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Time to Focus on Hoops

Another week, another self-imposed 48 hour hiatus from college football news. Well, things sure turned quickly.  What seemed like a consolation prize, the Rose Bowl, a couple weeks ago would now be considered a successful finish.

Thankfully we have a top-15 basketball team with a preseason 1st team All-American point guard to take our minds off football, a little.

Hoops

If you took a break from all Badger news the last couple days, the Red-White scrimmage was Sunday. Jim Polzin writes that Ben Brust, who scored a game-high 22 points, stole the show and Jeff Potrykus shares some observations on Jared Berggren, Bruiser, Rob Wilson, Ryan Evans, and Frank Kaminsky.

Jordan Taylor was named a 1st Team preseason All-American by the Associated Press. Jim Polzin writes that expectations for Taylor, who is the lone senior on the 1st team and joins Michael Finley as the only Badgers to be a 1st team preseason pick, are through the roof this season.

Andy Katz took a look at each Big Ten team's conference schedule. Here's what he had to say about the Badgers:

First eight: at Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, at Michigan, at Purdue, Nebraska, Northwestern, at Illinois
There are four road games in here, and none will be easy. The Badgers might have a hard time keeping pace with Ohio State early in the conference race. Nebraska will be up for its first Big Ten home game. Winning at Michigan, Purdue and Illinois will be quite a chore for this team. The Badgers run the risk of being two to three games behind Ohio State.

The middle six: Indiana, at Penn State, Ohio State, at Minnesota, at Michigan State, Penn State
Wisconsin doesn't get much of a break here, either. The Badgers will be looking at a three-game grouping of OSU, at Minnesota and at Michigan State. Keeping pace with OSU in the middle of the conference will be exceedingly difficult.

The final four: at Iowa, at Ohio State, Minnesota, Illinois
The Badgers might have to concede the Big Ten title by the time it gets to the road game at Ohio State -- unless the Buckeyes have slipped up. The final two games should give the Badgers the momentum needed to be strong going into the Big Ten tournament.

Football

UW still has a decent shot at playing in the Big Ten title game. The ESPN Big Ten blog lays out the scenarios to get a division title for several Big Ten teams and Badger of Honor takes an in-depth look at UW's chances. The Badgers' most likely hope is to win out, Penn State loses to Nebraska or Ohio State, and Ohio State loses to Michigan.

If you want to get more pissed you can read at the JS and Madison.com how OSU's game-winning TD was the result of a defensive communication breakdown. F me.

Not ready to stop sulking? The Bucky Channel writes that the last two weeks have been a reality check for Wisconsin fans while Paul Fanlund at the Cap Times writes that the Badgers wasted Russell Wilson's year in Madison.

According to Dave Heller several writers and bloggers are still projecting UW to play in the Rose Bowl.

Multimedia Fridays

Well given the let down last week, multimedia is a bit light this week, hopefully following a big win we will have more folks jump back on the Badger bandwagon.  Let's round out the best of this weeks video and audio - 

1) First off Badger Basketball media day was this week and if you have't seen a Bo Ryan press conference you are in from a treat, here is the full presser and the best of highlights.

2) Next from Jeff P at JSOnline.com a preview of the OSU-Wisconsin game.  As per usual these are well worth your time.

3) Badger Breakdown with Mike Lepay talks to Wilson about the let down at MSU and the upcoming OSU matchup.

4) BTN.com has a recap of the Big Ten's Basketball Media day.  Some more good hits from Bo.

 

Walking the Line - @ Ohio State

This segment will "air" every Friday throughout the season. I will breakdown the upcoming game and give a prediction as it relates to the betting line. Sure, this is aimed at our degenerate gambler fans but I think it will be informative for the non-betting folks as well. Feel free to post a comment regarding your thoughts. This segment is meant to be unbiased as the only color that matters here is green - as in US currency.

Agree to disagree? Leave your predictions for this week's game in the comments for this blog.

2011 Season Record; Overall Record since 2010 (ATS):

10-11 ; 27-20

Last Week Recap:

Well, well, well.  It feels like we have hit a skid.  Not only was the UW miracle loss to MSU a hit to the heart, it was a hit to the pocket book.  Old Faithful (a.k.a. OK St) came through AGAIN, but Bucky lost to Little Brother and NW shows they can't scan tron their way out of an ACT this year.  Oh well...Joel says it's time to move on so here we go.

Offense:

Hopefully Russell Wilson knows how to play basketball because he and his Badger teammates have to rebound and get back on the fast break.  Wilson seemed a bit shaken at times last weekend and there is a potential this week to feel the same pinch.  Monte Ball continued his strong hold on the majority of looks in the  Badger backfield with a great line (18-115, 1) vs MSU.  Wilson finished strong (14-21, 2, 2) but seemed to be asleep for a quarter or so.  All things considered, there was a 14 point 4th quarter deficit that was erased on Saturday night, scoring 31 points in East Lansing.  The Buckeye's don't have much happening on this side of the ball.  From the QB position this season, the Buckeye's tandem of Bauserman and Miller are averaging 128 yards/ game via the air which ranks 115th in the country.  The OSU ground game is a bit more respectable (how could it not?).  OSU is averaging 175 yards rushing/game.  OSU is averaging 17 points/game in B10 play which will not win a game vs UW.

Defense:

The score last week didn't do the defense justice when looking at how good they are.  MSU scored on a hail mary, a blocked punt and a double reverse.  The Badgers are giving up an average of 13.6 points/game which nets them a 6th best ranking in the country.  The badgers have been tough all year and seem to be on track to continue their success.  OSU's defense looks good this year...keeping this team relevant (see OSU offense above).  OSU is giving up 16 pts/game which is good for 12th in the nation.  2 of 3 B10 opponents (Mich St and Illinois) have scored 10 or less points against them.  This week is their toughest test do date...only time will tell.

Intangibles:

This game is personal for the upper classmen at OSU as UW stripped them of all hopes of making it to the BCS Championship game as the Badgers beat them under the lights at Camp Randall.  Speaking of "under the lights", this game is Columbus is going to be in prime-time, kicking off at 8pm local time.  Those "lights" have accounted for a lot of wins that should never happen (see last week's UW vs MSU game) in NCAA Football and OSU will look to get the attention of the buzzed up crowd early and use the hometown's energy for the courage to take on these Badgers and pull the upset.

Walking the Line:

UW -7 and Over/Under 51

The line this week mirrored, to some extent, the line last week.  The UW/OSU line opened at 8.5 and fell 1.5 points to 7.  Public likes OSU and I'm pretty sure that I can pinpoint why.  The national media covered this MSU win like there were no fluke plays involved.  I think people have been waiting to jump on UW as soon as they would lose due to the fact that they have had an easy schedule and because they technically got a "one and done" QB so people look down  upon that.  Either way, it builds a case against UW which is always nice.

I like the Badgers -7.  I don't expect a hiccup from the Badgers this week.  Wilson seems to be an exceptional leader and will not be taken down for good because of that loss last weekend.  The Badgers are too consistent to be shut down for an entire game.  With OSU's offense in shambles, there is no reason why OSU should be able to hang with the Badgers...lights or not.

D DOGG Daily Double:

Below are 2 picks that I really like this week:

Purdue -14.5: Impressive win last week for Purdue over Illinois.  This is the part of the schedule for Michigan where Robinson starts to be held in check.  B10 defenses have had plenty of film on D Rob by this point and will know how to attack him and have a presence.  Michigan's D is what we have all grown to know and love.  I may be buying early on Purdue but I'm not sure Michigan will be able to put these Boilermakers away.

Oklahoma St -14 : Why stop a good thing?  OKST has been a staple on my betting sheet every Saturday and has been "straight cash Hommie".  Keep it coming!  Baylor has an equally explosive offense but has shown to be a complete debacle on defense.  This spread could come down to OKST getting one defensive stop all game to cover this spread.  If you have any fantasy players on your roster playing in this game...they are all MUST STARTS this week.  Here we come!

 

Ready to Move on

Football

As much as I would like to move on to Ohio State, the links are filled with lessons learned from the MSU game.  Lets hope we can roll the Buckeyes so the media puts the focus back on the Big 10 Championship game.

Most of you are probably sick of hearing about the questionable timeouts called by Bielema, but Jack at Badger of Honor has a refreshing perspective on the scenario and I thought this was a good read.

In the Jeff Potrykus section of the links, he breaks down the Ohio State game with CineSport’s Brian Clark and Doug Lesmerises from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Not that this is a surpise, but the defense has a lot to correct from the Spartan’s game.  If that wasn’t enough, the Badgers look to improve on their penalties as well.

Tom Mulhern has a story on what Marcus Cromartie learned from the loss I am sick of talking about.

Matt Lepay writes for UWBadgers.com about the opportunity WI has this weekend to turn the season back around.

According to the Bleacher Report, Russell Wilson can get back into the Heisman race with a solid performance this weekend.

Louis at Bucky’s 5^th Quarter makes the case for Montee Ball being the best running back in the Big 10.  I can’t believe this is even an argument and you can’t punish a guy for having a good offensive line. 

CBS Sports has a quick preview of the Buckeye Game.

Scout.com has 5 questions about this weekend’s game.

A Ohio State blogger interviewed John from Bucky’s 5^th Quarter about the game.

Here is a Buckeye radio broadcast of the WI game preview in case you are interested.

I didn’t even think this was an issue, but Jesse Temple from Fox Sports Wisconsin says the Badgers are not overlooking Ohio State despite their down year.

Basketball

Jordan Taylor has been named to the first team preseason All Big Ten team and UW is picked to finished 2^nd to Ohio State according to Jeff Potrykus.

Some Badger News to Impress Your Friends

 Today's football links will focus less on injury updates and scouting reports. Instead, here's some stories to BS about with your friends during commercial breaks Saturday night.

Football

Russell Wilson had a lot of options when NC State released him from his scholarship. Ohio State was one of the interested parties but Wilson wasn't interested -- and OSU head coach Luke Fickell claims they really didn't want him.

UW had 41 penalties all of last season. This year they already have 38. Dave Heller lists out each of this year's penalites by offender, type, yards, and game. Ricky Wagner likes to start the play a little early.

Across enemy lines, OSU blog Inside the Shoe writes that Fickell likely won't be the head coach at OSU after this season but a win over the Badgers will wash the bad taste from Buckeye fans' mouths after several months of turmoil. 

Tony Piraro is the Assistant Director of Media Relations for the Southern Illinois Miners and apparently not a big fan of Bret Bielema or Big Ten officials. Piraro calls Bielema a choke artist and didn't like Bielema's defensive hail mary call nor the officials overturning the call.

This shouldn't be a surprise, but 65% of respondents to a poll on ESPN think Bielema shouldn't have called his timeouts. I'm done discussing this one so I'll leave it at that.

Want to know more about Bielema's personal life? Lost Letterman has more on the 41-year-old coach's engagement, noting that his fiance is 26. Nice work, Bret.

Hoops

If you read one basketball link today, read Phil's in-depth look at the rebuilt UW frontcourt. Bruiser and Jared Berggren are expected to be the linchpins, Ryan Evans and Jarrod Uthoff wild cards, Evan Anderson and Duje Dukan bench players, and Frank Kaminsky and Zach Bohannon will likely be redshirting this year. I'm going to have to start attacking Phil's mother in these posts so people don't think I have a man cursh on him.

Bo's comments Monday that Uthoff is making a strong impression is leading to a lot of press for the true freshman from Iowa. Jim Polzin at Madison.com saw Uthoff practice Monday and writes that he's a good paser, strong finisher, and runs the court well.

Mike Lucas starts off writing about Uthoff and then rambles on before ultimately wrapping up with former Princeton coach Pete Carrill being a big fan of the way UW plays.

Remember Rob Wilson? It's ok if you don't since he was almost invisible last season.  The senior guard/forward is eager to finish his UW career off on a strong not but once again he's having trouble staying on the court because of injuries.

Badger of Honor reminds us that Jordan Taylor is pretty good.

Turning the Page

You can call me boring all you want as long as I keep winning.

- Mike Bruesewitz

Now that my self-imposed 48 hour hiatus from Badger and college sports news is over let's see what's going on in Badger Nation.

Hoops

Let's start off with the undefeated men's basketball team. Bo spoke to the media Monday about his impressions so far of this year's team and as you would imagine, there are plenty of storylines for the 14th ranked Badgers heading into the season.

Jeff Potrykus writes that there are plenty of opportunities in the frontcourt to replace Jon Leuer, Keaton Nankivil, and Tim Jarmusz. Bo praised the play of true freshman Jarrod Uthoff and said his learning curve is similar to Josh Gasser.

Phil at B5Q provides highlights from the presser and his takes on Bo's comments about touching the post, Rob Wilson's latest injury, and other topics. Phil does great work and the link is worth the read.

Fox Sports WI takes a look at the makeup of this year's UW team with an emphasis on the fundamentals UW teams have come to be known for. While the players sound like they're getting tired of the "boring" adjectives used to describe UW they're also not making any excuses for winning, nor should they.

The Daily Cardinal also addresses UW needing to replace Leuer and Nankivil's production but notes that UW will likely have a better interior post defense this season.

Football

Phil at B5Q is known for his basketball coverage but the MSU loss was enough for him to weigh in on football, writing that the game was a Level III loss using The Sports Guy's Level of Losing scale. I agree.

Dan at Badger of Honor writes that while Badger fans are looking for someone to blame,  it was  perfect storm of mistakes and a miraculous play at the end of the game.

Winks at the Bucky Channel writes that Saturday's loss is another example of why it sucks that college football doesn't have a playoff. The Badgers lost a game on the road to a ranked opponent and now don't have a snowball's chance in hell at playing for a national title.

In Dave Heller's weekly breakdown of the AP ballots one writer (Dave Reardon) moved UW from 5th to 17th following the loss to MSU. A team loses on the road to a top 15 team on a hail mary and they drop 12 spots?  Really?

If you missed it Friday, Mike Lucas wrote on UWBadgers.com that UW's specialists were ready to play a role in Saturday nights game. Oh, they did alright except that role was sucking.

Walking the Line - @ Michigan State

This segment will "air" every Friday throughout the season. I will breakdown the upcoming game and give a prediction as it relates to the betting line. Sure, this is aimed at our degenerate gambler fans but I think it will be informative for the non-betting folks as well. Feel free to post a comment regarding your thoughts. This segment is meant to be unbiased as the only color that matters here is green - as in US currency.

Agree to disagree? Leave your predictions for this week's game in the comments for this blog.

2011 Season Record; Overall Record since 2010 (ATS):

9-9 ; 26-18

Last Week Recap:

Last week was a rather unimpressive 1-2...mostly due to a self imposed rule that I wouldn't take the OVER (which hit) because there were a couple of casinos not offering it.  Oh well, it is time to move on from that.  Oklahoma State continued its hot streak ATS netting my only win of last weekend.  Baylor couldn't keep the offense going to keep up with Texas A&M which lead to a more lopsided loss than I was obviously anticipating.  Things are still good in WtL'ville as we are 8-8 on the season with heads high and confidence booming.  On to this weekend's games.

Offense:

Balance, balance, balance.  The Badgers continue their dual threat offense to date averaging 265 yards/game through the air and 257 yards/game on the ground.  No doubt that the offense can attribute much of the domination to the lack of a schedule but the ability of the Badgers to strike in the passing game and the running game will challenge the best of NCAA defenses.  Load the box and Wilson will pick man to man coverage apart.  Play pass defense and the Ball/White combo will control the ball and the clock.  The Badgers are top 10 in the country in rushing yards/game (7th) and tops in the country in scoring offense (50.2 pts/game).  I'm looking forward to this week's road test to see where the rubber meets the road.  MSU's offense is littered with names that Badger fans have seen over the past couple of years.  Kirk Cousins is having a very productive year (114-173, 1317, 8) and paying a lot of attention to BJ Cunningham (42, 621, 2) who is Cousins' go-to WR.  Sparty continues to rely on the running game to set up their offense.  Baker (88, 419, 2) and Bell (59, 287, 6) are the work horses who look to wear down defenses late into ball games.

Defense:

Although the Badgers rank 3rd in the country in points against, their lack of a schedule is the question mark when it comes to validating who and what this unit really is.  The Badgers are coming off a huge win last week vs. Indiana who was able to rush for 223 yards.  The MSU rushing attack is going to be far more potent than what they saw from Indiana, but there are also a lot of factors associated with a blow out that could explain that.  MSU is the most balanced attack that this Badger  D has seen this year and should prove to be a worthy test.  The MSU defense comes into this weekend with the media talking about them like they are Alabama or LSU.  Sparty's D is ranked 4th, 1 spot behind UW, yielding a stingy 10.8 points/game.  The Spartans do enter this game a thug down as Gholston received a 1 game suspension for cheap shots on Michigan's D. Robinson last week.  

Intangibles:

Wisconsin has not won in East Lansing in 8 years including a loss to the Spartans @ MSU last year in early October which was Wisconsin's last conference loss.  Coach Bielema states that there was a lesson learned last year that will change the way this year's team prepares.  That experience will be beneficial for the Badgers.  I feel like there is a solid sense of redemption on the part of the Badgers that will be fueling their effort on Saturday.  MSU was called on multiple personal foul penalties last weekend vs Michigan that did not go unnoticed in the media this week.  This could either slow down the play of their defense or result in a closely called game from that standpoint.  Either way, it gives an edge to Wisconsin.

Walking the Line:

UW -6.5  O/U 49

This line has moved quite a bit over the past week.  After opening at 7 on Sunday, it went as high as 9.5 before coming back down to its current 6.5.  Wisconsin, on paper, looks to be a heavy favorite.  The game will be won by either the Badger O or Sparty's D.  This match up should be fun to watch and closely resemble the heavy weight boxing matches that we used to watch back when boxing was good.  Wilson is as cool of a customer as there is in college football and the Badgers take care of the ball.  If UW wins the turnover battle, there is no way that they lose this game.

I like the Badgers -6.5 with a good old fashioned revenge style bump and grind.  This game could be close at half time but the Badgers will prevail in the 2nd half.  I expect the Badger gameplan to have a concentrated effort to run the ball early to wear down that Spartan defensive front...opening up huge holes later in the game.  This running emphasis will also set up the play action where I think the Badgers will score from over 40 yards out. 

D DOGG Daily Double:

Below are 2 picks that I really like this week:

Oklahoma St -7: Ride on Cowboys!  When the brand is hot...wear it.  OKST finds itself in the race to the BCS Championship game which means that style points count and the OKST offense is the perfect recipe for that.  Missouri is a tricky team having played most of its tough games on the road so they are hard to get a feel for what they will be like at home when #4 comes to town.  The fact that it is a 12:00 ET kick-off will take the edge off the home crowd and the Cowboys will be able to navigate their way to a convincing win over the Tigers.

Northwestern +4.5 : Northwestern is currently riding a 4 game losing streak into this weekend's game vs Penn State.  However, the Wildcat's talented QB, Dan Persa, has been recovering from an achiles injury where he is getting closer to 100% every week.  Persa, a senior, is seeing his last season at Northwestern crumble before his eyes.  Backs against the wall, look for NW to not only keep this game competitive, but against a poor PSU offense, have a chance to win late.

 

Thursday Multimedia Roundup

Enough of the news for now, let's recap this week's Badger video and audio highlights.

1) First up Bret Bielema's Thursday Press Conference....Big news out of this one is Melvin Gordon is on crutches after groin surgery and is likely out 3-4 weeks, looks like a red shirt season.

 

2) Next up Josh Gasser was interviewed by Patrick Herb at UWBadgers.com and talks about the first few basketball practices.

 

3) In case you missed Depth Chart: Wisconsin on ESPN this week here is a link with a few of the best clips from the show.  

4) Adam Rittenburg as ESPN.com breaks down the keys to this weekend's showdown in East Lansing. 

5) Kirk Herbstreit also previews this weekend's game on College GameDay Minute.

6) If you want to laugh check out this piece on the Spartan't stick drill.  They must be reaching for stuff to talk about on ESPN.

7) Here's some audio from the The Score in Madison with Benjamin Worgull talking Badger football.

8) Had enough previews yet? No, well Jeff Potrykus also previews this weekend's game with a solid breakdown of what to expect.

9) BTN.com goes past the previews and digs deeper into the  match up between the Wisconsin offense and Michigan State defense.  This is a solid view, check it out.

10) CBSSports.com has yet another Badger weekend preview.

 

 

Michigan State Week Continues

Once again, no clever intro today. Enjoy the links.

Gholston's Status Under Review

According to the ESPN Big Ten blog, JSOnline, and almost every other site covering the Big Ten, a decision is expected Wednesday on a possible suspension for MSU's DE William Gholston. It seems like the Big Ten is giving Michigan State the opportunity to handle this in house but if they don't suspend Gholston I imagine the Big Ten will.

Previewing Bucky-Sparty

Two top-15 teams matching up means a lot of previews. Accordign to Eye on College Football, Gholston's status is the x-factor Saturday and UW will win if the offensive line performs well.

ESPN has a video of Kirk Herbstreit previewing the game. He says the game will come down to the UW offense vs. the MSU defense.

Jeff Potrykus has a scouting report on the Spartans offense, defense, and special teams.

Michigan State in Spin Mode

The MSU coaching staff and athletic department continue to defend MSU's style of play. Regardless of what happens with Gholston I like that MSU is having to spend more time defending itself instead of focusing on UW.

Is Sparty UW's Biggest Rival?

Tom Mulhern thinks Michigan State is UW's best football rival in the Big Ten right now, which has a lot to do with the state of other programs like OSU and Minnesota.

More Evidence that Russell Wilson is Awesome

Number cruncher extraordinaire Dave Heller broke down the productivity of the UW drives Wilson has lead this season. When Wilson leads a drive, the Badgers score 75% of the time including TDs at a ridculous 69% rate.

Montee Ball Quietly Putting Up Heisman Numbers

Jack at Badger of Honor writes that while Russell Wilson is getting lots of Heisman attention Montee Ball will likely get a good share of lower votes on the Heisman ballots. He also notes that if UW's only points this season were Ball's TDs they would still be undefeated. Wow.

Tuesday's Post Practice Report

Travis Frederick and Peter Konz talked to Mike Lucas following Tuesdays practice.

Badgers Take the High Road in Dealing wtih Michigan State's Trash Talk

Welcome back. Lets's get to it.

Bielema and Wilson Talk to the Media

Bret Bielema and Russell Wilson talked to the media on Monday. Tom Lea writes that both Bielema and Wilson were careful not to provide any bulletin borad material for the Spartans. I imagine there is a fair amount of talking going on within in the UW locker room, though. You can read the transcripts or watch the video of both Wilson's and Bielema's presser at UWBadgers.com.

Injury Updates - Toon Returns

Tom Mulhern reports that Nick Toon is expected to return to practice this week after missing the Indiana game but we DT Patick Butrym is expected to miss practice this week but still could play.

No Update on Gholston's Possible Suspension

One of the big story lines this week is whether or not MSU DE William Gholston will be suspended for Saturday's game after some dirty antics during MSU's win over Michigan. Dave Heller reports that the Big Ten will decide on Tuesday if Gholston will be suspended. Even if he plays Gholston is going to have a lot of official's eyes on him.

UW-MSU a NCAA Playoff Game

According to FoxSports.com, Saturday's game is one of four playoff games that will determine who plays for the BCS championship in January. The other games are LSU at 'Bama, Oregon at Stanford, and Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Russell Mania XVI Highlights

Courtesy of the UW Athletic Dept.

Other News and Notes

Tom Lea at BadgerBlitz has you covered on an assortment of news updates. Interesting that Montee Ball was the Big Ten offensive player of the week but that team award went to James White.

Dave Heller once again shares where each AP voter had UW on the ballot last week. UW's ranking once again ranged from 3rd to 8th. 

Mike Fiammetta at the Badger Herald shares his thoughts the Fuck You/Eat Shit debate. He thinks it's time to drop it. I agree but good luck getting 15,000 drunk college students to do that.

Still reading? FoxSports has an updated UW team report. Check it out.