Travis Marcou
12/15/2010
Sheila Allard
Losing to Cornell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament was a huge disappointment for the Wisconsin Badgers, and for the people who had picked Wisconsin to make a deep run in their March Madness bracket. However, with head coach Bo Ryan still in at the reigns, the Badgers are poised to yet again make the tournament field and be a potential threat. However, this year the expectations are low—Wisconsin only returns three key contributors—as college basketball analysts are picking the Badgers to finish only as high as fifth in the Big Ten although Wisconsin has never finished worse than fourth under Coach Ryan.
It's clear that the talents of Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon will be dearly missed—as Hughes almost seemed to carry the entire team at times and Bohannon went through periods of never missing a shot—which begs the question: Who will want the ball in the final seconds when the game’s on the line? Junior Jordan Taylor is the guy that will be thrown into that roll. Last year Taylor led the Big Ten with a three assist-to-turnover ratio, which was also good enough to be third best in the entire country. Taylor also averaged 11.1 points per game in Big Ten play, a time when points become vital because of how much defense is stressed in the Big Ten. Now an upperclassman, Taylor has the maturity to carry the team on his shoulders when the going gets tough.
Another guy who is able to take over games is Senior Forward Jon Leuer. Often over looked by many, Leuer only needs 245 points this season to join Wisconsin's 1,000-point club, a club that only a select few have been able to join. He averaged 15.4 points per game in 2009-2010, and this season he looks to keep his reign as the Badger's leader in points, rebounds and blocks per game despite missing nine conference games last season due to a fractured left wrist. The high production out of Leuer in 2009-2010 earned him a spot on the John Wooden Preseason Top-50 list, a very prestigious honor in which only the best collegiate basketball players in the country are even mentioned in along with numerous pre season all conference teams. A healthy John Leuer for the entire season and the Badgers may find themselves being crowned conference champions and Leuer could be among the candidates for the All American teams.
The final key contributor from last season is Senior Forward Keaton Nankivil. Nankivil averaged a solid 8.1 points per game, along with the team's most offensive rebounds. Keaton is a streaky shooter, as shown in the Purdue game—hitting seven out of eight three pointers—and his teammates are able to get him the ball when he’s on.
The Badgers will rely on players like Ryan Evans, Tim Jarmusz, and Mike Bruesewitz to step up and fill the shoes of Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon. If they can combine to produce what Hughes and Bohannon did for the Badgers last season, then success can easily be achieved under Bo Ryan. Bruesewitz will be the guy inserted into the starting lineup solely on his size and defensive ability. His game play is reminiscent of big man Jason Chappell from 2007 but you can easily distinguish them as Breusewitz rocks his signature red afro. Meanwhile, Jarmusz and Evans will get solid minutes providing the bench spark that teams need in order to be successful.
It's clear that the talents of Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon will be dearly missed—as Hughes almost seemed to carry the entire team at times and Bohannon went through periods of never missing a shot—which begs the question: Who will want the ball in the final seconds when the game’s on the line? Junior Jordan Taylor is the guy that will be thrown into that roll. Last year Taylor led the Big Ten with a three assist-to-turnover ratio, which was also good enough to be third best in the entire country. Taylor also averaged 11.1 points per game in Big Ten play, a time when points become vital because of how much defense is stressed in the Big Ten. Now an upperclassman, Taylor has the maturity to carry the team on his shoulders when the going gets tough.
Another guy who is able to take over games is Senior Forward Jon Leuer. Often over looked by many, Leuer only needs 245 points this season to join Wisconsin's 1,000-point club, a club that only a select few have been able to join. He averaged 15.4 points per game in 2009-2010, and this season he looks to keep his reign as the Badger's leader in points, rebounds and blocks per game despite missing nine conference games last season due to a fractured left wrist. The high production out of Leuer in 2009-2010 earned him a spot on the John Wooden Preseason Top-50 list, a very prestigious honor in which only the best collegiate basketball players in the country are even mentioned in along with numerous pre season all conference teams. A healthy John Leuer for the entire season and the Badgers may find themselves being crowned conference champions and Leuer could be among the candidates for the All American teams.
The final key contributor from last season is Senior Forward Keaton Nankivil. Nankivil averaged a solid 8.1 points per game, along with the team's most offensive rebounds. Keaton is a streaky shooter, as shown in the Purdue game—hitting seven out of eight three pointers—and his teammates are able to get him the ball when he’s on.
The Badgers will rely on players like Ryan Evans, Tim Jarmusz, and Mike Bruesewitz to step up and fill the shoes of Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon. If they can combine to produce what Hughes and Bohannon did for the Badgers last season, then success can easily be achieved under Bo Ryan. Bruesewitz will be the guy inserted into the starting lineup solely on his size and defensive ability. His game play is reminiscent of big man Jason Chappell from 2007 but you can easily distinguish them as Breusewitz rocks his signature red afro. Meanwhile, Jarmusz and Evans will get solid minutes providing the bench spark that teams need in order to be successful.
A freshman that not too many people knew about coming into this year was Josh Gasser. Gasser received a scholarship from Wisconsin after Vander Blue, now with Marquette, abruptly decommitted from Wisconsin. Badger fans everywhere can be thankful for this after seeing Gasser score 21 points off the bench in his first game ever at the collegiate level. Gasser’s play has earned him a spot into the starting lineup and he only continues to improve. He has already proved that he can handle the bright lights and big time play of college basketball for being only 18 years of age.
Catch the Badgers opening up the Big Ten regular season against rival Minnesota on December 28th and with no doubt the Kohl's Center will definitely be rocking. A place where the Badgers went 16-1 last season with wins over Duke and Marquette. However, Wisconsin has to travel to the confines of Columbus, Ohio in what could have the Big Ten regular season title on the lines. The Big Ten is head and shoulders above the rest of the conferences and that can only help the Badgers as they prepare for the NCAA Tournament. ON WISCONSIN!!!!
Catch the Badgers opening up the Big Ten regular season against rival Minnesota on December 28th and with no doubt the Kohl's Center will definitely be rocking. A place where the Badgers went 16-1 last season with wins over Duke and Marquette. However, Wisconsin has to travel to the confines of Columbus, Ohio in what could have the Big Ten regular season title on the lines. The Big Ten is head and shoulders above the rest of the conferences and that can only help the Badgers as they prepare for the NCAA Tournament. ON WISCONSIN!!!!
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