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Results for tag: wisconsin
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Mar 25, 2011 at 10:36:36 AM
And it happened again. For the fifth straight season, Wisconsin was bounced from the NCAA Tournament by a mid-major team. This time it was the Butler Bulldogs that escorted the Badgers out of the Dance by a score of 61-54 in a 63 possession game. It’s no secret that Wisconsin relies on jumpshots. This isn’t a bad thing, mind you, as the offense has never been better in Madison. Indeed, even in light of last night’s 0.86 points per possession output, this was still the second-best offense in the country. But apparently there are some nights when the shots just do not fall. Twice this season Wisconsin has posted an effective field goal percentage under 40.0. The first time was when the team scored 33 points against ...
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Mar 20, 2011 at 10:13:57 PM
Jordan Taylor didn’t have a great game, but he had a great final two minutes. The Big Ten Geek Player of the Year was an awful 2-16 from the field, and was severely outplayed by his counterpart, Jacob Pullen (who lit up the Badgers for 38 points). But in crunch time, Taylor made his presence felt, with a key steal that led to a Mike Bruesewitz three pointer, and then later blocked Pullen’s three point attempt that would have tied the game with seconds on the clock. The end result was a 70-65 win for Wisconsin, who advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008. And the good news is that they won’t have to guard Stephen Curry. This game was a physical affair, as both Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil were bloodied in the opening minutes ...
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Mar 17, 2011 at 09:58:50 PM
Wisconsin was unusually sloppy with the ball in their 72-58 win over Belmont, but that tends not to matter when you shoot frequent three pointers at a 55 percent clip. Belmont’s pressure defense led to a Wisconsin turnover on over twenty percent of their possessions, something the Bruins have been doing to teams all season. In fact, Wisconsin posted their third-highest turnover rate of the season in this game. But hot shooting can cure all ills, and Belmont had no answer for the Badgers’ never-ending storm of three pointers. Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer were especially hot, combining for 43 points on 25 shots. Wisconsin will play the winner of Utah State and Kansas State, and right now it looks like it will be the Wildcats. If that’s ...
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Mar 14, 2011 at 03:36:37 PM
Seven teams. This time last week, no such thought entered my mind. Did things break just right at the Big Ten Tournament for this to happen? You bet. But nonetheless, the conference is certainly good enough to get seven in, and they’re all good enough to be dancing. The lowest ranking by Pomeroy is Michigan State, sitting at 41. So bravo to the Big Ten, now let’s see if they can make some noise in the Dance. ...Ohio State (#1 seed, East Region) Technically, Ohio State’s first game is the winner of Texas San-Antonio/Alabama State. But the Buckeyes will win that game, easily, and nobody wants to read precisely why and how they will. I’m sure Thad Matta will say all the right things about not overlooking
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Mar 8, 2011 at 02:05:44 PM
Josh: Well, Mike, time for one last exchange before the Big Ten Tournament starts. Usually, this space is reserved to analyze what we did right, and what we did wrong. I'll get the hard part out the way: we were so, so wrong about Purdue. Epically wrong. Not even in the ballpark. We guessed 9-9, and it turns out they were better than perhaps any team in the conference last season. So how did we miss the mark so badly? Well, while I think most people have it in their minds that Jeff Brooks or Christian Watford were this year's breakout players, there's a good argument to be made for JaJuan Johnson. He shot better on 2s, 3s, free throws, and significantly lowered his turnovers, and he did all of this while increasing his usage and with ...
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Mar 6, 2011 at 06:30:09 PM
Iowa scored the biggest upset of the season when it took down Purdue 67-65 in a 71 possession game. The Hawkeyes dominated the glass, limiting the Boilermakers to grabbing just 25 percent of their misses. Iowa also hounded Purdue on the perimeter, limiting the Boilers to a 5-25 performance from behind the arc. E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson were both rather pedestrian as well, needing 34 shots to get to 33 points. Purdue also didn’t help themselves with their 59 percent accuracy from the free throw line.
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Mar 4, 2011 at 09:18:22 AM
Jordan Taylor completely dominated last night in Wisconsin's 77-67 win at Indiana. When running mate Jon Leuer picked up his fourth foul with 11:37 remaining, the Badgers held a narrow one point lead and a Hoosier upset looked within reach. Taylor had already scored 20 points, but he'd have to carry his team down the stretch in a hostile environment without his all-conference teammate.
Carry them he did, as Taylor erupted for 17 points over the next seven possessions to stake claim to a 13 point lead. Indiana, to their credit, kept chipping away after that barrage, but they never got closer than six points the rest of the way.
Taylor finished with 39 points in a very slow 55 possession game--that is simply phenomenal production. In tempo-equivalent terms, that's like scoring ...
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Feb 27, 2011 at 07:23:23 PM
Michigan has really thrown a wrench into the at-large picture in the Big Ten. Just a week ago, I thought Minnesota was in relatively good shape. Sure, the Gophers were sitting at 6-8 in conference play, but with 3 of the 4 remaining games at home--none of which against Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, or Illinois--as well as a road game at Northwestern, 9 or 10 wins certainly seemed possible. Well, two home losses later, now it looks like Minnesota has work to do in the Big Ten Tournament. The latest loss came at the hands of a surging Michigan team, who prevailed 70-63 thanks to some hot outside shooting. The Wolverines made 12 of 28 three pointers, and when Michigan makes their threes, they’re very difficult to stop. Of course, if Michigan is making ...
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Feb 24, 2011 at 10:16:04 AM
The stage was set. Michigan had fought hard all game and held Wisconsin, the nation's most efficient offense, to just 50 points in 54 possessions. With a two point lead, the Wolverines were a couple free throws away from a huge win that could propel them into a surprise NCAA Tournament bid. Michigan's best player, Darius Morris, stepped to the free throw line for a one-and-one opportunity...
What happened next will live on in Michigan basketball infamy. Morris missed the front end, and Wisconsin grabbed the rebound with just under 30 seconds left. The Wolverines still had four fouls to give, and they wisely gave them one after another, milking the clock down to 6 seconds without Wisconsin getting a shot off. One last stop, one last possession, and even the missed free throws wouldn't ...
Posted by:
Big Ten Geeks
on Feb 20, 2011 at 08:40:29 PM
Well, it looks like we have a real title race, after Purdue knocked off Ohio State 76-63 in West Lafayette. Defensively, the Boilermakers pressured OSU into committing a turnover on over a quarter of their possessions and an effective field goal percentage of 42.6, each the second-worst marks posted by the Buckeyes this season. The resulting 0.93 points per possession was likewise the second-worst mark for Thad Matta’s team on the year. Offensively, Matt Painter just made sure E’Twaun Moore ate his Wheaties. The senior guard lit up the Buckeyes for a career-high 38 points (that’s half the team’s total, mind you), on just 18 shots. Moore scored his points all over the place--21 were on threes, 12 on twos, and another 5 at the free throw ... |