Wisconsin Badgers Basketball

[danzig6767]

Great game by UW, i had a bad feeling prior to the game that Texas would be a beat down on the Badgers and win something like 82-64

[M Skjellyfetti]

Ken used to have a score predictor formula on his site that was moved or removed this season.

 

I just stumbled upon that by clicking on the link on any team's name. His system has Wisconsin finishing 26-4, but in individual games the only predicted loss is 64-63 at Indiana. The probability of winning for that game is 50%, and the next lowest after that is in the 70s. I highly doubt the season will play out like this, but it is fun to see.

 

For you Marquette fans, the Golden Eagles are ranked third.

 

Edit: Wrong thing, my bad.

[homer]

Yeah, he has the scores predicted but not the forumula showing how he came up with them.

[molitor fan]

Leuer with 25 points tonight as Wisconsin goes to Ann Arbor and trounces Michigan by 16. Leuer was 5 for 5 from three point land tonight and is now 9 of 10 from there for the season

[hawing]

Ohh, I'm getting to like Jon Leuer. I mean, I did before tonight's game too.

[homer]

He gets pushed around down low but when he bulks up a bit he's going to be really good.

[TooLiveBrew]

Wow! A 16-point win on the road at any Big Ten venue is impressive, but to do it at Crisler Arena... well done, gentlemen!

[Fatter than Joey]

Wow! A 16-point win on the road at any Big Ten venue is impressive, but to do it at Crisler Arena... well done, gentlemen!

 

Yeah -- It was a good win -- Winning games on the road in the big-10 means a tourney invite.

 

However Michigan had 11 steals and 2 less TOs than the Badgers (17-15) -- so I think that while it was a good win, If you are that sloppy with the ball, and still open up a 20 point lead -- Michigan is a bad team. If we handle the ball so sloppily in most other Big Ten games (home or away) we will lose some.

 

I like Leuer -- All of his 3s were wide open shots -- which either means the system was worked very well, or Michigan's D was poor.

 

We sure could have used more consistent perimeter shooting last year -- let's hope Leuer keeps knocking down his open looks.

[mrbergmann]

He gets pushed around down low but when he bulks up a bit he's going to be really good.

While this is true, his true position is not a down low spot. He would best be served as the 3-man, with 2 other big guys in the game. He has guard skills, he just happens to be 6-10. I'm hoping he can become what Steve Novak was for Marquette (or even betterhttp://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif).

 

[owbc]

Nice to see the Badgers keep the momentum going after the Texas game. However, the schedule remains easy and there is a decent chance of the Badgers starting out 7-0 or at least 6-1 in the Big Ten before the showdown with Indiana at the end of the month.

[bjkrautk]

"He was a little bit of a Pittsnogle out there. He's a hard guy to get to," Beilein said. "He was the story of the game today. Every time we'd get close, he would get something."

 

Kevin Pittsnogle was a 6-10, 255-pound center who scored in the paint and beyond the arc for Beilein at West Virginia earlier this decade. The coach probably had similar plans for Leuer, whom he recruited before leaving the Mountaineers for Michigan.

 

Source: JS Online

 

I post that tidbit for two reasons:

1) An indicator of how highly-recruited Leuer was, and how great a 'get' he really was for the Badgers, and

2) It made me realize that both of Michigan's high-profile coaches in 2008 were with West Virginia in 2007 (football & basketball).

[Getpaddled]

IMO Michigan will finish last in the B10. Still............. a road win none the less

[temke]

He gets pushed around down low but when he bulks up a bit he's going to be really good.

just remember mike wilkinson as a freshman. similar player so far. good height. very thin. fairly athletic

 

leuer may have a little more outside game though at this point.

[Glennron]

Wilkinson didn't have quite the same sweet stroke, though. If Leuer became just as good an inside player as Wilkinson, while keeping his shooting skills, he'd be a beast.

 

Also I just looked and apparently Wilkinson is now a citizen of Macedonia and plays for their national team, that's kinda cool.

[dadofandrew]

I still have trouble figuring out how every NBA team can have 15 players better than Wilkinson. As a role player with height, decent ability, and shooting skills, I just find it very odd. Maybe he'll take a shot at it after cashing in overseas.

[homer]

Wilkinson is pretty slow footed compared to most NBA guys his size. If he was a couple inches taller he could make it as a power forward but at 6'7ish he'd have issues as a small.

 

 

EDIT: I should say while he had good footwork, he seemed kind of slow.

[zachjack13]

It is a good start by Wisconsin, but they have to avoid the March/April letdown that happened last year. They should be the number three team in the Big 10 behind Indiana and MSU. Anytime you win on the road in the Big 10 is an achievement, but let's not go big on them, as they still have to work on overall chemistry as a unit and consistent shooting and rebounding.

[danzig6767]

I still have trouble figuring out how every NBA team can have 15 players better than Wilkinson. As a role player with height, decent ability, and shooting skills, I just find it very odd. Maybe he'll take a shot at it after cashing in overseas.

 

There are countless players who were great in college, but don't have the required size, athletic ability, and skills that translates to the NBA game. The pro game is an entirely different animal and is why guys who were even vastly better college players than Wilkinson can go undrafted in the NBA or get drafted and two years later are out of the league.

As for the Badgers, this Leuer is so impressive. Watching him, the guy just looks so gifted and natural for a man his size. He not only shoots outstanding from outside, he looks and moves so fluidly for a big man. Many players that experience a massive growth spurt in a short amount of time end up semi-uncoordinated, but Leuer moves almost like a guard out there and it's why i'm not really into the Wilkinson comparison who was more stiff. On top of his physical and shooting gifts, Leuer also seems to have great poise for a true freshman, i've yet to see him look rattled or timid in any of the road games in a hostile gym. Great job by Ryan bringing Leuer in and thankfully the Minnesota program is down enough that he'd leave his home state.

[Fatter than Joey]

I still have trouble figuring out how every NBA team can have 15 players better than Wilkinson. As a role player with height, decent ability, and shooting skills, I just find it very odd. Maybe he'll take a shot at it after cashing in overseas.

 

Well it is not as if a team takes the 15 best players it can find. Wilkinson can't play guard or center.

 

I think Alando Tucker was a much better player than MW and he only has played in about 20 minutes this season -- I remember one of my favorite Badgers, Danny Jones, who never got sniffed by the NBA, was probably a lot like MW. -- Not tall enough to play the 4-5 and not fast enough to play the 3-4.

 

This is also probably a pretty good indication on how global the game has become. I think MW has a zero% chance of ever playing in the NBA.

[homer]

"This is also probably a pretty good indication on how global the game has become. I think MW has a zero% chance of ever playing in the NBA. "

 

And yet with that globalization, he'll probably end up with a seven figure salary playing overseas. I think Rashard Griffith is still playing over there and making more than a lot of NBA players.

[fondybrewfan]

Youd have a hard time convincing me that Mike Wilkinson couldnt be better than Jake Voskuhl, Darvin Ham, Mark Pope, heck even Gadzurich. That guy couldnt make a shot besides a lay up to save his life. Sure hes dutch and everything but the novelty wears off http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Gone]

Youd have a hard time convincing me that Mike Wilkinson couldnt be better than Jake Voskuhl, Darvin Ham, Mark Pope, heck even Gadzurich. That guy couldnt make a shot besides a lay up to save his life. Sure hes dutch and everything but the novelty wears off http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

Really? As a previous poster mentioned; Wilkinson would be a small/average 3 in the NBA but he isn't close to a good enough athlete to be a good NBA small forward. He also doesn't have the strength or size to play the 4. The players you've mentioned are either much bigger/stronger inside players and/or have much better athleticism than Wilkinson.

[brwrsfan]

Surprised nobody has posted this yet, but as of right now the Badgers look to be on their way to 2-0 in the Big Ten as they're up 10 over Iowa with about 8 minutes to go. Very slow moving game, which the announcers keep saying is the Badgers style. The offense just seems to stagnate in a really slow game, and often times they wind up with Flowers/Hughes trying to create with 5 on the shot clock. It's good to see that they can win these types of games though. Iowa could be a solid team in a few years after Lickliter gets his type of players in there.

[brettac1]

Leuer moves almost like a guard out there and it's why i'm not really into the Wilkinson comparison who was more stiff.

 

Yeah, Wilk was pretty much a farm boy. Leuer is an ath-a-lete.

[wallus]

My dislike of Hughes only continues the more I see him play....