Gopher Basketball
It should also be noted that any stats presented here don’t reflect changes from the Indiana game last night.
University of Wisconsin, at a glance
- Wisconsin frequently celebrates big plays in all sports with a rendition of the school’s fight song, On, Wisconsin. William T. Purdy wrote the song back in 1909 with the hope of entering into a contest at the University of Minnesota for a new fight song. Purdy was convinced to withdraw the song from the contest and give it to Wisconsin instead, changing the lyrics from “œMinnesota, Minnesota” to “œOn Wisconsin, On Wisconsin.” The song was also adapted as the fight song for the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.
- In 1993, a bunch of nerds at the UW crashed the schools servers shortly after the video game Doom became available for play via the servers.
- The first Bucky Badger debuted in 1890 and was soon after retired due to his temperamental and unruly behavior ““ which seems to make him a match made in heaven with many Badger fans.
- Notable UW alumni include: Jane Kaczmarek, the horribly shrill actress from Malcolm in the Middle, musician Boz Scaggs, anarchist activist Chuck Munson and Steven Gershone, who is the personal assistant and stylist to Margaret Thatcher. Steve Miller, front man of the Steve Miller Band, and Dick Cheney are notable for attending UW and not attaining degrees.
A Brief History of Gopher/Badger basketball
Minnesota and Wisconsin is one of the classic rivalries of the Big 10. Minnesota and Wisconsin have played more times head-to-head in football than any other two schools in Division 1 (FCS) history. Similarly, the two schools share a basketball rivalry that dates back over a century. The first meeting was on February 17, 1900. The Gophers hosted the Badgers and won 18 ““ 15. To get a sense of how long ago that truly was, some of Minnesota’s other opponent’s that year included: the Fargo YMCA, Central High School and the faculty team. In fact, the Big 10 didn’t even officially begin playing basketball until the 1905-1906 season. It was way back in 1935-1936 season when the Gophers and Badgers didn’t play head-to-head at least once in a season.
The first run in the series was the Badgers back in the 1910s and 1920s. The next great run, and to this point the most lopsided era of the rivalry, was in the 70s and early 80s, when Bill Musselman and Jim Dutcher ran up a combined 25-4 record against the Badgers, including Musselman’s unblemished 7-0. Older Badger fans don’t need to be reminded that Wisconsin had a run of about 3 decades where the team only saw .500 in the Big 10 for a single season.
Recently though, the Badgers have begun pushing the series back toward even. Since Dan Monson took over the Gophers in the 1999-2000 season, the Gophers are just 2-11 against Wisconsin. The lone wins came in the 2000-2001 season when the Gophers beat the Badgers 54-49 and during Minnesota’s NCAA tournament season of 2004-2005 when the Gophers won 60-50. Both these games were at Williams. The average score of games during this streak, however, has been Wisconsin 63, Minnesota 60. Unfortunately, there’s no tally for all-time moral victories, but from a fan’s perspective, at least the games have been watchable for the most part. The current streak in the series is Wisconsin with two in a row, representing last season’s sweep.
The all-time series, if results are not altered for forfeited games is Minnesota 96-76. The official all-time series, with Clem’s games removed, is Minnesota 90-82.
Wisconsin this season
Wisconsin has lost three games this year:
November 27: Duke, 82-58. This one was at Cameron Indoor as part of the Big 10/ACC Challenge. The Badgers looked like an overmatched team in this one, as Duke pretty much did what they wanted in the 2nd half on their way to a 24 point win.
December 12: Marquette, 81-76. This one had to sting. For one, it was an incredibly rare loss for a Bo Ryan Badger squad at the Kohl Center. Two, many of the kids I know in Madison cite Marquette among their most hated teams.
January 26: Purdue, 60-56. Mackey Arena is another tough place to go on the road and play. Add to that Purdue (along with Wisconsin) is considered to be a part of the upper half of the Big 10 – and it creates implications about final conference standings with regards to tie-breakers. I was in Madison watching this game before the Gopher/Badger hockey game, and if I had to hear one more Badger fan complain about the lack of a call on the final drive to the rim (with the score 58-56) I was going to go on a rampage. Bo Ryan has created a culture of fans whining for calls.
Wisconsin is averaging 70.1 points per game this season, while allowing a stingy average of 54.7 points per game on defense. The Badger defense is definitely this team’s trademark, and could create problems for the Gophers. Twice in the non-conference season Wisconsin held an opponent under 40 points – Savannah State and UW-Milwaukee. The Badgers have only allowed 60 points or more in 3 of their 7 conference games – Illinois (60), Michigan in their second meeting (61) and at Purdue (60).
The Badgers you should know
1 – Marcus Landry (Jr.) Forward – Milwaukee, WI (Vincent HS)
MPG 28.2 PPG 10.8 RPG 4.9 APG 1.6
-Marcus is trying to wipe away a 56.3% FT shooting season last year. He’s currently 72.3% from the line this season
-Marcus struggled in the loss to Purdue, shooting 2 for 10 from the field. It was one of just two games in the Big 10 season (Iowa is the other) where Marcus has failed to score double-digits. In the Iowa game, he shot just 1 for 8
-Marcus’ nickname: “œOld School”
-Marcus’ favorite food: Mac and Cheese
-Marcus’ major: Food science
-Marcus’ favorite class: Theatre
-Marcus lists praying as a superstition. That seems somewhat blasphemous, right?
-Marcus is the younger brother of former Purdue standout Carl Landry
3 – Trevon Hughes (So.) Guard – Queens, NY (St. John’s NW Academy in WI)
MPG 30.3 PPG 13.1 RPG 3.1 APG 2.8
-Trevon is 59 for 91 from the free throw line this year, just 61.5%, not exactly what you want from a guard playing 30+ minutes/game
-Trevon also have a negative assist/turnover ratio for his career, at .89 to 1
-Trevon is a streaky shooter who can have great nights (8 for 13 against Illinois) but can also have very off nights (0 for 6 against Northwestern, 2 for 8 against Iowa, 1 for 6 against UW-Green Bay, 4 for 15 in the loss to Marquette)
-Trevon fouled out in the loss to Marquette
-Trevon’s nickname: “œPop”
-Trevon’s class: Acting
-Trevon’s ring tone is Jay-Z’s “œGo Getta”
-During the offseason, Trevon worked on his body control on the court
-Trevon (6’0″) dunked on Greg Steimsma (6’11″) in practice, so we know that won’t be a problem for some the Gophers leapers.
12 – Jason Bohannon (So.) Guard – Marion, IA (Linn-Marr HS)
MPG 24.0 PPG 6.7 RPG 2.0 APG 1.4
-Jason has struggled a bit from the floor during Big 10 season, shooting just 35.4% (11 for 31). His free throw shooting, on the other hand, has been excellent, as he’s hit at an 88.8% clip (16 for 18).
-Jason’s nickname: “œJ-Bo”
-Jason’s cell phone ring is Kayne West’s “œGood Life”
-Jason lists his favorite arena as Carver-Hawkeye. He must like it because it’s absolutely silent when the Hawkeyes are playing basketball inside.
22 – Michael Flowers (Sr.) Guard – Madison, WI (La Follette HS)
MPG 28.9 PPG 9.2 RPG 3.7 APG 2.4
-Michael had a tough day in the loss to Purdue, shooting 2 for 8 and only playing 28 minutes (he’d gone the full 40 in the Badgers too previous games)
-Michael is a streaky shooter who is capable of taking over games (dropped 23 against Penn State on 9 of 12 from the floor) but is also capable of going cold on occasion (3 for 9 against Duke, 2 for 9 against IPFW)
-Michael’s nickname: “œBoochie”
-Michael’s major: Social Welfare
-Michael’s cell phone ring is GNR’s “œWelcome to the Jungle”
-Michael plays Mario Kart as part of his pre-game ritual
30 Jon Leuer (Fr.) Forward – Long Lake, MN (Orono HS)
MPG 12.6 PPG 4.9 RPG 2.0 APG 0.7
-Jon has struggled from the free throw line in his first year with the cardinal and white, shooting 13 for 25, just 52%
-Jon hasn’t made a shot in his last four games, collectively shooting 0 for 7. Including the previous game against Illinois, Jon is 1 for his last 11 from the field.
-Jon hasn’t been grabbing many rebounds during Big 10 play for a 6’10″ player. His 5 rebounds in 98 minutes average out to just about 1 rebound every 20 minutes played.
-Thought not flashed often in his freshman year, Leuer is capable of taking over a game. He dropped 25 points on Michigan in just 24 minutes back on January 2nd.
-Jon’s nicknames: “œJ-Leu,” “œRon”
-Jon’s favorite spot in Madison in State Street. I know it’s not all dirnking, but the bar-heavy choice is an interesting one for a young man who is only 18 years old.
-For anyone that grew up in the last 25 years in Plymouth, Maple Grove, Orono, Long Lake, etc. you know that there are about 150 Leuer children running around those suburbs, many of whom wrestle. 6’10″ is probably too tall for that.
32 – Brian Butch (Sr.) Forward/Center – Appleton, WI (West HS)
MPG 24.6 PPG 13.2 RPG 7.8 APG 1.0
-Brian is a career 54.8 % free throw shooter in Big 10 play. Overall in his career, he’s a 63.6% shooter. This season, he’s shot an improved 69.3% from the line. His 4 for 7 against Purdue left 3 critical points on the table.
-Brian was the major bright spot of Wisconsin’s loss to Purdue, going for 20 points and 13 rebounds. It was the most recent of Brian’s 4 double-doubles this year.
-Brian’s nickname: “œPolar Bear.” I don’t know if the team coined this or took it from Steve Lavin’s broadcasts, but this needs to stop immediately. Can anyone offer a suggestion for a replacement?
-Brian lists his ring tone as a “œnormal one.”
-Brian worked on his quickness this off-season
-Which guy below is the real Brian Butch? You decide.
34 – Greg Stiemsma (Sr.) Center – Randolph, WI (Randolph HS)
MPG 11.4 PPG 3.0 RPG 2.9 APG 0.7
-Greg, unlike other big men in UW’s offense, does not shoot 3s. In his career, he is 0 for 3 from outside. He hasn’t taken a 3 points shot since the 05-06 season.
-Greg struggled when the team needed help against Purdue in their recent loss, shooting 0 for 4 in his 9 minutes and committing 2 fouls.
-Greg is proned to fouling. In his career, he’s played 755 minutes and committed 124 fouls, an average of 1 every 6 minutes or so.
-Greg is a solid free throw shooter for a big man, which can save a lead at the end of the game. In the last two seasons, Greg has hit 31 for 37, 83.7%. This year he’s hit 90% of his free throws
-Greg’s nickname: “œCrank,” yes, like the illegal drug.
-Greg gets psyched up by bumping Korn
-Greg’s cell phone ring is T-Pain’s “œBuy you a drink”
-He lists his favorite Halloween costume as the time his roommate dress as a girl. Did he live with Brian Butch? (see above)
-Greg shares an apartment with Joe Krabbenhoft, a popular hang out for some fellow players
45 – Joe Krabbenhoft (Jr.) Guard/Forward – Sioux Falls, SD (Roosevelt HS)
MPG 31.5 PPG 7.9 RPG 6.3 APG 2.8
-Joe has really struggled shooting 3 pointers this year. To-date, he’s 3 for 16, a meager 18.8%. For his career, Joe is a 30% 3 point shooter
-Joe has 3 double-doubles on the year, including back to back against UW-Green Bay and Valparaiso in mid-Decemeber
-Joe has been counted on in Big 10 season to play a lot of minutes. With the exception of the Illinois game, he’s palyed at least 34 minutes in every game, including totals of 39, 39 and 38 over the last 3 games, respectively.
-Joe’s nickname: “œKrabbs”
-Joe’s favorite musician is Alan Jackson
-Joe shares an apartment with Greg Steimsma, a popular hang out for some fellow players
Talk about the Gopher – Wisconsin matchup on Tubby’s Barn message board.