12/31 Update: Wow, what a heartbreaking defeat for the Badger basketball team. This one was a big one in my mind that they allowed to get away. Getting road victories in conference play are worth their weight in gold, and when you are playing perhaps the worst team in the league, you have to bring it home.
Before I get into the individual grades, let me say one thing about the officiating. I absolutely hate being who complain about the reffing, so I will make this brief. I have no idea of how, if at all, it affected the game, but it was pathetic. The foul on the Vershaw screen was perhaps the worst I have ever seen. OK, now that I have vented, on to the grades.
Andy Kowske: C
On the plus side, Kowske grabbed 13 rebounds and helped completely negate any inside offense for the Wolverines. However, he had a great deal of trouble finishing inside and seemed intimidated by the Michigan size underneath. He grabbed 6 offensive boards but could not put them away. In fact, he could not even get shots off a few times, turning the ball over 3 times.
Charlie Wills: C-
Another non-factor evening. Wills had a nice early put back, but was not heard from for most of the night. He did draw a few fouls underneath after gaining nice defensive position on rebounds. He only played 17 minutes.
Sean Mason: A-
As the only offensive threat for Wisconsin, he was forced to carry an enormous burden, and this seemed to take its toll, as he was only 9 for 21 from the field. Mason was exceptional at times hunting for his shot and moving without the ball, creating numerous offensive chances. Basically, he did his part. For most of the game, he was playing a non-offensive threat for Michigan on the defensive end, and so was not forced to contribute much on the defensive end.
Ty Calderwood: D One of the key factors in losing this game, was letting Reid go off for 25 points. Calderwood drew primary defensive responsibility on Reid and let him roam free for too many freebies. He did hit a few tough contested shots, but when a team has virtually no inside threat to help on, a defender simply has to have better awareness as to where the offense needs to come from. Offensively, Calderwood shot the ball poorly until his 2 late 3's, going 1 for 8 up to that point. For the most part, he got good looks, but didn't seem to have a very smooth stroke. He did contribute 7 rebounds.
Mike Kelley: C
Kelley drew the tough assignment in Bullock and at times forced him into some tough shots. His one problem was allowing Bullock penetration, and then fouling him when Louis needed bailing out. Offensively, he didn't turn the ball over, but gave little in terms of support for Mason, failing to hit a field goal in 3 shots.
Hennesey Auriantal: C
Similar to Wills, Auriantal was really a non-factor. He did spot Kelley at times against Bullock, and did a fair job, though he did foul a bit quickly on a few cuts. Again, no offense in limited time.
Jon Bryant: D
Simply put, Bryant is on the court for offense. 1 for 6 isn't going to cut it when you supply little else.
Mark Vershaw: D
4 turnovers, 2 points, and only 2 rebounds in 23 minutes just isn't very good, regardless of how you slice it. 3 of the turnovers were unforced travelling calls where Mark picked up his pivot foot when faking in the post. In Vershaw's defense, at least one was really questionable on the refs part. On a night when the offense really needed help, Vershaw failed to deliver in the post. His interior defense was fine, though as I mentioned earlier, against very poor competition.
Maurice Linton/Duany Duany: INC
Did not play enough.
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