Under head coach Bo Ryan, less is more. Written off year after year, the Badgers have never finished lower than fourth in the Big Ten under his leadership. This season looks promising yet again as 2013’s highly touted recruiting class joins a veteran group. The Daily Cardinal has you covered, outlining everything you need to know before Wisconsin opens preseason play tonight against UW-Platteville at home.
Projected starters:
C Frank Kaminsky, Jr.
F Sam Dekker, Soph.
G Josh Gasser, Jr.
G Ben Brust, Sr.
G Traevon Jackson, Jr.
Projected bench:
F Nigel Hayes, Fr.
F Duje Dukan, Jr.
F Vitto Brown, Fr.
G George Marshall, Soph.
G Bronson Koenig, Fr.
F Zach Bohannon, Sr.
G Zak Showalter, So.
C Evan Anderson, Jr.
Gasser’s return
Losing junior guard Josh Gasser to a preseason ACL tear last year was a big blow and created some confusion at the point guard position early in the season. By all accounts, Gasser is almost fully recovered and stands to play a major role this season.
“I’m feeling better each day, each week, seeing progress. I’m not necessarily where I want to be mentally or physically, but everyone else thinks I’m doing alright,” Gasser said. “If it was up to me, I’d play as much as I can, so I feel ready to go.”
To his teammates, Gasser’s play at the Red-White scrimmage last Saturday backed up this assertion.
“That is the most confident I’ve seen him play,” sophomore forward Sam Dekker said. “He’s looked great and more comfortable each and every day.”
ACL tears are a difficult injury to come back from. It may be a while until Gasser fully trusts his injured leg with agressive cuts.
The number of minutes Gasser plays against Florida should be telling. A low amount could indicate reluctance from the staff to have him play full time, even against a potential top 10 opponent.
Look for Gasser’s minutes to increase as the season progresses.
Big freshman class
Bo Ryan brought in six freshmen—a fairly high number—this year, and some of them figure to rack up a high number of minutes.
Forwards Nigel Hayes (an ESPN top 100 recruit) and Vitto Brown (a pretty good singer) are both expected to register time thanks to the thin frontcourt. Guard Bronson Koenig should also get in on the action, even given the extensive depth the team has at guard.
“We all knew Nigel and Bronson were some household names coming in and they’ve shown us that they’ll be able to get some minutes down the line and help us out this season big time,” Gasser said.
Backcourt heavy
This year’s team figures to be much more backcourt heavy than usual, with center Jared Berggren and forwards Mike Bruesewitz and Ryan Evans all graduating after last season.
Three guards who registered major minutes last year, Traevon Jackson, Ben Brust and George Marshall, return to the team. Along with Gasser’s recovery, the position is arguably one of the deepest in the Big Ten.
Meanwhile, the frontcourt will be reliant on a few more unknown sources for depth behind Dekker and junior center Frank Kaminsky.
Nevertheless, the team expects the offense to hold its trademark discipline and efficiency, even if it comes at a slightly faster pace.
“We might play a little smaller this year. We have some good depth in the backcourt, so that could lead to us playing a little faster, a little smaller lineup,” Gasser said. “No matter who we have out there, we’re all expected to do the same things.”
Taking advantage of the team’s strengths is something Wisconsin has made a point of doing during head coach Bo Ryan’s 12-year tenure at UW.
“Whatever ways the matchups work out, we’re going to exploit that,” Dekker said.
Games to watch
Florida, Nov. 12
Unless North Florida pulls off a spectacular upset, Wisconsin’s first official home opponent will be a legitimate top 10 team in the form of Florida.
The Gators physically dominated the Badgers last year, and this game will serve as an early test to see if this Wisconsin team can compete with elite opponents.
Marquette, Dec. 7
Wisconsin will play host to this year’s edition of the I-94 rivalry, hoping to break a two game losing streak to their chief in-state rival.
The Golden Eagles are going through transitions on and off the court, losing their top three players by minutes from last season and moving to the reborn, anti-football Big East conference.
Indiana, away Jan. 14, home Feb. 25
Wisconsin has owned Indiana in the last several years, rocking a 12 game winning streak against one of college basketball’s historic powers. Head coach Tom Crean’s recruiting class once again ranks as one of the nation’s elite.
The home date with the Hoosiers stands to be the final tough match-up on the regular season schedule.
Michigan, home Jan. 18, away Feb. 16
Everyone is going to bring up Ben Brust’s buzzer beater when Michigan returns to the Kohl Center to avenge it’s two losses to the Badgers last year.
The Wolverines lost consensus National Player of the Year point guard Trey Burke to the NBA draft, but return with preseason All-American sophomore forward Mitch McGary.
Michigan State, Feb. 9
The No. 2 preseason ranked Spartans will bring a loaded roster into the Kohl Center, featuring two NBA first-round prospects in senior center Adreian Payne and sophomore guard Gary Harris.
This matchup stands as the Badgers’ best chance to replicate last year’s Michigan moment this season, giving UW a potential boost coming into the final month of the year.
