Key Losses:
Bronson Koenig (One of the best 3 point shooters in school history, made many clutch plays over the last four years)
Nigel Hayes (Very solid post presence providing reliable interior scoring and ability to handle the ball against pressure)
Vitto Brown (Best singer on the roster)
Zak Showalter (Most recent player opposing fans love to hate, best perimeter defender and hustle guy)
Key Additions:
Nate Reuvers (83rd in ESPN's 100) - Solid forward who should develop into another forward in the Wisconsin mold. My biggest key for the direction of the program is whether they can afford to redshirt him, if so -- I don't know who they really have coming up, but it's a bad sign for the rest of the B1G.
Kobe King (SG) - Seems like a solid guard that will fit the swing offense well with his ability to handle the ball, and athletic enough to man any guard spot
Brad Davison (SG) - A less athletic but fundamentally sound guard. Another player who will likely develop into a solid Wisconsin wing player
Prognosis:
I hesitate to write this, as it gets repeated every year in futility, but... THIS IS THE YEAR WISCONSIN FAILS TO FINISH 4TH OR BETTER IN THE B1G. There, I said it.
I know, we said that when Kaminsky and Decker left, too, but we had heard rumors that Happ shouldn't have redshirted. I just haven't seen anyone play effectively in a limited role to step in for Koenig, Hayes, Showalter, and Brown. I don't know if Happ can really get much better (he faded down the stretch when teams started running double teams at him), and he's the only proven threat on the team. Trice can shoot, but can he command the offense and make plays like Koenig? Can Illikanen really replace Hayes/Brown? Will Iverson learn from his botched layup in the Sweet 16 and use his athleticism and aggression more consistently?
There are A LOT of questions about what this team will look like next year with so many key components leaving. That said, here is what we know:
Wisconsin will primarily play solid, fundamental man to man defense and try to limit teams to one shot in the half court. On offense, they'll run the interchangeable swing offense against man defense looking to find opportunities to post up Happ and play inside out to get Trice open looks, while running motion to overload any zone that is thrown their way (I expect they will see a lot more zone next year challenging them to find a consistent shooter outside of Trice).
Will limiting mistakes and valuing possession more than other teams be enough to overcome what appears to be a lack of offensive playmakers? We'll see, but my verdict is no. I think they'll fall back to the middle of the pack and play on Thursday of the B1G tournament, then find themselves home before the end of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.
If this team maintains a Top 4 finish, look out. Greg Gard will have officially left his mark and that program will only continue moving up in the future.
Bronson Koenig (One of the best 3 point shooters in school history, made many clutch plays over the last four years)
Nigel Hayes (Very solid post presence providing reliable interior scoring and ability to handle the ball against pressure)
Vitto Brown (Best singer on the roster)
Zak Showalter (Most recent player opposing fans love to hate, best perimeter defender and hustle guy)
Key Additions:
Nate Reuvers (83rd in ESPN's 100) - Solid forward who should develop into another forward in the Wisconsin mold. My biggest key for the direction of the program is whether they can afford to redshirt him, if so -- I don't know who they really have coming up, but it's a bad sign for the rest of the B1G.
Kobe King (SG) - Seems like a solid guard that will fit the swing offense well with his ability to handle the ball, and athletic enough to man any guard spot
Brad Davison (SG) - A less athletic but fundamentally sound guard. Another player who will likely develop into a solid Wisconsin wing player
Prognosis:
I hesitate to write this, as it gets repeated every year in futility, but... THIS IS THE YEAR WISCONSIN FAILS TO FINISH 4TH OR BETTER IN THE B1G. There, I said it.
I know, we said that when Kaminsky and Decker left, too, but we had heard rumors that Happ shouldn't have redshirted. I just haven't seen anyone play effectively in a limited role to step in for Koenig, Hayes, Showalter, and Brown. I don't know if Happ can really get much better (he faded down the stretch when teams started running double teams at him), and he's the only proven threat on the team. Trice can shoot, but can he command the offense and make plays like Koenig? Can Illikanen really replace Hayes/Brown? Will Iverson learn from his botched layup in the Sweet 16 and use his athleticism and aggression more consistently?
There are A LOT of questions about what this team will look like next year with so many key components leaving. That said, here is what we know:
Wisconsin will primarily play solid, fundamental man to man defense and try to limit teams to one shot in the half court. On offense, they'll run the interchangeable swing offense against man defense looking to find opportunities to post up Happ and play inside out to get Trice open looks, while running motion to overload any zone that is thrown their way (I expect they will see a lot more zone next year challenging them to find a consistent shooter outside of Trice).
Will limiting mistakes and valuing possession more than other teams be enough to overcome what appears to be a lack of offensive playmakers? We'll see, but my verdict is no. I think they'll fall back to the middle of the pack and play on Thursday of the B1G tournament, then find themselves home before the end of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.
If this team maintains a Top 4 finish, look out. Greg Gard will have officially left his mark and that program will only continue moving up in the future.
