just like the rest of the team. Ish.

[Surhoff5]

The Wisconsin Happ’s took another L. Happ drained a three ball but was like 7-20 from the FT line. Ish, just like the rest of the team. Ish.

 

Free throws were a huge issue obviously, but I was at the game and I do not understand how a coach expects to beat a zone with Happ, Iverson, and Moesch on the floor at the same time. You can't have two non-shooters and another who is afraid to shoot out there and expect to succeed.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

That 1-3-1 really did shut down the Badgers last night. Happ is just not an ideal high post player in some ways because he isn't a jump shooting threat. If the defense can collapse quick enough, it's a turnover waiting to happen if he looks to drive. If he looks to pass, there just isn't a reliable shooter who can hurt the defense consistently.

 

I agree with Surhoff that maybe Ford should have been on the floor, but I also wonder who on this team should be out there in that spot. Van Vliet? Thomas? AI? Schlundt? All those guys seem like trouble waiting to happen. This team is just utterly lacking in offensive personnel right now. I don't think King and Trice are world-beaters, but they are at least credible athletes capable of scoring from a lot of spots on the floor. With them, this team probably should have a win against Xavier. Without them, they're hopeless.

 

Still, you do have to be disappointed in the lack of offensive development from anyone over the past two months. Usually, when defenses focus so much on Happ, there's a chance for one guy to get open looks and prove himself. This year, I see Gard trying everything to no avail. Plenty of blame to go around.

[JackNicholson1974]

This team is just god awful. Go back and look at the roster of that 97-98 team. It was dreadful, but this team might be worse. At least that team ended up having hope in that freshman class of Kowske, Vershaw, Kelley.

[superfly]

I'm 29 and I don't remember a time in my life that the Badgers haven't been in the NCAA tournament. It must have really been a LONG time ago, maybe 98 like above poster said? I can't express the disappointment and disinterest I have for March Madness this year. Well wait...maybe it compares to the Packers dumpsterfire that went on, but that's for a different day. I even thought i'd turn Marquette on for the first time in years last night only to see them get wasted by Butler. No hope there either.

 

This is absolutely pathetic and regardless if it's a "rebuild" year or not I think somebody needs to be held accountable for this. They aren't even competitive in games and are losing to cellar dwellers on a regular basis. Just so disappointed in Gard and the whole basketball organization.

[Samurai Bucky]

I'm 29 and I don't remember a time in my life that the Badgers haven't been in the NCAA tournament. It must have really been a LONG time ago, maybe 98 like above poster said? I can't express the disappointment and disinterest I have for March Madness this year. Well wait...maybe it compares to the Packers dumpsterfire that went on, but that's for a different day. I even thought i'd turn Marquette on for the first time in years last night only to see them get wasted by Butler. No hope there either.

 

This is absolutely pathetic and regardless if it's a "rebuild" year or not I think somebody needs to be held accountable for this. They aren't even competitive in games and are losing to cellar dwellers on a regular basis. Just so disappointed in Gard and the whole basketball organization.

 

I still have my T-Shirt of the Bleacher Creatures from the late 80's with Dickie V. It has him talking to Steve Yoder about how the Badgers will actually make the Big Dance -- and he doesn't mean the NIT...

 

Back then, it was an accomplishment when they made the NIT.

 

That said, the poor play and lack of talent on this team has caused me to spend my time doing things that are more productive. You know, like washing out my water pik...

[superfly]

I'm 29 and I don't remember a time in my life that the Badgers haven't been in the NCAA tournament. It must have really been a LONG time ago, maybe 98 like above poster said? I can't express the disappointment and disinterest I have for March Madness this year. Well wait...maybe it compares to the Packers dumpsterfire that went on, but that's for a different day. I even thought i'd turn Marquette on for the first time in years last night only to see them get wasted by Butler. No hope there either.

 

This is absolutely pathetic and regardless if it's a "rebuild" year or not I think somebody needs to be held accountable for this. They aren't even competitive in games and are losing to cellar dwellers on a regular basis. Just so disappointed in Gard and the whole basketball organization.

 

I still have my T-Shirt of the Bleacher Creatures from the late 80's with Dickie V. It has him talking to Steve Yoder about how the Badgers will actually make the Big Dance -- and he doesn't mean the NIT...

 

Back then, it was an accomplishment when they made the NIT.

 

That said, the poor play and lack of talent on this team has caused me to spend my time doing things that are more productive. You know, like washing out my water pik...

 

It's not even the missing that's depressing, I know it happens to everyone not named Duke, UNC, or UK. It's how it looked as it's happening.

[3and2Fastball]

Not sure how Gard survives this season. Even years ago when the Badgers were bad, I watched because I'm a fan and at least there were a few compelling storylines or interesting players to watch. I can't even watch this year's team. They are pathetic.

[pacopete4]

Rumor was that Barry didn't want Gard. Maybe Barry was right?

[PeaveyFury]

Not sure how Gard survives this season. Even years ago when the Badgers were bad, I watched because I'm a fan and at least there were a few compelling storylines or interesting players to watch. I can't even watch this year's team. They are pathetic.

 

100% sure Gard survives this year. He'll be given the chance to prove that this was a reload year and not a regression.

 

If we look like this next year, though, he's as good as gone.

[pacopete4]

Not sure how Gard survives this season. Even years ago when the Badgers were bad, I watched because I'm a fan and at least there were a few compelling storylines or interesting players to watch. I can't even watch this year's team. They are pathetic.

 

100% sure Gard survives this year. He'll be given the chance to prove that this was a reload year and not a regression.

 

If we look like this next year, though, he's as good as gone.

 

Honestly though, what is coming in to make this team any better? The couple three star recruits they have coming in have them pegged 12th in the B10 for next years recruiting class. Losing Herro was already a bad sign. Just not sure now this team is going to be that drastically improved.

[PeaveyFury]

That implies that you don't believe in player development at all? They lose no significant contributors. They'll have a Naismeth/All-American candidate in Happ. Their recruiting class from 2017 had 3- four star recruits that have all shown significant promise as true freshmen. And their two starting guards have missed the last two months and almost all of conference play.

 

Plenty of reason to think they'll get significantly better. Teams DO have to re-load every so often. We've just been so spoiled here that we aren't used to it.

[pacopete4]

It isn’t that I don’t believe in player development. King will basically be a freshman again. Was Trice ever that good? The remainder of that junior class like Iverson and Pritzl, well I’ve seen enough of them. A guy like Davison, Reuters and Ford could take huge jumps but I’m just not sure they’ll have enough to really make much of a jump. Maybe middle of the pack big10.

[PeaveyFury]

That's why one more year is prudent. If they show minimal development and are a middling BIG team, Gard is likely gone. But if the young players increasingly displace the crappy JR class (or if one or two of the JR's actually figure out how to play 30-ish minutes of good basketball each game) and they end up in the mix for the league title and solidly back in the tourney, he should be retained and this year should be viewed for what it was- an unfortunate and perhaps overdue step back.

 

It's all about the trend- if this is the start of multi-year crappiness, he's gone. If it's a blip, he's fine.

[pacopete4]

Another game, another loss. Played better at times. Badgers bench outscored 11-0. It’s really a shame Bo was too busy trying to get “busy” a few years back to actually recruit good players.