Wisconsin Basketball Thread 2018 - 19

[LouisEly]

Honestly, that is really hard to believe when you watch him (not doubting you, its just hard to believe). He is a good player. And I'm sure he makes the total stats via being healthy and starting 4 years and being very consistent. And I've not watched a LOT of his games, but everytime I do watch he never looks like he dominates anything. The offense around him just never seems to gel well either. After Frank and Sam left a couple years ago, Happ led a very bland post-up offense where you just foul him late in the game when its close. And a couple years later, it looks exactly the same with the same problems.

 

I want to like the guy, but he just looks out of place in today's game. He should've played for Dick Bennett.

 

Do you think he will be drafted?

No, and I never said he was going to be a great, or even a, NBA player. He's a great college player.

 

The fact that he's not a threat outside of 10 feet makes his accomplishments even greater. He can do this because of two things he does better than perhaps any college player I've ever seen:

1) Using his body to shield defenders from the ball, creating space to get his shot off

2) Using the basket to shield defenders from the ball, and reversing to the other side of the basket to get his shot off

 

He's not a total non-threat outside of 10 feet - if they give him too much space outside of 10 feet he can easily get the ball and then back the defender down. He also, for a big man with limited athleticism, has great body control and can spin away from defenders to create space. And if they do double him, he's skilled enough to dribble out of it and pass to an open teammate, thus the assist numbers.

 

It's these little things that amaze me that you see few college players able to do period, much less with the ability that he has to do it.

[young guns]

Well how about that?

[PeaveyFury]

What a great, unexpected win. Hopefully that breaks the slump and is the start of a string of wins!

[RollieTime]

Nice win today against Michigan. It was good to see different guys making some big shots down the stretch.

[homer]

What a great, unexpected win. Hopefully that breaks the slump and is the start of a string of wins!

 

I don't know if I would say unexpected. They've been close in nearly every loss this year. It's about time they pulled one out. I think KenPom only had this as a one point MIchigan win.

[OldHeidelberg]

Yeah Michigan undefeated going into Madison against a decent Badger team coming off two tough losses, in any sport that has upset written all over it. I wasn't very optimistic this morning though. In some ways I think Happ's graduation will be good for the team, too many possessions run through him and he is a liability down the stretch in close games with his free throw shooting. He is the sort of player who works better with another star, not the go to guy he is the last couple of years.

[Pugger]

What a great, unexpected win. Hopefully that breaks the slump and is the start of a string of wins!

 

Darn!! I forgot all about that game so I didn't watch and they get a big win like that?

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Yeah Michigan undefeated going into Madison against a decent Badger team coming off two tough losses, in any sport that has upset written all over it. I wasn't very optimistic this morning though. In some ways I think Happ's graduation will be good for the team, too many possessions run through him and he is a liability down the stretch in close games with his free throw shooting. He is the sort of player who works better with another star, not the go to guy he is the last couple of years.

 

This is weird to say, but I sort of think Happ is both a very good player AND one that they might be better without in some ways. There are times when it really does seem like he is too big a factor in the Badgers own offensive game plan. It almost feels like the team focuses so much on getting him the ball in the post that other ways to score are neglected.

 

I realize that sounds a little crazy, and I don't want to knock Happ at all.

 

We'll see if this jump-starts them. At Illinois, Home Northwestern this week. Need to go 2-0. Things get tough again after that.

 

Computers love the Badgers, but I still think they're going to end up comfortably in the field but far down the at-large list.

[LouisEly]

My gosh this is a horribly officiated game. Six fouls on Wisconsin four minutes into the 2nd half and none on Illinois.

[DHonks]

Just curious, but why aren’t teams-in close games—fouling Happ in the last 4 minutes every time he touches the ball? Not a Bucky fan by any measure, so I haven’t watched. But it seems the strategy is so easy.

[Mr Southpaw]

My gosh this is a horribly officiated game. Six fouls on Wisconsin four minutes into the 2nd half and none on Illinois.

I thought it was me. It then continued with the Happ foul/delay. I still don't know what he did.

[pacopete4]

I really hope this was Nate Reuvers coming out game and we have another stud on our hands for the next couple of years.

[bjkrautk]

I really hope this was Nate Reuvers coming out game and we have another stud on our hands for the next couple of years.

 

It got lost in the horrible first half, but the 2nd half against Maryland is where Reuvers really started taking off. (I looked it up: 18 points in 24 minutes, including 4-8 from behind the arc. I think most of those points came in the second half, but they'd almost have to.)

[stoutdude04]

Just curious, but why aren’t teams-in close games—fouling Happ in the last 4 minutes every time he touches the ball? Not a Bucky fan by any measure, so I haven’t watched. But it seems the strategy is so easy.

 

It's a great question. I wonder every time. That's essentially what Minnesota did and it stopped the Badgers from putting the finishing touches on that comeback earlier in the year. They set up their defense to make it 1 on 1 against Happ. The Badgers would(as they should) get him the ball. The defender would then reach immediately. Happ went like 1 for 9 from the line that game.

[tmwiese55]

Well they started it last night and he made the first 2 and they stopped. They should keep doing it though, it's a numbers game. But last night UW took him out a lot to prevent it and kept the ball out of his hands. As we learned in the Mich game there is a rule in CBB that intentionally fouling away from the ball is ruled as an intentional foul, so you can't just go grab him when he's standing off ball.

[pacopete4]

I really hope this was Nate Reuvers coming out game and we have another stud on our hands for the next couple of years.

 

It got lost in the horrible first half, but the 2nd half against Maryland is where Reuvers really started taking off. (I looked it up: 18 points in 24 minutes, including 4-8 from behind the arc. I think most of those points came in the second half, but they'd almost have to.)

 

Reuvers might be our answer to "hack-a-Happ" if he can play late minutes and do what he did last night.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Just curious, but why aren’t teams-in close games—fouling Happ in the last 4 minutes every time he touches the ball? Not a Bucky fan by any measure, so I haven’t watched. But it seems the strategy is so easy.

 

It's a great question. I wonder every time. That's essentially what Minnesota did and it stopped the Badgers from putting the finishing touches on that comeback earlier in the year. They set up their defense to make it 1 on 1 against Happ. The Badgers would(as they should) get him the ball. The defender would then reach immediately. Happ went like 1 for 9 from the line that game.

 

I think part of this is also that the strategy, to me, anyway, isn't CLEARLY better than just playing it out. In one-and-one situations it is, but when it's Bonus+, Happ is a 50-50 FT shooter. It sure seems lower than that in tight games, but you're still likely enough to give up one point. Wisconsin averages 113 pts/100 possessions (1.13 PPP) per KenPom, so you're maybe saving yourself something but also giving up a foul on an interior player.

 

I'd still do it as a coach, of course, but in the same way I'd foul up three late.

[tmwiese55]

Key is that it creates more possessions though if you're trailing and need to catch up, it gives you more of a chance since 28 seconds don't get drained off

[Pugger]

Just curious, but why aren’t teams-in close games—fouling Happ in the last 4 minutes every time he touches the ball? Not a Bucky fan by any measure, so I haven’t watched. But it seems the strategy is so easy.

 

I don't know either. His free throw percentage is not very good.

[LouisEly]

Just curious, but why aren’t teams-in close games—fouling Happ in the last 4 minutes every time he touches the ball? Not a Bucky fan by any measure, so I haven’t watched. But it seems the strategy is so easy.

 

I don't know either. His free throw percentage is not very good.

As previously mentioned, off-ball fouling results in intentional fouls being called. And he has to have the ball in order to foul him without the risk of an intentional foul, and last night either Happ wasn't in the game (foul trouble) or barely touched the ball down the stretch.

 

I thought it was me. It then continued with the Happ foul/delay. I still don't know what he did.

Happ hooked him - he held on to his arm, and there is an increased emphasis this year on calling hooking (holding another player's arm). I did see that, and that wasn't a bad call.

 

But Happ's third foul called was atrocious. As was the over-and-back call in the first half, and at least two non-call or blocking calls against Davison that should have been called charges. And a bunch of nickel-and-dime calls against UW but UW getting hacked on the other end and not being called.

[brwrsfan]

One of the worst was the last blocking call on Davidson. The guy lowered his shoulder, fully extended his arm and knocked Davidson to the ground...block. I get that he has a reputation, but that's ridiculous. The announcers got on it as well. Call the game fairly and call fouls correctly. Just because he has a knack for taking charges and took 5 in a game doesn't mean you should suddenly start penalizing him for it.

 

Speaking of bad officiating, anyone see the "hook and hold" in the Tenn/Vandy game? I thought it was absolutely awful and changed the game - probably saved Tenn from a big upset.

[tmwiese55]

The big guy for Illinois' primary move was to just slam into the defender. For a team known for flopping as much as UW is it's shocking they only took one charge off that guy. To me the worst one was him slamming into Happ who stood their with his hands up because he was already in foul trouble. AFter like two slams he just backpedaled and let him go, guy stumbles/travels and they call a foul on Happ.

[MrTPlush]

Davidson is a flopper, biggest flopper I have seen in recent memory from games I watch. You wanna flop, fine, but you will get the bad calls going against you then when well over half the time you fall down you are just acting it out.

[tmwiese55]

Flopping/exaggerating these contacts especially on the wings when the D jumps in front of the dribbler who puts their arm to defend themselves then the defender falls is overdone by everyone, including Davison. If refs stopped rewarding this crap it would go away and the D would take the slight bump, hold ground, continue playing with no stop in action. They reward it over and over though so can't blame for Davison types to keep doing it, heck by current standards the vast majority of the stuff he does should be called charges. I just disagree with the current standards.

[MrTPlush]

I’m not saying others rent doing similar (though Davidson is way worse regardless) or I blame him. Just saying hard to get made when it goes against him.

 

My favorite is when someone flops, falls down, doesn’t have it called as a foul, and then the offensive player gets an easy basket.