Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Preview

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 Wisconin to go far in their March Madness bracket. However, with head coach Bo Ryan stilly in charge, 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.
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—which begs the question: Who will want the ball in the final seconds when the game’s on the line? Junior Jordan Taylor looks to be that guy. 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. Leuer needs only 245 points this season to join Wisconsin's 1,000-point club, a club that only so many 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. A healthy John Leuer for the entire season, and the Badgers may find themselves being crowned conference champions.
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 (68). 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.
Catch the Badgers opening up the Big Ten regular season against Minnesota on December 28^th 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.