Though Wisconsin men’s basketball lost three starters from last year’s Sweet 16 team, the expectations are high in Madison as the Badgers into Saturday’s regular season opener against Kennesaw State.
The return of senior guard and preseason All-American selection Jordan Taylor is certainly a big part of that excitement, but as the Badgers showed in their 80-54 exhibition win over UW-Stevens Point, this year’s team goes far beyond Taylor.
Just in the backcourt alone, the emergence of a third option in sophomore guard Ben Brust has added another dimension to a duo of guards who already have a significant amount of talent and experience.
“Ben is great,” sophomore guard Josh Gasser said. “He’s going to have a great year for us coming off the bench or even starting down the road. But I think we’ve got a good group of guards and our bigs are good as well.”
Those guards will be charged with the task of keeping Kennesaw State junior guard Markeith Cummings in check on Saturday afternoon. Cummings, a 6-foot 7-inch junior from Beach, Ala., led the Atlantic Sun Conference last season, averaging 18.3 points per game in his sophomore campaign.
With more size than most players at his position, Cummings has the ability to hurt opposing teams by scoring and rebounding. Last season Cummings had five rebounds per game.
“We’ve covered guys like that before,” Gasser said. “We’re not going to change what we do for one player.”
But while the Owls finished just 8-23 last season, they return four starters from a team that defeated ACC power Georgia Tech by 17 in its regular season opener last season. The results may not have been there, but the talent certainly is.
“We are a team of routine,” junior forward Mike Bruesewitz said. “We just keep going with what we’re doing. We just go over their strengths, their tendencies. Just try to take away some of their strengths and make them do some stuff they’re not used to doing. Nothing really changes, just work as usual.”
Now that the preseason has finally come to a close, the Badgers hit the court running, playing three games in just over a week to start the season.
While this frenzied start may cut into Wisconsin’s ability to prepare for individual opponents, it also provides good preparation for a Big Ten schedule, during which that quick turnaround will become the norm.
“When we get a lot of games like that in a row, it can be challenging at times because of the little quicker turnaround,” Bruesewitz said. “But it’s definitely fun because you’re playing games, you can’t really complain about that.”
While the Badgers know that they have to take it one day at a time, it is impossible to keep future games out of sight.
“You don’t avoid looking at it, you’re going to naturally look at that game, but I’m taking it one day at a time,” junior forward Ryan Evans said. “I’m going to look at that game, but I’m not going to focus on it.”
Focus will be key, as the Badgers look to ride the momentum of a winning. A streak they hope begins on Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center.
