The Badgers season is sinking fast, can they save it?
By Ben Hertel
The Badgers have lost 4 of 5 and gave up first place in the Big Ten. What do they have to do to get back on track before the tournament?
It’s no secret that the Wisconsin Badgers have been one of the most successful college basketball programs since 2000. Since then they’ve made 18 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances along with 2 final fours, and a national championship appearance.
Last season they made a sweet 16 run and returned almost the entirety of their team this season. It felt like this years team was a Final Four contender.
They started off the season 22-3 and were rolling behind National Player of the Year candidate Ethan Happ. They then lost 4 of 5, and currently sit in second place behind Purdue.
The Badgers have two regular season games to fix their problems before it’s tournament time. If they don’t fix their shortcomings, it will be an early exit for the red and white.
The problems start with their offense. Ethan Happ is one of the best players in the Big 10 but he has been struggling as of late. He’s scored 4,4,22, and 9 points in their 4 recent loses.
What’s changed? Well, teams are now doubling him in the post or making sure he’s catching the ball way off of the block. He’s only attempted a few shots outside of the paint this season, so if he’s not down on the block don’t expect a shot.
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Since he’s getting all the attention from the opposing defenses other guys need to step it up. That starts with Preseason Big Ten Player of the year, Nigel Hayes.
Hayes is shooting 29% from three, and 60% from the free throw line on the season. Not exactly player of the year numbers. He needs to step it up over the next couple weeks.
Way too often he isolates himself 10-15 feet away from the hoop and goes at it 1 on 1. There’s no ball rotation when he does that, and quite often he just takes a tough jump shot.
Nigel has some sweet post moves, like his baseline spin but we don’t see it as much because he plays on the perimeter much too often. He would be a much more productive player if he stayed around the paint and stretched it outside occasionally on something like a pick and pop.
Besides Nigel, everyone else has been average or below average as of late. Bronson has been hurt, but he is what he is and that is mostly a 3 point specialist/shooter. Zak Showalter and Vitto Brown have averaged a combined 14.9 points per game this season, but they have both scored 2 or fewer points once in the past two games. Not really helping the cause.
Hayes and Happ also hurt the badgers at the free throw line. Between the two they have attempted 308 of the teams 568 free throws this season. They are combining to hit 56% of those free throws, which really holds the team back. Other guys need to drive and get to the line.
Kind of flying under the radar has been the Badger’s defensive struggles. They’ve given up 80+ points in back to back loses. However, according to Ken Pom, the Badgers still rank 15th in the country in defense efficiency, so the last two outings have probably been outliers.
The Badgers can get back on track, but it will take some changes. Offensively, they need to take pressure off of Happ. Bronson and Nigel need to play like seniors in their last few games.
Showalter and Vitto need to step it up. Bench guys like Jordan Hill, Khalil Iverson, D’Mitrik Trice, and Brevin Pritzl need to produce when called upon. Coach Gard needs to utilize these bench guys to maximize this team’s potential.
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It’s going to take a team effort to turn it around. This Badger team has sweet 16 and beyond potential, but without some changes, they’ll be watching the sweet 16 from home.