3/28 Update: Here are the game grades from the Purdue-Wisconsin game:
Andy Kowske: A
With all due respect to Bryant and Kelley, I think Kowske has been the best player on the floor for the Badgers in the tournament. Kowske was a strong finisher on Saturday with a variety of dunks and short jumpers/hooks on his way to 14 points. Defensively, he did an admirable job on Cardinal until some foul trouble allowed Cardinal to get going in the second half. Kowske's screens were excellent and, combined with Bryant's shooting, forced Purdue to jump out on Jon, freeing up Kowske to roll to the hoop wide open. 8 rebounds for good measure.
Charlie Wills: C-
Temporarily cured his itchy trigger finger which helped the overall flow of the offense when he was on the court, although he was a little sloppy with the ball at times. What Charlie did do well was rebound (5 in 16 minutes) as well as give some valuable defensive minutes on the interior when Vershaw was playing poorly and Kowske was in foul trouble.
Roy Boone: B
Despite occasional out of control play, I genuinely believe that the Badgers are a better team with Roy on the floor. Boone came on defensively to check Robinson and did a pretty good job after it was apparent that Linton could not stay with him. Boone also added some penetration early and foul shooting late. And, although he missed the bunny layup and 2 potentially key free throws, his positive contributions outweighed the negatives (12 points in 16 minutes, a couple of assists, a couple of steals, and only 1 turnover)..
Mike Kelley: A-
Call him Jaraan Cornell's worst nightmare. After a long bomb of a 3, Cornell struggled even finding a shot let alone make one. When he was able to get free late, he couldn't hit and I would attribute this to Kelley getting into his head again. Offensively, Mike struggled from the line (1 of 4) but was his normal efficient self with 5 assists to only 1 turnover and 2 of 3 from the floor (including a terrific driving hoop).
Jon Bryant: A
When Bryant got off early, it gave the team a big boost and allowed guys like Kowske and Boone to generate some offense after Purdue make the defensive adjustment so he was important even after "only" scoring 9 points in the remaining 35 minutes of the game. Bryant also did a credible job on Cunningham, holding him to 4 of 12 from the floor and 5 turnovers.
Mark Vershaw: C-
Purdue was very physical with him underneath as expected which took away Vershaw's low post game. When his jumper wasn't falling, he was relegated to being a passer (3 assists). Mark did grab 7 rebounds and did an ok job on McQuay (at least forcing him to hit jump shots which is not his strength) while being primarily a help defender. Kept his turnovers down (1).
Maurice Linton: D
Sloppiness with the ball (3 turnovers) and poor defense on Mike Robinson limited his minutes.
Travon Davis: D
Limited time but 2 fouls and a turnover.
Duany Duany: C-
Like Linton, Duany was haunted by turnovers and was outmuscled by Robinson down low. So, while he hit 1 of 2 from behind the arc, had 3 rebounds, and an assist in his time on the court, Doc didn't play much.
Kirk Penney: F
Missed shot and a turnover in 3 minutes.
3/26 Update: FINAL FOUR BOUND!!!
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