In a year when no one expected much of the Wisconsin men's basketball team amid nationally recognized conference rivals Michigan State and Indiana, the results of the 2007-'08 men's basketball season were remarkable and a welcome surprise for the Badger faithful.
For a team that had lost an All-American and record-setting scorer in Alando Tucker, last year's troupe of seniors, Tanner Bronson, Greg Stiemsma, Michael Flowers and Brian Butch, made the most of their final year with the team and left a mark on college basketball's national scene. The team compiled a record-setting season highlighted by a school-record 31 wins, a Big Ten regular season title, a Big Ten Tournament title, the nation's best scoring defense and a berth in the Sweet 16 during the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
As the 2008-'09 season approaches, Wisconsin is once again faced with a similar scenario. It enters the fall without any nationally-hyped recruits or big-name players and is not likely to snag any sort of preseason national ranking. But under the guidance of head coach Bo Ryan, the men who make up this year's roster will certainly have a shot at repeating the success of last year.
On the list of returners who should retain their starting roles in the fall are senior forward Marcus Landry, senior swingman Joe Krabbenhoft and junior point guard Trevon Hughes. Although none of them put up numbers worthy of national recognition, Landry was named second-team All-Big Ten by Big Ten coaches and third team All-Big Ten by a media voting panel. Hughes was given an Big Ten honorable mention by both groups at the end of last season.
Of players returning to the team this season, Landry finished last season ranked first on the team in blocks (29), second in points (389) and second in rebounds (129), while Hughes ranked first in points (393), first in steals (62) and second in 3-point field goals made (43). Although Krabbenhoft did not earn any accolades for his play, he was a stalwart force on the floor, putting up team bests for returners with 1,118 minutes played, a .485 shooting percentage and 233 total rebounds.
Of all the candidates to take on the starting spot vacated by Flowers, junior guard Jason Bohannon has the best chance of getting the nod. Bohannon was selected by Big Ten coaches for the Sixth Man of the Year award last year and was brilliant off the bench throughout last season, scoring 8.2 points per game, shooting .867 from the free-throw line and hitting a team-high 53 shots from beyond the arc.
Also in contention for the job are sophomore guard Tim Jarmusz, who hit six of his 10 field goals and collected 10 rebounds in several short stints of action late in the season, and untested freshman Jordan Taylor, a 6'1\ guard out of St. Louis Park, Minn.
The greatest concern for the Badgers will be filling in the voids left at center by Stiemsma and Butch, including one starting role.
At 6'10"", sophomore forward Jon Leuer should be in prime consideration for the spot, as he amassed more time on the court last year than all other freshman combined, contributing 94 points on 34 of 72 shooting and 14 free throws. The highlight of his season came in January in Ann Arbor, when Leuer led the team with a 25-point performance on Michigan's home court.
Other prospects include sophomore center J.P Gavinski, senior forward Kevin Gullikson, sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil and incoming freshman center Ian Markolf. Although he has yet to experience the rigors of collegiate play, Markolf may stand the best chance of getting playing time. The seven-foot, 260-pound product of San Antonio, Texas, could stand to beat out Nankivil and Gavinski for playing time, since their performances in game-time situations last season were merely average at best, and Gullikson has had trouble with off-the-court issues.
Once the conference preseason picks are posted, fans can expect the Badgers to sit somewhere behind a Purdue squad that finished last year as the runner-up in the Big Ten title race and return all but one player to its roster next season. Sophomore guard Robbie Hummel, who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a freshman, is the top player on the Boilermakers.
Among the other major contenders in the conference will be Michigan State and Minnesota which has made considerable improvements in just one year under the tutelage of head coach Tubby Smith.
Indiana should also remain a threat despite losing standout freshman guard Eric Gordon to the NBA Draft and 2008 Big Ten Player of the Year senior D.J. White to graduation. The hiring of former Marquette head coach Tom Crean should keep the Hoosiers near the top of the conference standings despite the tumultuous situation left by former head coach Kelvin Sampson.
