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Badgers kick off Big Ten season with a bang
MADISON — No band, no cheerleaders, no problem.
For the better part of two months, the Kohl Center was hardly an intimidating home arena, with the student section quiet and relatively empty, even as the Badgers routinely defeated opponents by 20-plus points.
With thousands from the University already in Pasadena by Tuesday night, Wisconsin electrified the crowd, knocking off border rival Minnesota, 68-60, and kicking off the Big Ten season with a bang in the process.
“It was a big win for us. Definitely,” said Jon Leuer, one of four Minnesota natives on the UW squad. “They’ve kind of had our number over the last couple years, so to get this one it felt good definitely.
“We’re 1-0 in the Big Ten, and we have 17 to go.”
Though most Wisconsin fans may be California dreamin’ this week, the 24th-ranked basketball team showed it deserved some attention as well. True to form, Bo Ryan‘s squad did it through ball security and free throw shooting.
While they were outrebounded and outscored in the paint by wide margins, the Badgers only turned the ball over twice while connecting on 17-of-18 free throws.
Of those two turnovers, one came on a Ryan Evans traveling violation early in the second half, while the other was an uncharacteristic mistake by Taylor just three minutes into the game, which allowed Trevor Mbakwe to grab the steal. For two stretches of about 17 minutes, Wisconsin did not give the ball away.
Afterward, Ryan compared it to the Feb. 28, 2008 game against Michigan State, when Joe Krabbenhoft committed the only turnover in the game in the Badgers’ 57-42 victory.
“Kelby Krabbenhoft is here, and he said two is too many because in the game where we only had one, his son had it,” Ryan said. “So Kelby thought two was too many.
“I thought we did a great job of taking care of the ball. I thought they were pretty active. We got ourselves into some situations where I didn’t know if we were going to be able to attack, retreat, get it out, get it over, and we did.”
After trailing by five points midway through the first half, Wisconsin took control and led by as much at 10 points with 18:19 to go in the game. But Minnesota continued to fight, tying the game at 56 apiece with under six minutes to play.
Minnesota native Jordan Taylor hit a three to put the Badgers back out in front on the next possession, but his biggest play came in the game’s final two minutes, though whether it was the game’s biggest play remains up for debate.
With 1:12 to go, Taylor penetrated the Minnesota defense and put it off the glass and in, while crashing to the floor in the process. His drive sparked the team, and the added free throw for the three-point play all but sealed the Wisconsin victory.
“It was a momentum swing, but I think the biggest play of the game was Jon’s offensive rebound,” Taylor said. “We were up two, and that rebound allows us to get the ball and shoot free throws the rest of the way out.”
Taylor deferred to Leuer’s rebound, which came on the Badgers’ next possession, off a missed three by Taylor.
Leuer grabbed the ball off the glass for just the fourth offensive board of the game for UW, and the two combined to hit six free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal it. Ask the 6-foot-10 forward about his rebound, however, and he’ll defer to Taylor’s three-point play.
“No, I think that and-one was a bigger play,” Leuer said. “It was a time when the game was really close, he drove and I didn’t even see him because both their big guys jumped. I just saw the ball go up, hit off the backboard and it was an and-one. I was very excited at that point.”
As the Badgers secured the ball throughout the contest — their two turnovers was an NCAA low for the season, breaking their own previous mark of three — Taylor led the way with seven assists against just one turnover.
He added a game-high 22 points, while playing 39 minutes against a handful of tough Minnesota guards. The Big Ten is a point guard heavy league, and Taylor has certainly shown that he deserves to be in the discussion among the Big Ten’s best.
“He’s the most impressive point guard we’ve played against this year,” Gophers head coach Tubby Smithsaid of Taylor.
“To play a game with just two turnovers, and for him to go 7:1, that’s pretty good, assist-to-turnover,” Ryan said. “He’s definitely our leader on the court. His and-one I think kind of inspired the other guys. I’m glad he’s on our team.”
Wisconsin too strong for Marquette
MILWAUKEE — They’re not sexy, and they aren’t going to wow you. They’ve never been known as one of the more athletic teams in the nation either.
But the Badgers are big, strong and aggressive, and that made the difference as Wisconsin held off Marquette, 69-64, in a hard-fought battle Saturday at the Bradley Center.
Just minutes into the second half, senior forward Jon Leuer picked up two quick fouls, giving him three for the game and sending him to the bench. After Darius Johnson-Odom connected on two free throws, Wisconsin led by a slim 36-34 margin with its leading scorer watching from the sideline.
While the situation did not look promising for UW, not only did the Badgers not struggle without their star, they actually extended the lead to as much as 48-39 over the next six minutes.
“That was big,” Leuer said. “It’s frustrating when you get in foul trouble because you want to be out there helping the team, but … they all stepped up, and that was fun. I was a cheerleader there on the sideline for a little bit. It was fun to see those guys step up and produce for us.”
Playing without Leuer is nothing new for the Badgers, of course. Last year, the 6-foot-10 forward missed a significant portion of the Big Ten schedule due to injury, and Wisconsin stayed afloat without him.
Leuer’s fellow senior forward, Madison native Keaton Nankivil was particularly impressive as Leuer sat on the bench. Nankivil scored Wisconsin’s first six points following Leuer’s third foul, while grabbing a pair of rebounds over the same stretch.
Nankivil saw the opportunity presented by Leuer’s absence, and took full advantage when his team needed it most.
“That’s something we work on all the time is taking advantage of opportunities,” Nankivil said. “I think when Jon went out, they might have focused on putting that pressure on a little bit harder. A couple of the possessions, we were in shot clock situations, they were looking to pressure our guards and maybe run and jump.
“Two of the plays were off hand offs that I decided to keep when they might’ve been looking to pressure our guards and we’ve just got to step on them.”
Squaring off with their in-state rivals Saturday, the Badgers used their superior size and strength and translated it into dominance on the boards, especially on the offensive end.
Wisconsin outrebounded Marquette 32-28 overall, including a 15-10 edge in offensive rebounds. While MU did post an 18-17 advantage on the defensive boards, the home team only grabbed three more rebounds on UW misses than the Badgers did themselves.
As a result, Wisconsin dominated in second-chance points with a 21-9 margin.
“The idea is either you can put it right back after a pump fake or you get it out and we make them work again,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “Plus, we know what it does mentally to the other team.”
Sophomore Mike Bruesewitz was particularly impressive on both the offensive and defensive glass, grabbing four rebounds on each end for a total of eight for the game. Nankivil also pulled down five rebounds (two offensive), while Leuer had six, four of which came on the offensive end.
The best example of the Badgers’ dominance on the boards came during a stretch in the final seven minutes of the game. Following a missed jumper by Marquette, Leuer grabbed the defensive board with 6:34 to go in the second half.
On the other end, Rob Wilson missed a jumper 24 seconds later before grabbing his own offensive rebound. Twenty-three seconds later, Leuer missed a jumper and Ryan Evans cleaned up the offensive glass.
After another 23 seconds ran off the clock, Jimmy Butler was called for two fouls in six seconds. Leuer finally ended the possession with 5:12 remaining, hitting a jumper on an assist from Bruesewitz.
Down the stretch, however, Marquette cut the lead and made things interesting. While the Badgers continued to rebound well, one of their usual strengths — free throw shooting — betrayed them.
With 44 seconds remaining, Wilson missed one of two free throws, leaving it at a seven-point game. Following two points on the other end, Jordan Taylor missed a free throw of his own, giving Marquette the ball back down six with 32 seconds to go.
Taylor would shoot six more free throws over the final 20 seconds, though, hitting five of them to seal the road victory.
“I was disappointed I missed the first one,” Taylor said. “So I just wanted to kind of get up there and knock the next two down really put it away.”
Leading by one point with 1:13 to go at UNLV, the Badgers failed to score again before ultimately losing by a three-point margin. In Orlando against Notre Dame, the game was tied with 2:01 remaining before Wisconsin lost by seven points.
Apparently the third time is the charm for Wisconsin in tight road games, as the Badgers managed to hold off a late rally by their in-state rivals.
“They weren’t frazzled,” Ryan said. “The great advantage is we played in Vegas, in a possession-per-possession game. That’s how we walk away with this win today.”
Not only did the Badgers get a road win, they added what certainly should be a resume win down the line. Come tournament time, a win on the road against a Big East opponent like Marquette should carry plenty of weight.
Count MU head coach Buzz Williams among those impressed by Wisconsin.
“It’s the best team they’ve had since I’ve been here,” Williams said. “I don’t think the world knows it now, but they will.”
Nankivil leads stingy ‘D’ against Milwaukee
MADISON — Through nine games this season, Wisconsin has held its opponent to 60 points or less. Three times, the Badgers have given up fewer than 50 points.
With Rob Jeter and UW-Milwaukee in town Wednesday night, Bo Ryan‘s squad put together arguably its best defensive showing yet. With the Panthers struggling to shoot throughout the contest, the Badgers turned in a dominant 61-40 victory.
“Coming in tonight, playing a team like the Badgers, what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to get back on track shooting the basketball,” Jeter said. “It’s the wrong team to play to do that against.”
Wisconsin held its first of three consecutive in-state rivals to just 30.8 percent shooting from the floor, as UW-Milwaukee made just 12-of-39 shots on the night. In the first half, the Panthers were even worse, shooting at just a 28.6 percent clip, connecting for just six field goals en route to 15 points at the break.
In the second half, UW let up just a bit, allowing 25 points on 33.3 percent shooting. Much of the damage came at the free throw line for UWM, however, as the Panthers made 11-of-16 attempts in the second half and 13-of-21 overall, compared to just 10-for-12 on the night for the Badgers.
After limiting the Panthers to 40 points Wednesday, the Badgers’ opponents are now averaging just 52.5 points per game. The 40-point output was 15 fewer points than UW-Milwaukee’s previous season low, while marking the second-fewest points allowed this season by Wisconsin, which gave up just 35 against Manhattan.
The problems started inside for UW-Milwaukee.
“We never really got a chance to get our inside game going at all,” Jeter said. “It was null and void and we just couldn’t get anything going down there. That was the key.”
Leading the way for Wisconsin’s stingy defense Wednesday night was senior forward Keaton Nankivil. While he is not going to sneak up on anyone as an offensive threat, Nankivil’s defense typically flies under the radar.
Against the Panthers, the Madison native grabbed nine rebounds, six on the defensive end, while blocking three shots and effectively shutting down UW-Milwaukee’s leading scorer in Anthony Hill.
According to his head coach, the only area in which Nankivil lacked during the game was his wardrobe.
“His one sock wasn’t quite as high as the other,” Ryan said. “He was unbalanced when he got dressed, but other than that, he had a pretty good night.”
Hill, who averaged 14.9 points per game coming into the contest, tallied just three against the Badgers, all of which came from the charity stripe. Thanks in large part to Nankivil’s tough defense, Hill went 0-for-8 from the floor while converting 3-of-6 free throws.
Hill added five rebounds and one block, but was otherwise rendered ineffective on the night at the Kohl Center.
“He got touches,” Jeter said. “Keaton Nankivil just did a nice job of staying between him and the basket and you are going to have to make a decision, is it a good play or is it a foul. They didn’t call fouls, so I have to assume that it was a good defensive play.”
On no play was Nankivil’s defense more impressive than the Panthers’ offensive possession with just under five minutes to play in the first half.
With the Badgers leading 22-11, a jumper by Jerard Ajami was blocked by Nankivil, and five seconds later, Nankivil rejected an attempt inside by Hill as well.
“You don’t really think about it when you play, but I’ve always loved blocking shots as a player just because it’s an energy thing,” Nankivil said. “That’s always just been something that’s fun to me.”
Defense stifles young Wolfpack
MADISON — With a name like the ACC/Big Ten Challenge you might expect a competitive, hard-fought battle between two major conference teams.
If so, you may have been disappointed by Wednesday night’s battle between Wisconsin and North Carolina State at the Kohl Center. Thanks in large part to an impressive defensive effort, the Badgers won by 39 points in a game that was never in doubt over the final 25 minutes.
“That was just a good ole-fashioned one,” said Wolfpack head coach Sidney Lowe. “They played well, they shot the ball well, they executed. And we didn’t.”
In saying his team didn’t execute, Lowe was putting things lightly.
N.C. State turned the ball over 13 times compared with just nine assists. Beyond the arc, the Wolfpack hit just 4-of-13 shots, while connecting only 18 times on 57 attempts from the floor.
Guard Javier Gonzalez best embodied the struggles for N.C. State as he committed five turnovers while dishing just two assists and shooting 1-for-6 on the night.
“We’ve seen them attack some teams and make some pretty good decisions,” Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said. “We tried to squeeze the court as we usually do when playing teams that are pretty good off the bounce, and I thought we did a good job of that.
“That’s what I liked the most, how we cut down the driving lines and kept [Scott] Wood pretty much in check.”
After battling through the first 15 minutes in a close game, Wisconsin separated itself with a 23-0 run over the end of the first half and beginning of the second. The Badgers held the Wolfpack scoreless for a span of 10:12, taking the score from 29-21 to 52-21.
While the offense looked its best during the span, it was the UW defense that really changed the game over those 10 minutes.
“We had a couple of shots that were right there, we had two that were on the rim and rolled out,” Lowe said. “It just seemed like one of those things where the ball wouldn’t go in the hole.
“Our offense hurt us probably more than anything in this ball game, our inability to score.”
One of the keys to the game, which showed the difference between the young Wolfpack squad and the experienced Badgers, was the number of trips to the foul line. In particular, Wisconsin’s aggressiveness getting into the lane and the post forced N.C. State to foul them.
Whereas the Wolfpack committed 21 fouls that sent the Badgers to the stripe for 26 attempts, UW committed just 11 fouls, giving N.C. State 13 attempts at the line. The disparity in foul shots was a welcomed sight for Wisconsin, which struggled to get to the line throughout the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.
“We were making hard cuts and they have to defend them,” said Jon Leuer, who posted a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds while going 7-for-8 at the line. “A lot of times when you make hard cuts, they’re going to grab and hold.
“The officials were seeing that, and that’s how we were able to build up fouls against them. That and getting the ball inside. Anytime we can outshoot our opposition in free throws, we have a really good chance of winning.”
Equipment issues affected offense in Orlando
MADISON — For a brief moment, Keaton Nankivil had an impressive two-handed dunk in transition, on a nice feed from teammate Mike Bruesewitz.
As he was landing, the ball was rejected by the net, popping out of the basket and into the hands of Boston College freshman Danny Rubin. While the ball certainly cleared the rim, it must pass through the net to count as a made basket.
That missed dunk was the perfect example of the ball, rim and net issues that Wisconsin, along with every other team in the Old Spice Classic, had to deal with over the weekend in Orlando.
“Have you seen anything like that? I’ve never seen anything like that,” said assistant coach Lamont Paris of the dunk. “He had so much rotation on the ball, that it grabbed the net and jumped out of there.”
Nankivil was far from the only player to experience issues with the basketball at the HP Field House, a part of Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
In the first half against Notre Dame, the Badgers shot 29 percent from the field and just 10 percent (1-of-10) from beyond the arc. A day earlier against Boston College, Wisconsin made only three of 16 attempts from 3-point range, an 18.8 percent clip.
But nothing quite compared with the performance against Manhattan on Thursday in round one of the tournament.
In the first half, the two teams went to the half with the Badgers leading 17-10, shooting a combined 21.8 percent from the field. Wisconsin made 7-of-30 from the floor, including 1-for-7 beyond the arc, while Manhattan went 5-for-25 and 0-for-4 from three.
The combined low of 27 points was outdone in the second round, when Notre Dame led California 21-5 at the half. In that game, neither team made more than 28 percent of its shots, while the Fighting Irish went 1-for-20 from 3-point range.
In the first half, the Golden Bears went 2-for-25 (8 percent) from the floor, and 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. Notre Dame was 9-for-32 at halftime, with an 0-for-13 mark from three.
“We weren’t the only team in that tournament that didn’t shoot the ball well,” Paris said. “Whether you want to attribute that to the balls or whatever it was, no one shot the ball well in that tournament.”
Was the basketball, a composite ball named “The Rock,” a factor?
“Me personally, I think it was,” Paris said. “Whether it was or whether it wasn’t, in our guys’ minds it was. The ball was fresh out of the box, it hadn’t been dribbled but three times maybe before the tournament. It was the type of ball that I could palm it with two fingers.
“It was just really grippy. It wasn’t coming off the backboard how guys were used to, it clung to your fingers when you tried to release it, so it didn’t come off the same way. It wasn’t just our team, everybody was struggling shooting the ball. It was one of the strangest things I’ve seen to have a crisp, brand-new ball like that out there.”
With the sticky, grippy nature of the basketball being used, it likely altered the shots of the players, which took some getting used to. By the second half of every game, both teams adjusted to the way the ball came off their hands and began to score more points and make a higher percentage of their shots.
Still, when asked about it Monday, the Badgers’ offensive leaders, Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor were not ready to make any excuses for poor shooting performances as the team shot 38.9 percent overall and 25 percent from 3-point range.
“They were a little bit stickier, I thought,” said Leuer, who shot 45.4 percent on the weekend and 35.7 percent beyond the arc. “It came off your hand a little bit different. The rims were pretty tight, too. But that’s something you have to deal with and play with.
“Obviously you don’t get a lot of shots on those baskets, and you’re not really familiar with the balls, but you can’t make excuses for that. You have to be able to, under any circumstances just step up and knock down shots.”
Taylor, who shot 32.4 percent from the floor and 28.5 percent from three on the weekend, gave even less credit to the basketballs, rims and nets for the Badgers’ offensive struggles.
“Every basketball is the same diameter,” Taylor said. “Nothing really changes. Obviously the feel’s a little different, but we were down there playing with that ball for the past week, and we’ve played with it before.
“You never use the ball and the rims as an excuse. You’ve just got to play through that stuff. It’s not anything we were thinking about.”
Wilson expects to play at UNLV
MADISON – For the first time in nearly two weeks, Wisconsin guard Rob Wilson returned to practice Thursday, looking like his usual self.
Wilson showed no effects of the right hamstring injury that has kept him out of the Badgers’ first two games as he practiced with the first-team offense and defense.
“It feels real good,” Wilson said. “It’s still coming along, but I expect to get in on Saturday. It’s the coaches’ decision, but I’m ready to play.”
Wilson played a limited role in the Badgers’ first exhibition contest, but in the three games since (including a second exhibition game), Wilson has been limited to a spectator role.
It’s been a frustrating situation for the junior guard, to say the least.
“It’s really tough, but it’s human nature, there’s nothing I can do about it,” Wilson said. “I’ve just got to deal with it, get better and come back stronger so it won’t happen again.
“It’s really frustrating because we had a lot of expectations going into this year. I worked hard this summer and then this comes along. But it’s part of the game.”
Without Wilson in the lineup, the Wisconsin offense has not missed a beat, putting up an average of 92 points per game through its first two. It’s the team’s highest average through two games since putting up 103.5 per game through the first two games in 1993.
Comparatively, last year’s squad averaged just 66.5 points after two games.
Much of the offensive success has had to do with the improvement of senior forward Jon Leuer who has put up 23 points, 6.5 rebounds, four assists and 1.5 blocks per game. But the guard play has been impressive as well.
Junior point guard Jordan Taylor has done an excellent job leading the UW offense, averaging 15 points and five assists per game. In the absence of Wilson, freshman Josh Gasser also has shown plenty of skill.
“They’ve been really impressive,” Wilson said. “Especially the freshmen like Josh stepping up. I’m learning a lot already sitting on the bench this year through two games.”
Gasser started at the two guard Tuesday against North Dakota, making him just the third UW freshman to start in the Bo Ryan era, joining Alando Tucker and Devin Harris.
Even with his 14 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game average so far, Gasser knows the team will be even better with Wilson back in the lineup.
“Today was his first practice back, and it was exciting to have him out there,” Gasser said. “It’s just another guy to help us, especially offensively. We need guard play, it’s a big part of our team. So he’s going to come in right away and help us.
“Rob’s a very good player, both offensively and defensively. He such a big part of our team, so to put up numbers like we did (without him), it shows that we are a pretty good team. With him back, we’re going to be even better.”
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