Wisky v Gonzaga

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Sparlimb

Sparlimb

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Wisconsin appears as if they are going to fall to a not quite as good as usual Gonzaga team. John Leur looked pretty good tonight but I think the badgers will be lucky to makea tournament bid. I hate to judge after just one game though, so we'll see how things play out. Wisconsin seems to be short one big scorer to be really good (and aren't most teams).
 

I was surprised how easily Gonzaga was able to score at certain times during this game. It seemed like the Badgers couldn't come up with a big stop when they needed it.

I honestly thought this would tight throughout and it was for awhile. But the Zags pretty efficiently created separation from Wisconsin as the game wore on.
 

Sparlimb said:
Wisconsin appears as if they are going to fall to a not quite as good as usual Gonzaga team. John Leur looked pretty good tonight but I think the badgers will be lucky to makea tournament bid. I hate to judge after just one game though, so we'll see how things play out. Wisconsin seems to be short one big scorer to be really good (and aren't most teams).
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Did you see their game against Mich St at the Breslin Center? Looked like a good Zags team to me...
 

Couldn't disagree more... I think this is one of the best Zags teams that I've seen.
 

I'm a first year law student at Gonzaga. I didn't know much about their team before I came out here, just heard they were rebuilding. So far, I've been really impressed, they have a great mix of players. I definitely think they are a top 25 team and should be next week. I love that my 2 college basketball teams are 3-0 v. BUCKY in the last 10 months or so!:clap:
 


The year-in, year-out success of the Zags makes me wonder if Few wasn't the best coach on the Gonzaga bench when Monson was the head coach. Anyone know if Few has had other job offers? I'd imagine that he could easily land a higher-paying gig if he wanted to.

As for Wiscy, I doubt that they'll be able to get to the NCAA tourney this year. If they do, it may well be as the B-10's 7th team. Looks like they're down a bit again this year. There's some truth to the idea that Bo Ryan made his mark in the conference when the conference was down. Now that the conference is up and it's full of other good coaches, it will be interesting to see if he and Wiscy can continue to consistently finish in the top half of the conference. Seems like most of the other conference schools are now getting more talented players. Are Ryan's years as one of the top dogs in the Big 10 behind him?
 

Few

Few is pursued for every "high" major program out west. I think his name was associated with Wash St, Oregon St, Arizona, etc. when those jobs opened up. Such is the life of a quality coach at an institution not pereceived to be elite. For a "mid" major, though, Gonzaga has put a lot of resources into their program. I think a lot of people in the basketball world believe these guys have no life beyond basketball, and they really do. Few has said many times he is happy at Gonzaga, it is a good place to live, etc. Some day, people will believe him. He has a great thing going and a program that is more consistent than his "high" major in state rivals. He has a great job, already.
 

I was surprised how easily Gonzaga was able to score at certain times during this game.
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It's all about the whiteness with Wisconsin. The Zags didn't let them determine the pace of the game. Wisconsin just isn't athletic enough to run with them. I hope we do the same thing.

I do like Leuer though. I wish he would have stayed home.
 

The biggest think I noticed is Wisconsin has ZERO post presence offensively or defending the post. I know in the Swing Offense, everyone plays the post at some point, but Wisconsin hasn't found/doesn't have a physical presence at all. Hughes might be their most physical player on the team. Definitely a middle of the pack to lower tier team in the Big 10 this year.
 



StCroix said:
The biggest think I noticed is Wisconsin has ZERO post presence offensively or defending the post. I know in the Swing Offense, everyone plays the post at some point, but Wisconsin hasn't found/doesn't have a physical presence at all. Hughes might be their most physical player on the team. Definitely a middle of the pack to lower tier team in the Big 10 this year.
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Did you watch the game? Leuer scored 18 points on 8-17 shooting. When you take out the three 3s he shot, he was a very respectable 8-14, almost all of which came off post touches. If your definition of post presence if catching and drop stepping for a dunk, then no, there is not much post presence. If your definition is catching inside, and scoring in a variety of ways, most often a turnaround over the defender from inside 10', you are not correct. Leuer appears to have developed to the point where he can score inside much more often than not if he is not doubled.

Gonzaga is a very nice team. UW played OK, but did not make enough of their open looks to have a chance to win at the end, which was rather disappointing. Hopefully they can shoot better today and going forward, they will certainly need that if they are to be a factor in the Big 10.
 

Did you watch the game? Leuer scored 18 points on 8-17 shooting. When you take out the three 3s he shot, he was a very respectable 8-14, almost all of which came off post touches.
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Have to agree about Leuer. He's really developed nicely.
 

This Gonzaga team has a chance to be excellent. Top 25 IMO right now. They should only get better as the season continues.
 

the title game vs. cinci will be interesting, a team in gonzaga many considered to be down, and a team in cinci who many felt was starting to turn the table and have their best team in years....and it appears both teams are possibly ahead of schedule and ready to crack the top 25....should be a dandy.
 



Wisky will be on the bubble. They will miss Landry and Krabbenhoft. However, both Leuer and Taylor looked pretty good. Leuer would look good in maroon and gold...
 

I like their starting 5 minus Tim J and I like Taylor off the bench spelling Hughes.

That's all I like. They seem to lack depth and athleticism, which I think will be their downfall in an improved BT. The only way I see them making the tourney is if they ride off the coattails of the strength of the BT by getting in as the 7th team. They'll win their games against PSU, NW, Indiana, and Iowa(only play once) but I think teams like MSU, Illinois, OSU, and Minnesota will eat them for lunch with their depth and athletes.

I know it's their first year playing but Ryan Evans and Mike Brueswitz looked completely lost. Rob Wilson has been underwhelming to me and they have wasted scholarships on their roster in Markoff and Galvinski. If I were a Badger fan, I'd be nervous when Leuer, Hughes, Nankivil, etc have to take breathers on the bench. It's a big dropoff in the level of play.
 

UWOle said:
Did you watch the game? Leuer scored 18 points on 8-17 shooting. When you take out the three 3s he shot, he was a very respectable 8-14, almost all of which came off post touches. If your definition of post presence if catching and drop stepping for a dunk, then no, there is not much post presence. If your definition is catching inside, and scoring in a variety of ways, most often a turnaround over the defender from inside 10', you are not correct. Leuer appears to have developed to the point where he can score inside much more often than not if he is not doubled.

Gonzaga is a very nice team. UW played OK, but did not make enough of their open looks to have a chance to win at the end, which was rather disappointing. Hopefully they can shoot better today and going forward, they will certainly need that if they are to be a factor in the Big 10.
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PHYSICAL PRESENCE....OFFENSIVELY AND DEFENSIVELY-did you read what I wrote? Yes, I have watched ALL of their games and they have NO ONE inside that will bang. In the past they have had Landry, Steimsma, Butch, etc...who would all mix it up. Who does that for the Badgers now? Leuer is their best offensive option, but had only 5 boards...J-Bo had 8, 6-2, from the guard spot.

I stand by my assessment.
 

Wiscy will be right there competing for a spot. If nothing else, you know they'll win thier typical 15-17 games at home. They'll always be tough to beat 8 on 5.
 

Any predictions of how Wisconsin will fair against Maryland tonight?
 

StCroix said:
PHYSICAL PRESENCE....OFFENSIVELY AND DEFENSIVELY-did you read what I wrote? Yes, I have watched ALL of their games and they have NO ONE inside that will bang. In the past they have had Landry, Steimsma, Butch, etc...who would all mix it up. Who does that for the Badgers now? Leuer is their best offensive option, but had only 5 boards...J-Bo had 8, 6-2, from the guard spot.

I stand by my assessment.
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Your original post said the Badgers have zero post presence offensively, which I took to mean no one who could score in the post. That was not correct, as Leuer had a lot of success off his post ups.

If Landry was physical enough for you, Keaton Nankivil should be as well. He is bigger, stronger and as good of an athlete as was Landry. Last night was not Keaton's best game, but he was very solid with 12 points and 8 rebounds against Arizona the night before. Also, keep Jared Berggren in mind. He will likely play some minutes this season and provide a big body in the post. He got dinged up in the Arizona game, which I think was the reason he did not play last night.
 

The first step to getting an at-large bid is nabbing a few quality wins in the OOC schedule. So far, UW already has 2. As long as they don't lose to anyone they shouldn't, they'll have every chance to earn a bid based on their OOC performance. Just look at UM last year - average performance in the B10, but beat UCLA and Duke in OOC play - UW can do something similar - a very underwhelming Duke team is up next for UW. I think UW's nonconference schedule sets up for them possibly entering B10 play with only 1 loss - they just have to get by an overrated Duke team with only a few good players and a very inexperienced Marquette team - I believe both those games are at home - and then take care of the teams they should beat. Right now, you have to expect UW to make the tourney. I know, it's not what MN fans want to hear, but objectively speaking, UW is off to a good start in their attempt to get a 12th straight NCAA tourney bid. No one is talking about their win over Maryland, who may or may not turn out to be an RPI top-50 team but they definitely should be an RPI top-100 team.
 

Wisconsin fans are used to seeing this kind of prediction during the off-season and early season. I'm not the least bit worried about post presence or the chance of not making the NCAA tournament.
 

My take....

Most importantly, I don't think I'm alone when I say that I could care less if Wisky makes the tournament or not. I think it's good for as many BT teams as possible to make the tourney as possible.

However, I'm more concerned about the BT teams in FRONT of the Gophers, like Michigan St and Purdue, than I am the teams in the lower half of the conference.

I actually hope Wisky makes the tournament one more time with the players they were able to recruit in the "Big Ten basketball sucks" era. It's only going to get more difficult from here on out.

Like I said though, it's good for the conference for as many teams as possible to make the field. It was nice to hear Vitale last night say during the broadcast that he felt the Big Ten was the strongest conference this year.

The Big Ten is back!!!!
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Most importantly, I don't think I'm alone when I say that I could care less if Wisky makes the tournament or not. I think it's good for as many BT teams as possible to make the tourney as possible.

However, I'm more concerned about the BT teams in FRONT of the Gophers, like Michigan St and Purdue, than I am the teams in the lower half of the conference.

I actually hope Wisky makes the tournament one more time with the players they were able to recruit in the "Big Ten basketball sucks" era. It's only going to get more difficult from here on out.

Like I said though, it's good for the conference for as many teams as possible to make the field. It was nice to hear Vitale last night say during the broadcast that he felt the Big Ten was the strongest conference this year.

The Big Ten is back!!!!
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In the compendium of caring, how much less could you care? You obviously care some already, if you have room for caring less.
 

Like usual, Wisconsin seems overmatched but will probably over-perform, finish somewhere in the top 6 in the Big10 and make the tourny. Typical Wisconsin team that can beat anyone if they're sloppy and unprepared. They are a little like the pesky Temple teams from 10-15 years ago. Nothing to fear, but someone you have to plan for.
 

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