2/11 Update: Despite another off night for Sean Mason, the Badger gutted out another victory last night over Northwestern behind an outstanding defensive run to close out the game. As bad as they were down the stretch against Illinois, it was nice to see them close strong.
Here are the game grades:
Andy Kowske: A
Despite being a virtually empty night in the box score, I thought Kowske was the key player in the game. His impressive defensive effort on Eschmeyer kept Wisconsin in the game until they got things going down the stretch. Not only did Kowske play excellent denial defense in the post (only 8 shots for Eschmeyer), he helped force Eschmeyer into 3 turnovers while maintaining position until help arrived (and in fact garnering 2 steals himself). He also kept Eschmeyer off the offensive boards completely while he was out there. Finally, he was able to not get into serious foul trouble which would have allowed him to return and bang inside in the final minutes if Bennett had needed him. Kowske also hit both of his shots, with one of them being a nice 15 foot jumper.
Charlie Wills: A-
When Kowske needed a blow, Wills came on strong in the second half. In fact, he played so well that Kowske never got back into the game. Wills continued to bang with Eschmeyer and hustled his tail off down low on the blocks. In just 13 minutes of action, he grabbed 6 rebounds and had two huge hustle plays in the waning moments. Wills added a bit on offense as well, but his value this game came almost exclusively on the defensive end.
Sean Mason: C-
Well, the shooting slump continues. 3 for 14 tonight. While Julian Bonner is a fine defensive player who limited his good looks, Mason also clanked his share of open shots as well. He also led the team with 3 turnovers (2 on forces and 1 on a slip). On the plus side, he helped on the boards late in the game and dished out 5 big assists, showing that he can still be a plus even when his shot is not falling. Defensively, he helped neutralize the Wildcat perimeter game by jumping quickly off the Eschmeyer double teams and back to the shooters.
Ty Calderwood: B+
Ty continued his tradition of clutch play as he followed up a scoreless first half with 13 second half points. He hit some key jumpers down the stretch and was a defensive force on the ball. 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals added to his solid all-around game. I don't know where he is at times in the game, but the kid comes to play when the chips are down. I'm glad he's on our side.
Mike Kelley: B
Kelley probably considered this an easy night without the likes of Lewis, Guyton, Redd, or Crispin to chase around. Like Mason and Calderwood, he helped eliminate the potential 3 point explosion from the Wildcat guards (Newman, Wink, and Lepore were a combined 2 for 21). Additionally he snatched what I believe to be a season (if not career high) of 7 rebounds. A couple of assists and a couple of steals as well as no turnovers and you have typical Kelley (boy I sound like a broken record).
Jon Bryant: C
Northwestern did a decent job of limiting his looks and holding him to just 2 of 6 shooting. The shots he did hit though were very impressive....what a quick release! 3 rebounds and a steal are more than he generally provides defensively, although he was on Allouche on a few occasions when he shook free (although that may be attributed to helping out on the interior).
Mark Vershaw: B
Well, I guess Bennett agreed with my assessment regarding Vershaw's play against Illinois as he did not get the start against Northwestern and was limited in his minutes in the first half. However, as the game progressed, it was apparent that the Badgers needed his offensive spark down low, and he delivered with 10 big points (in 21 minutes) on 3 of 6 shooting and 4 of 4 from the line. Northwestern chose not to double team him and he was pretty successful working against Eschmeyer, especially when Evan got into some foul trouble. Mark had 2 nice interior passes as well that went for Badger buckets. His rebounding was still a little shaky and in his brief time on Eschmeyer he was manhandled (as many are), but overall a nice comback for Vershaw.
Maurice Linton:B-
Maurice got the start in Vershaw's place and played a decent ball game. He had two nice finishes for dunks to highlight his game but also pitched in 4 rebounds, an assist, and a couple steals. His defense was inconsistent...solid for much of the time, but occasional lapses as well (though usually hustling mistakes) which eventually put him on the bench (IMO). His rebounding was better, although Nortwestern doeesn't really have the physical front line that other school possess. Linton shows flashes and in time will be a very nice Big Ten player.
Hennssy Auriantal: B
Hennssy was limited once again. I am not sure if they are babying his leg back or 5 to 10 minutes will end up being his role (starting to lean that way) for the rest of the season. In his 6 minutes, he did have a beautiful steal for a layup.
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