1/3 Update: Another devastating loss for the Basketball Badgers.
1/3 Update: Another devastating loss for the Basketball Badgers.
First off, what a tough break having to play when thousands had not returned from Pasadena and with thousands others not able to get to the game with the blizzard. Certainly, that took away much of the home court advantage. However, good teams need to overcome such adversity, and yet the Badgers came out flat and unprepared to play.
Once again, Wisconsin received little in the form of post play. OSU's Johnson rejected 3 shots in the first minutes inside, and that was that in terms of inside offense.
And, just like the Michigan game, the Badger guards were simply outshot by the hot duo of Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd. Penn hit some amazing shots and the Buckeyes drained every important free throw down the stretch.
Here are the gamegrades:
Andy Kowske: D
Andy simply has to be more of a force inside. He grabbed only 3 boards and was not able to establish any inside presence offensively or defensively before fouling out. I know his offensive skills are limited, but he needs to clean up the garbage much more effectively if the Badgers are to succeed. OSU's very athletic big men also gave Kowske and company trouble inside on the offensive glass at times, not always grabbing the boards, but keeping the action alive.
Charlie Wills: D+
Much the same criticizm could be leveled at Wills as Kowske. However, Wills did play only 8 minutes, so his 3 boards were a more effective performance. Wills also knocked down a nice jumper from near the top of the key, which qualifies him as a sniper from the forward position lately. However, Wills did turn the ball over twice.
Sean Mason: B
Tough to grade given the burden he once again faced to provide nearly all the offense. On numerous occasions, he was forced to bail out the offense by taking a shot clock beating jumper, thus hurting his shooting percentage (which at 5 for 17 was not good). He did do a nice job (as he usually does) of creating some offense through penetration and getting to the line. Defensively, he took a few turns at Penn, but like Calderwood, had some quickness problems.
Ty Calderwood: B-
Calderwood stepped up offensively and was able to hit the open 3's for the most part. He also did a good job of taking care of the ball against a very quick defender (after the first minute of the game), turning the ball over only twice. His behind the back drive was one of the best plays I have seen from a college player, dynamic but very neccessary given the position of the defense. Not a lot of penetration, but very willing to take key shots. Defensively, he gave Penn a little too much room early, and Scoonie made him pay. As the game progressed, Calderwood got a better feel for his range and tightened up, though Penn continued to hit some fantastic shots. Sometimes you just have to hand it to the opponent though.
Mike Kelley: D+
Kelley was a defensive terror at time, nothing 6 steals, many by playing the passing lanes and providing help. However, he had a lot of trouble defending Redd once he did receive the ball. Redd was able to consistently get in the lane and use his height advantage to hang and hit the middle of the lane jumper. Offensively, he was pretty much a zero.
Hennssy Auriantal: B
Once again, Hennssy received limited minutes, but other than 3 turnovers, was able to provide an offensive spark. He hit both of his shots and tallied 3 assists in his 12 minutes. He didn't force his shot and yet took what was available to him.
Jon Bryant: C-
Hit one of two shots in very limited time, but had trouble finding a shot against OSU's athletic defense. They left him open once in the corner while playing a zone, and Bryant couldn't knock it down.
Mark Vershaw: D+
Drawing his first start in 10 games or so, Vershaw again had some trouble against taller, more physical opponents. He simply could not get his shot off consistently, although to his credit he really didn't force the action. Rebounding of course is not his strength, but I think it is telling that the Wisconsin guards once again outrebounded the forwards accross the board. Playing 40 minutes and grabbing just 3 boards isn't going to help your team much. His interior defense was pretty good, though he wasn't matched up with much of an offensive threat.
Maurice Linton: B
Maurice provided some nice minutes off the bench. He grabbed 4 boards (which is often a problem with Linton), scored 6 points, no turnovers, an assist, and a steal. He is still learning about when and where to look for his shot, but is continuing to look like a viable option for playing time if Wills doesn't play better.
Duany Duany: B-
Duany was given more PT than his norm as Bennett looked for an offensive spark, not to mention a better matchup with the more athletic Buckeyes. Once it was apparent that the Badgers 3 guard offense was going to have trouble on the boards, Duany was brought in to stabalize this and provide a better leaper/athlete inside. Duany was able to do this and provided some aggressive offensive play to the Badgers early. However, as the game progressed, the Buckeyes decided to leave Duany to shoot the open "J", and Duany simply couldn't put the ball in the hole despite being left wide open 3 times. Still, 7 points off the bench on this team is certainly acceptable.
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