Ten thoughts on Wisconsin

[UKErik]

UK and Wisconsin are the top two teams in America, IMHO. I wish this game was on Monday night. A few thoughts;

1. Looking back at last years game, the Badgers were unbelievable from the line. They knocked down 19 of 20 free throws. The next night, UConn hit all ten of theirs. Man, 29 for 30? That's tough to overcome. Anyway, the Badgers are once again a great foul shooting team. UW shoots over 76%. Among the six players that average more than 20 mpg, only Dekker shoots less than 74%.

2. Speaking of Dekker, the guy is tremendous. He's 6'9 with a really good first step. He's not an elite shooter, but he sure as hell looked like it against Arizona. Containing him off the dribble will probably be something UK puts a ton of emphasis on this week in practice. I wish UK had Poythress available to guard him. WCS will probably be the guy to get the assignment (I assume anyway; I can't imagine UK putting Lyles on him with WCS on Hayes). If so, that will be a fun matchup to watch.

3. In last years game, Ben Burst knocked down three treys and finished with a team leading 15 points (Dekker also had 15). Burst has since moved on. It looks like Jackson's role will be diminished as well.

4. Wisconsin has almost no depth to speak of. Against Arizona, three guys played 36+ minutes (Kaminsky, Dekker, and Gasser). Koenig played 33. The only guys coming off the bench likely to play significant minutes are Jackson and Dukan. Obviously, if depth becomes a factor, UK's edge is significant.

5. Wisconsin REALLY depends on Dekker and Kaminsky. While UK can have a down game from Towns (1 point vs. WVU for example) and win, it seems like UW would be in huge trouble if Kaminsky/Dekker don't play VERY well. Kaminsky has come up big so far in the NCAA tournament (averaging 22 and 8). Dekker has been unbelievable as well (averaging almost 22 per game). If one or the other has an off night, UK could be in great shape.

6. One somewhat unique thing about UW...of those top seven players, they can all knock down three point jump shots. That really allows them to spread the floor. I imagine UK will simply switch on most screens, but the Badgers might be able to take advantage of Dakari. I think everyone else will be more than able to hold their own against UW's dribble penetration.

7. I was kind of surprised at UW's OOC schedule. Their best win was Oklahoma. Kind of interesting....like UK, they trailed at halftime vs. Buffalo. Reference their league schedule, they didn't have to play at Michigan State this year.

8. Wisconsin has kind of lived on the edge a little bit. The Oregon game was tied with under six minutes left. Wisconsin closed with a 20-13 run. They trailed North Carolina by four at the seven minute mark but closed with a 23-12 run. They also played well down the stretch against Michigan State in the Big Ten title game (UW trailed by 11 at the 7:30 mark) and Arizona. So we'll have two teams that have been A+ inside the games final five minutes.

9. I like UK's guards vs. UW's guards. Kentucky's guards are bigger and a little more athletic. Koenig and Gasser are solid players, but I'll take ours. UK should be able to live in the lane off of dribble penetration, IMO anyway.

10. Some have said UK hasn't played a team like UW. From an athleticism and size standpoint, there's nothing there that UK hasn't seen. UW is just better at executing than just about anyone else. I do think UW hasn't seen a team like Kentucky though. UK's defense is the best in college basketball since at least 2000 (FG% defense). I imagine UW is typically the bigger team when they play in the Big Ten. That won't be the case on Saturday. UW's defense, which hasn't been dominant IMO, can typically key on 2-3 guys in the Big Ten. UK has a number of guys that can kill you.

I think Wisconsin will be one helluva challenge, but most areas seem to at least slightly favor Kentucky. I like the Cats 78-74.

GBB!!!

This post was edited on 3/30 11:45 PM by UKErik

 

[UKWildcats#8]

Agree with all the points, but must disagree on wishing this game was Monday night. UK has a massive advantage getting a week to prepare for Wisconsin. Assuming UK beats Wisconsin, UK will most likely get a freshmen led Duke team that will be beat up from a physical MSU team, and that has little depth itself. The freshmen will make mistakes on the big stage...we saw that last year unfortunately if they are asked to carry most of the load, which Duke's frosh usually are.

My point is, I'd rather have a week for Wisconsin and 1.5 for Duke than the other way around.

 

[WCBcats]

Go cats

 

[ukalumni00]

If KY brings their A game they will win this game going away. That said, will be critical that they focus for 40 minutes because like you said WI is an exceptional last 5 minute team.

This game sort of reminds me of the 96 KY UMass game. National Semifinal game everyone felt should have been the title game, UMass had beaten KY earlier in the season so fans were very nervous. That UMass team would have won the title in most other years, but KY was loaded and played very well.

This KY team has destroyed several tournament teams when they played for blood. WI is the best of the bunch, but they simply do not have the roster and depth KY does. KY could very well lose this game, but if they come to play like they did against UCLA, Kansas, and some others I do not think this WI team can stay within 10 of them.

KY has played very well when the name of the opponents jersey is one of the top names in college basketball. Will be interesting to see if they can play well against a great team on the biggest stage of them all.

 

[BoulderCat_rivals187983]

Erik, I fear your posts both here and on the Lair are largely wasted on many. Not me though.

I to like UK in a slim victory in the high 60's to 70's. You know me, I'm awful at score predictions. The thing I like about UK is something you allude to. We've all heard it throughout the year. Their size and length. It doesn't mean Wisconsin's guy's can't overcome it a lot of times, but I just feel like sooner, probably later, it will be the thing that helps make the play which swings the game in our favor. Only one thing I'll quibble over. While Wisconsin/Kentucky is definitely worthy of a Monday night matchup for the title, so to is one with Duke. When UK hang's that banner next year no one will be able to say they didn't earn it.

 

[ukfan03]

I agree UKWildcats#8. That's what I've been telling my friends. I feel good about the game with a week of preparation. They'll probably try to get some matchup advantages switching on Dakari and Tyler. I look for them to do a lot of backdoor cuts too.

A lot of fans think WCS will be guarding Dekker but I think Cal will put Trey and Aaron on him for most of the game. The Cats need Willie in the paint protecting the rim IMO. I'm sure Cal will have a great game plan by Saturday.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[UKErik]

BoulderCat, that's true. When the bracket came out, I thought the toughest road possible would be Cincinnati, WVU, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Duke. Looks like that's the road UK will have to travel.

GBB!!!

 

[Lumpy 2]

I like our matchup against Wisconsin a little better than Notre Dame. Both teams are very efficient on offense and Wisconsin is quite a bit bigger, but not as athletic and I don't think their guards will be able to break down our defense as well as Notre Dame did. They use the pick and pop more than pick and roll and they don't shoot off the dribble as well as a lot of the teams that have given us trouble. Kaminsky is a bigger and better version of Wiltjer and I doubt that Dekker will have another game close to his last one. I believe we can contain both of them pretty well. If Hayes and Koenig don't play better than normal I think we win by 8 or more.

 

[Kooky Kats_anon]

Wisky looked better than we have in a long time.

We need to get them running. Press. Speed them up. If we allow the backdoor cuts like we did v ND, we wil be in trouble.

One thing, however - we will not underestimate these guys. It won't be about energy or focus if we lose, but rather out-executed. Lyles needs to play with poise. He had 3 unforced turnovers against ND. I hope he doesn't suffer from Juliusrandallitis when returning home to F4. If we defend and Lyles plays well-we win.

 

[Crawfords Corner]

Why not use Lyles/Aaron on Dekker with WCS and KAT switching on Kaminksy depending on where he he goes. KAT worries me a bit with his fouls so having him chasing Kaminsky out to the top doesn't sound good to me. Kaminsky likes to flop. I can see the officials biting on one of those. Keeps WCS out near the perimeter to help keep UW in check some out there. Just a thought.

 

[UKErik]

crawfords corner, Lyles is an awfully smart player. I think Dekker's first step might be too much though. I think having WCS on him kind of takes one of their big guns away. Then again, they'll probably just on-ball screen for him to get Dekker a better matchup.

I think Towns would do a great job on the tank, even away from the basket. You bring up a great, great point about foul trouble though. Ryan might have Kaminsky just drive right at him early hoping for just that.

These are the reasons I'm glad Coach Cal makes these decision and not me

. At least he has options.

One guy I kind of worry about is Dakari. I'm not confident he'll do a great job on switches. He tends to give shooters too much room for my liking.

GBB!!!

This post was edited on 3/31 12:51 AM by UKErik

 

[jb1010]

The biggest issue for Wisconsin is their defense. They can't stop anyone. Their defense efficiency has been 1.16. That's pretty horrible.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[UKErik]

C8TS, I'm surprised that number isn't better. I know they don't have tremendous guards, but they seem to play as a unit as well as almost anyone in the country. Just saw that KenPom ranks them 55th in adjusted defense.

GBB!!!

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Wisconsin is the toughest challenge we've faced all season. The UK guards have a real advantage, and need to utilize it if UK is to prevail. Ky simply cannot allow them to have decent games.

 

[BlueCat43]

What about the possibility of Lyles playing Kaminsky, WCS on Decker, and Towns on Hayes? I think Trey is big enough and agile enough to guard Frank K without fouling, Willie can definitely guard Dekker and then you can protect Towns a little bit with him on Hayes. I don't think this is something that Bo would be gameplanning for either so it might throw them a curve.

 

[BBUK_anon]

Originally posted by BlueCat43:
What about the possibility of Lyles playing Kaminsky, WCS on Decker, and Towns on Hayes? I think Trey is big enough and agile enough to guard Frank K without fouling, Willie can definitely guard Dekker and then you can protect Towns a little bit with him on Hayes. I don't think this is something that Bo would be gameplanning for either so it might throw them a curve.

That would sure throw Wisconsin as a team out of kilter. If Lyles could pull even a little containment it would sway the game in a huge way. I know Lyles can do this as he has the skills and won't get out-quicked that way. Lyles may be just realizing Lyles can do this though. We will have to wait and see. Cal will have a super plan I am sure. Go CATS!!!

 

[Phantom]

I think the key for the Cats against Wisky is to not have letdowns in defense. Wisconsin has the ability to climb back into a game with their shooting. I really do think our defense will rattle them initially and let UK get out to a lead. As for matchups, I think the ND game was a worse matchup for us than Wisconsin will be.

 

[JMalone4UK]

I'm not to worried about Frank the tank. I went back and watched the UK Wisconsin game last year and Dakari guarded him more than anyone. The tank had 8 points. Best bet is to let Towns and Dakari wear down Frank and let WCS shut down Dekker. Make everyone else beat you.
This post was edited on 3/31 8:43 AM by jmalone7us

 

[C1180]

IMO UK matches up well with them. They play three traditional front court players and two guards. Another thing is their guards are not real quick. Kaminsky does at times come outside trying to draw his man out on him and away from the basket. This presents a problem for a lot of bigs guarding him because they are not comfortable guarding out there. UK must be careful that it does not concentrate on Kaminsky and Decker so much that they allow one of the other three to have a career night. If you pull both of UKs bigs out from the basket that will open up the inside for drives. I think UK keeps Towns inside and has one of the other players pick him up when he goes outside. Both twins and Lyles are big enough to guard him out away from the basket. Towns can pick him up if he tries to drive inside.

I thought at times against Notre Dame that the UK defense looked like a doughnut because all of its defenders got pulled outside which left the basket unprotected. That is how that Auguste had a career night. the inside was almost unprotected at times.

 

[youkcatz]

This is why I love the BBN.

Starting with the OP, these posts show an incredible amount of objective basketball knowledge.

I can't add much to what has been said except that I find the offensive and defensive rankings (Posted on the ESPN website) interesting.

Offense:

Wisconsin Points per game: 67th in nation.
UK: 29th

Wis: Rebounds per game ranking: 204
UK: 21st

Wis: Assists: ranking: 165th
UK: 42

Wis: Field Goal percentage: 21st.
UK: 40

Defense:

Wis: Points allowed 12th
UK: 3

Wis: Rebounds 128
UK: 50

Wis: Blocks, 164
UK: 2

Wis: Steals: 332
UK: 136

If games were played on stats alone, UK should win this one fairly easily. One concern that I have is the "revenge" factor that Wisconsin carries over from last year.

That being said, Wis is coming off a strong win against Arizona. UK is coming off a squeaker. That usually gives motivation to the team that played less than their best in the previous game. Go Cats!

 

[ia.ukfan_rivals]

Originally posted by Kooky Kats:
Wisky looked better than we have in a long time.

We need to get them running. Press. Speed them up. If we allow the backdoor cuts like we did v ND, we wil be in trouble.

One thing, however - we will not underestimate these guys. It won't be about energy or focus if we lose, but rather out-executed. Lyles needs to play with poise. He had 3 unforced turnovers against ND. I hope he doesn't suffer from Juliusrandallitis when returning home to F4. If we defend and Lyles plays well-we win.

Did you forget when beat WVU 78-39 the game before lol. Literally doubled our opponents point total in a sweet sixteen game! Only ever happened one other time btw.

 

[EnglandWildcat]

Originally posted by ia.ukfan:

Originally posted by Kooky Kats:
Wisky looked better than we have in a long time.

We need to get them running. Press. Speed them up. If we allow the backdoor cuts like we did v ND, we wil be in trouble.

One thing, however - we will not underestimate these guys. It won't be about energy or focus if we lose, but rather out-executed. Lyles needs to play with poise. He had 3 unforced turnovers against ND. I hope he doesn't suffer from Juliusrandallitis when returning home to F4. If we defend and Lyles plays well-we win.

Did you forget when beat WVU 78-39 the game before lol. Literally doubled our opponents point total in a sweet sixteen game! Only ever happened one other time btw.

Right?! And if you watched the Wisconsin vs. UNC matchup, UNC was handling them for a large part of the game. UNC was up with about 5 minutes to go and then Wisconsin made some big threes and UNC missed some critical FTs. It was a 1-pt game with 1 minute left. A lot of people are just basing their assessment on the second half of the game against Zona. Don't get me wrong, they are a very good and very skilled team. But they are far from perfect, and they have shown some real weaknesses already in this tournament.

 

[DORTONCAT]

So far in this thread most of what has been said is absolute in UK bringing home a win. I too like the fact that we have UW first and not last. I think that UK having to play WVA first was an advantage for Notre Dame last game. Also, UK staying focused for the entire game will be critical as UW can score fast in transition and make a "run" during the game. I think the way to best handle their scorers will be to maintain "on the ball" pressure and limit their touches. Obviously, easier said than done. Hopefully UK can use their depth and make that an issue for UW. Need to stop the three's, put-backs on offensive rebounds, easy baskets and try to keep them from going to the foul line for shooting fouls and "and-ones". Owning the backboards on both ends of the floor would be a tremendous plus. Do this,,, UK wins.

As for UK's offense: Need to go inside-out and create spacing for good looks. Knock down open shots, score in transition and on point-blank inside opportunities, get to the free throw line and make foul shots especially the front end of one-and-ones and the and-ones. Run as much as possible and convert.

I think it will be a hard fought game and it will be close. I believe if the guys come out and mean business, take it to them right away and "hit them in the mouth first (figuratively speaking)" UK can control the game and win by a good margin. If they let UW run their offense and control tempo, our depth will not be as big a factor as it can be and it will be a close game.

No need to be anxious, just need to be serious and focused. Don't stop until the final whistle has blown.

GO BIG BLUE!!!

 

[San Diego Cat]

"Agree with all the points, but must disagree on wishing this game was Monday night. UK has a massive advantage getting a week to prepare for Wisconsin. Assuming UK beats Wisconsin, UK will most likely get a freshmen led Duke team that will be beat up from a physical MSU team, and that has little depth itself. The freshmen will make mistakes on the big stage...we saw that last year unfortunately if they are asked to carry most of the load, which Duke's frosh usually are.

My point is, I'd rather have a week for Wisconsin and 1.5 for Duke than the other way around. "

Great point

 

[AGEE11]

[Meant to quote the post about Trey guarding Kaminsky]

I think this would be a great way to neutralize Kaminsky.

Trey is big enough to hold his own and you would have Willie and Karl as help defenses to block shots. Kaminsky's not a great jumper and Willie and Karl can both get up way over him as a help side block.

I also think Willie will give Dekker fits. He is used to being bigger than his defender. See how he does giving up three inches and at least 3-4 more when they both jump.

This post was edited on 3/31 9:15 AM by AGEE11

 

[BBUK_anon]

Originally posted by AGEE11:
[Meant to quote the post about Trey guarding Kaminsky]

I think this would be a great way to neutralize Kaminsky.

Trey is big enough to hold his own and you would have Willie and Karl as help defenses to block shots. Kaminsky's not a great jumper and Willie and Karl can both get up way over him as a help side block.

I also think Willie will give Dekker fits. He is used to being bigger than his defender. See how he does giving up three inches and at least 3-4 more when they both jump.


This post was edited on 3/31 9:15 AM by AGEE11

 

[UofKBlue]

Originally posted by EnglandWildcat:

Originally posted by ia.ukfan:

Originally posted by Kooky Kats:
Wisky looked better than we have in a long time.

We need to get them running. Press. Speed them up. If we allow the backdoor cuts like we did v ND, we wil be in trouble.

One thing, however - we will not underestimate these guys. It won't be about energy or focus if we lose, but rather out-executed. Lyles needs to play with poise. He had 3 unforced turnovers against ND. I hope he doesn't suffer from Juliusrandallitis when returning home to F4. If we defend and Lyles plays well-we win.

Did you forget when beat WVU 78-39 the game before lol. Literally doubled our opponents point total in a sweet sixteen game! Only ever happened one other time btw.

Right?! And if you watched the Wisconsin vs. UNC matchup, UNC was handling them for a large part of the game. UNC was up with about 5 minutes to go and then Wisconsin made some big threes and UNC missed some critical FTs. It was a 1-pt game with 1 minute left. A lot of people are just basing their assessment on the second half of the game against Zona. Don't get me wrong, they are a very good and very skilled team. But they are far from perfect, and they have shown some real weaknesses already in this tournament.

Exactly. When you look at this Wisconsin team, you will see that they struggle more against athletic teams than your traditional Big 10 team. As great as Wisconsin shot the trifecta in the 2nd half against Arizona, they still only won by 7.

When you look at Arizona and even UNC, they have an extremely athletic front court, but a back court that's not quite as skilled. Aside from Marcus Paige, UNC had no one to effectively hit an outside shot which allowed Wisconsin to sag a bit on Johnson, Meeks, and Tokoto.

With Arizona, TJ McConnell was about the only back court player that Wisconsin had to worry about which again, allowed them to sag their defense on Ashley and Tarzewski (sp?).

Kentucky has matchup problems all over the floor. If you sag on us, you then have to worry about leaving Aaron, Tyler, Andrew, or Devin open from the perimeter. Now, I'm sure Wisconsin will take their chances on our perimeter play beating them, but our guards are much more of an issue for them than they've seen from UNC or Arizona.

What the media wants to continually ask is "how is Kentucky going to stop Wisconsin", but the question they really need to ask is "how is Wisconsin going to stop Kentucky"? Notre Dame -- while their offense gave us issues all night -- their defense did nothing to stop us. We were perfect from the field for the final 12 minutes of the game. We won that game because we were able to get three defensive stops in a row. If our defense can get more stops against Wisconsin than what we got against Notre Dame then this game may not be as close as the ND game.

You've also got to factor in the venue. Will either team be a threat from the outside? If neither team is on from the perimeter, which team can take better advantage of their post game? That may also play a factor in the outcome of this matchup.

Regardless, this should be a fantastic game between two powerhouse teams.

 

[Untouchables22]

Wisconsin's biggest weakness on Defense is a lack of lateral quickness. They are more athletic than you think but other than Dekker they struggle sliding their feet and the guards can't keep there man in front of them consistently. Therefore the key to the game on offense for us will be dribble penetration by the guards. They couldn't stay in front of Andrew last year and nothing has changed. On our Defense we have to try to play defense without helping. Wisconsin puts Kaminsky in the post and the other four guys outside on 3 Point Line. They are adept at recognizing where the help defense is coming from and passing to the secondary man's man for an open look. It's hard to play defense straight up without helping but we have to try our best to do it.

This post was edited on 3/31 9:48 AM by Untouchables22

This post was edited on 3/31 9:49 AM by Untouchables22

 

[Chuckinden]

#4 in Erik's post is very significant. If we can get them in foul trouble and/or wear them down, they have no bench to speak of.

With Cal, he likes to pound in the middle and he has the elite players to do that, but there are so many options on offense that we can take advantage of, I just don't see Wisconsin beating us.

As it has been all season, it will be our defense that will be the significant factor.

 

[wildcatsboston1984_rivals]

Originally posted by Chuckinden:
#4 in Erik's post is very significant. If we can get them in foul trouble and/or wear them down, they have no bench to speak of.

With Cal, he likes to pound in the middle and he has the elite players to do that, but there are so many options on offense that we can take advantage of, I just don't see Wisconsin beating us.

As it has been all season, it will be our defense that will be the significant factor.

I doubt they do anything to get in foul trouble because they don't play defense.

 

[ganner918_rivals60369]

Originally posted by YOUKCATZ:
This is why I love the BBN.

Starting with the OP, these posts show an incredible amount of objective basketball knowledge.

I can't add much to what has been said except that I find the offensive and defensive rankings (Posted on the ESPN website) interesting.

Offense:

Wisconsin Points per game: 67th in nation.
UK: 29th

Wis: Rebounds per game ranking: 204
UK: 21st

Wis: Assists: ranking: 165th
UK: 42

Wis: Field Goal percentage: 21st.
UK: 40

Defense:

Wis: Points allowed 12th
UK: 3

Wis: Rebounds 128
UK: 50

Wis: Blocks, 164
UK: 2

Wis: Steals: 332
UK: 136

If games were played on stats alone, UK should win this one fairly easily. One concern that I have is the "revenge" factor that Wisconsin carries over from last year.

That being said, Wis is coming off a strong win against Arizona. UK is coming off a squeaker. That usually gives motivation to the team that played less than their best in the previous game. Go Cats!

Those stats are heavily biased by pace, though. We score more, but they have a better per-possession scoring average. On the flipside, our defensive advantage grows wider when you look at per-possession numbers.

 

[docholiday51]

Great post eric,a few thoughts on some of your points

#4 Depth is an issue in terms of foul trouble,for the most part the t.v. time outs and team timeouts negate the value of depth in terms of the players getting tired

#7 Wisconsin is less tested than UK and they didn't pass some of the "tests" they had.

#8 Wisconsin has lived on the edge a considerable part of the season.It is true that they don't beat themselves,they just hang around and wait for the other team to beat themselves.In the Big 10 championship Mich St had them beat but let them off the canvas and folded in OT.If at some point(mid-game) we can get out to a 6 or 7 point lead we can take control of the game




Wisconsin is about the same team as they were last year(maybe a little better,maybe a little worse)we are a different team,I think no doubt a better team.Both teams have played 4 games in the NCAAT,we have played 1 good game and 3 average games,Wisconsin has played maybe 2 good and 2 average games.They have not had "that" game where you luck out and win in spite of yourself like most teams have somewhere along the line.If that game happens to them Sat.they can't beat UK

 

[RegentBadger]

Hey all, UW fan here. I have a couple thoughts on the matchup and some of the themes I've seen on this board and others. All of this is said with the understanding that UK is undefeated for a reason and is an overwhelming favorite in this game. If both teams play their perfect games UK wins 100 out of 100 times.

1) While Dekker has carried us in the tourney he is not the only player who can lead the team any given night. In the B1G title game against fellow Final Four team MSU, Dekker had 4 while Hayes had 25 and Koenig had 18 to go along with Frank's 19 as UW won 80-69. The reason this UW team has been so good on O is because all 5 guys are good to great shooters, passers and ball handlers. They are experienced and willing to take what the D gives them and they don't get rattled.

2) Which brings me to a second point, the quality of Wisconsin's O. Some people in BBN seem to be questioning if this years squad is any better than the one you beat last year. The answer is unquestionably and demonstrably, yes. Its not even close. While UK has been setting a historic precedent on D the Badgers have been doing the same thing on O. This years Badger offense is the most efficient O ever recorded by Ken Pom (going back to 2001 or 02). So many people get caught up in the 'Wisconsin' mystique, namely the gritty, unathletic, overachieving, defense first second and third, games in the 50's, etc., that they fail to truly see what UW is doing this year. We are trying to outscore you. The defense is soft because the O is historically good and we have a short bench, especially after Trae Jackson got hurt, and they can't afford the fouls. UW still has the #55 defense in the nation, which may be terrible for Wisconsin, but is still pretty solid overall. When they need to grit it out in crunch time they are still capable of turning up the defensive pressure to get stops. If you can hit runners and floaters in the lane they will give you that shot all day (which is what Duke and Maryland feasted on). Bo's D is all about playing the percentages. Floaters, runners long 2's and other low percentage shots are encouraged while they try to take away uncontested layups and 3's in rhythm. Limiting transition points and breakouts in general is priority number one. The Badgers play D with their feet and through positioning, they don't block many or force a lot of steals, instead they concentrate on staying between you and the basket with their arms extended. If you can hit shots over them, they will be there all game. We tend to make up the points through foul shooting (we have made more than our opponents have attempted, though in this matchup I would be shocked if that holds true) and by not turning it over ourselves (lead the nation in fewest TOs per game).

Obviously we haven't faced anything like UK on defense but Arizona is not exactly a pushover on D. Before the tourney EVERYONE was talking about them as the only team outside of Duke who had the athletes and the D to hang with UK. UW just lit them up for 1.67 PPP, and it wasn't even our most efficient game of the Tourney. I'm not saying that Zona is as good as UK or that UW will do that again, just pointing out the fact that if a team is feeling it, good O beats good D.

3) Speaking of emotions, I think people have been way too quick to write Kaminsky off based on his performance last year. For starters Frank is so much better this year any comparison is doomed from the get go. Last year Frank was just finally getting comfortable in his 7'0" frame after having a huge growth spurt in high school. He wasn't exactly gangly but he didn't play like a 7 footer, often leaning on his guard background when a team got physical with him. He was also in his first year of significant playing time averaging 13 ppg and 6 rpg, and was overjoyed with simply being in the Final Four. And he got his butt kicked by you guys. That performance has driven him ever since and he has transformed himself into the runaway favorite to win NPOY. He has had a target on his back all season as every team we faced has schemed to take him away and he has answered the call by bumping his numbers to 18 and 8 to go along with 3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. He now plays much more like a true post, using his jump shooting as a compliment instead of his go to move and is as crafty of a post player as there is in the nation. I know that he did not fave WCS or KAT last year but that is a door that swings both ways. Frank loves to string multiple moves together and pump fakes better than any big man in the college game. Both of those guys will have to play very disciplined or they could find themselves in foul trouble early. I have no doubt that they will each have a few big blocks and a poster or three over Frank, but can they dictate the flow of the game or will Frank be able to facilitate the Badger's O? Frank has been thinking of this moment against this team during every shooting drill and gasser he has run for the last year. I would expect him to bring his A game. He has stepped up in big moments time and time again this season, he is not going to be afraid or get discouraged by some highlight plays against him. You have to beat him for 40 minutes. I'm sure that Uk is more than capable of doing it, the question is will they?

4) Finally I think that something people are kind of glossing over is that UNC and Arizona, two of the 5 most talented teams in college basketball and both full of pros, each played one of their best games of the season against UW and still lost. The assertion that UK has been tested because of your game against ND and that UW hasn't been is completely false. UNC went 8-13 from 3 (they shot 35% on the year) and had 4 (averaged 13) total turnovers, while Zona shot 55% from the field, out rebounded us by one and went 28-30 from the line. Keep in mind that UW has the fewest fouls per game in the nation and normally give up 13 FTs a game. You can certainly look at those lines and go UW sucks on D, but the other side of the coin is that we took the best shot two very talented teams had and still came out on top.

That's more than enough to start lol. Here's hoping for an injury free game that lives up to the hype. Good luck Cats.

 

[LowCountryCat]

Originally posted by RegentBadger:
...

3) Speaking of emotions, I think people have been way too quick to write Kaminsky off based on his performance last year. For starters Frank is so much better this year any comparison is doomed from the get go. Last year Frank was just finally getting comfortable in his 7'0" frame after having a huge growth spurt in high school. He wasn't exactly gangly but he didn't play like a 7 footer, often leaning on his guard background when a team got physical with him. He was also in his first year of significant playing time averaging 13 ppg and 6 rpg, and was overjoyed with simply being in the Final Four. And he got his butt kicked by you guys.

...

Yeah and he's really worked on his flopping. He's really turned flopping into one of his strengths.

 

[TigerPawsSC]

Originally posted by UofKBlue:

Originally posted by EnglandWildcat:

Originally posted by ia.ukfan:

Originally posted by Kooky Kats:
Wisky looked better than we have in a long time.

We need to get them running. Press. Speed them up. If we allow the backdoor cuts like we did v ND, we wil be in trouble.

One thing, however - we will not underestimate these guys. It won't be about energy or focus if we lose, but rather out-executed. Lyles needs to play with poise. He had 3 unforced turnovers against ND. I hope he doesn't suffer from Juliusrandallitis when returning home to F4. If we defend and Lyles plays well-we win.

Did you forget when beat WVU 78-39 the game before lol. Literally doubled our opponents point total in a sweet sixteen game! Only ever happened one other time btw.

Right?! And if you watched the Wisconsin vs. UNC matchup, UNC was handling them for a large part of the game. UNC was up with about 5 minutes to go and then Wisconsin made some big threes and UNC missed some critical FTs. It was a 1-pt game with 1 minute left. A lot of people are just basing their assessment on the second half of the game against Zona. Don't get me wrong, they are a very good and very skilled team. But they are far from perfect, and they have shown some real weaknesses already in this tournament.

Exactly. When you look at this Wisconsin team, you will see that they struggle more against athletic teams than your traditional Big 10 team. As great as Wisconsin shot the trifecta in the 2nd half against Arizona, they still only won by 7.

When you look at Arizona and even UNC, they have an extremely athletic front court, but a back court that's not quite as skilled. Aside from Marcus Paige, UNC had no one to effectively hit an outside shot which allowed Wisconsin to sag a bit on Johnson, Meeks, and Tokoto.

With Arizona, TJ McConnell was about the only back court player that Wisconsin had to worry about which again, allowed them to sag their defense on Ashley and Tarzewski (sp?).

Kentucky has matchup problems all over the floor. If you sag on us, you then have to worry about leaving Aaron, Tyler, Andrew, or Devin open from the perimeter. Now, I'm sure Wisconsin will take their chances on our perimeter play beating them, but our guards are much more of an issue for them than they've seen from UNC or Arizona.

What the media wants to continually ask is "how is Kentucky going to stop Wisconsin", but the question they really need to ask is "how is Wisconsin going to stop Kentucky"? Notre Dame -- while their offense gave us issues all night -- their defense did nothing to stop us. We were perfect from the field for the final 12 minutes of the game. We won that game because we were able to get three defensive stops in a row. If our defense can get more stops against Wisconsin than what we got against Notre Dame then this game may not be as close as the ND game.

You've also got to factor in the venue. Will either team be a threat from the outside? If neither team is on from the perimeter, which team can take better advantage of their post game? That may also play a factor in the outcome of this matchup.

Regardless, this should be a fantastic game between two powerhouse teams.

Justin Jackson was 3-3 from three-point range in that game, and hit at least one long two-point jumper. Joel Berry was 2-3 from deep.

 

[maverick1_rivals376538]

Originally posted by Prime MF:

Originally posted by RegentBadger:
...

3) Frank is so much better this year any comparison is doomed from the get go. Last year

Yeah and he's really worked on his flopping. He's really turned flopping into one of his strengths.

That's what happens when you hire Luke Flopcock as a personal trainer.

 

[Lumpy 2]

Originally posted by RegentBadger:
Hey all, UW fan here. I have a couple thoughts on the matchup and some of the themes I've seen on this board and others. All of this is said with the understanding that UK is undefeated for a reason and is an overwhelming favorite in this game. If both teams play their perfect games UK wins 100 out of 100 times.

1) While Dekker has carried us in the tourney he is not the only player who can lead the team any given night. In the B1G title game against fellow Final Four team MSU, Dekker had 4 while Hayes had 25 and Koenig had 18 to go along with Frank's 19 as UW won 80-69. The reason this UW team has been so good on O is because all 5 guys are good to great shooters, passers and ball handlers. They are experienced and willing to take what the D gives them and they don't get rattled.

2) Which brings me to a second point, the quality of Wisconsin's O. Some people in BBN seem to be questioning if this years squad is any better than the one you beat last year. The answer is unquestionably and demonstrably, yes. Its not even close. While UK has been setting a historic precedent on D the Badgers have been doing the same thing on O. This years Badger offense is the most efficient O ever recorded by Ken Pom (going back to 2001 or 02). So many people get caught up in the 'Wisconsin' mystique, namely the gritty, unathletic, overachieving, defense first second and third, games in the 50's, etc., that they fail to truly see what UW is doing this year. We are trying to outscore you. The defense is soft because the O is historically good and we have a short bench, especially after Trae Jackson got hurt, and they can't afford the fouls. UW still has the #55 defense in the nation, which may be terrible for Wisconsin, but is still pretty solid overall. When they need to grit it out in crunch time they are still capable of turning up the defensive pressure to get stops. If you can hit runners and floaters in the lane they will give you that shot all day (which is what Duke and Maryland feasted on). Bo's D is all about playing the percentages. Floaters, runners long 2's and other low percentage shots are encouraged while they try to take away uncontested layups and 3's in rhythm. Limiting transition points and breakouts in general is priority number one. The Badgers play D with their feet and through positioning, they don't block many or force a lot of steals, instead they concentrate on staying between you and the basket with their arms extended. If you can hit shots over them, they will be there all game. We tend to make up the points through foul shooting (we have made more than our opponents have attempted, though in this matchup I would be shocked if that holds true) and by not turning it over ourselves (lead the nation in fewest TOs per game).

Obviously we haven't faced anything like UK on defense but Arizona is not exactly a pushover on D. Before the tourney EVERYONE was talking about them as the only team outside of Duke who had the athletes and the D to hang with UK. UW just lit them up for 1.67 PPP, and it wasn't even our most efficient game of the Tourney. I'm not saying that Zona is as good as UK or that UW will do that again, just pointing out the fact that if a team is feeling it, good O beats good D.

3) Speaking of emotions, I think people have been way too quick to write Kaminsky off based on his performance last year. For starters Frank is so much better this year any comparison is doomed from the get go. Last year Frank was just finally getting comfortable in his 7'0" frame after having a huge growth spurt in high school. He wasn't exactly gangly but he didn't play like a 7 footer, often leaning on his guard background when a team got physical with him. He was also in his first year of significant playing time averaging 13 ppg and 6 rpg, and was overjoyed with simply being in the Final Four. And he got his butt kicked by you guys. That performance has driven him ever since and he has transformed himself into the runaway favorite to win NPOY. He has had a target on his back all season as every team we faced has schemed to take him away and he has answered the call by bumping his numbers to 18 and 8 to go along with 3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. He now plays much more like a true post, using his jump shooting as a compliment instead of his go to move and is as crafty of a post player as there is in the nation. I know that he did not fave WCS or KAT last year but that is a door that swings both ways. Frank loves to string multiple moves together and pump fakes better than any big man in the college game. Both of those guys will have to play very disciplined or they could find themselves in foul trouble early. I have no doubt that they will each have a few big blocks and a poster or three over Frank, but can they dictate the flow of the game or will Frank be able to facilitate the Badger's O? Frank has been thinking of this moment against this team during every shooting drill and gasser he has run for the last year. I would expect him to bring his A game. He has stepped up in big moments time and time again this season, he is not going to be afraid or get discouraged by some highlight plays against him. You have to beat him for 40 minutes. I'm sure that Uk is more than capable of doing it, the question is will they?

4) Finally I think that something people are kind of glossing over is that UNC and Arizona, two of the 5 most talented teams in college basketball and both full of pros, each played one of their best games of the season against UW and still lost. The assertion that UK has been tested because of your game against ND and that UW hasn't been is completely false. UNC went 8-13 from 3 (they shot 35% on the year) and had 4 (averaged 13) total turnovers, while Zona shot 55% from the field, out rebounded us by one and went 28-30 from the line. Keep in mind that UW has the fewest fouls per game in the nation and normally give up 13 FTs a game. You can certainly look at those lines and go UW sucks on D, but the other side of the coin is that we took the best shot two very talented teams had and still came out on top.

That's more than enough to start lol. Here's hoping for an injury free game that lives up to the hype. Good luck Cats.

Wisconsin has a very good team and make a good argument for your team. We are not too bad either and I think we can make a pretty good argument too.

You have the best offensive big man in the country and a first team All American. We have the best defensive big man in the country who is also a first team All American. Kaminsky played in last year's game and Willie didn't. We also have another big man who was a second team All American.

You mention the fact that you have an experienced team that doesn't get rattled. We have an experienced team too and as you probably remember, we don't get rattled either.

You do have the #1 offense in the country. Ours is #5. Your defense is #55 and ours is #1.

You talk about beating UNC and Arizona, 2 talented teams that are full of future pros. If you look at draft projections we have more future pros than both of those teams combined. You also mention that UNC shot 8-13 from 3 against you while forgetting about the fact that that you shot 10-12 in the second half alone against Arizona or that Dekker, a 32% shooter, was 5-6. Arizona shot 30 free throws against you because their gameplan was to go inside and force you to defend the post which I think we will do too.

You said you took the best shot from 2 talented teams and still came out on top. We have taken every team's best shot all year and so far we've came out on top every time.

 

[Big_Blue79]

Nice, fair analysis, OP. I have lots of friends and family that are Wisconsin alums, and they do not love the matchup. Say the team struggles a bit with size and length. By and large they think UK will win, but it will be a very competitive game.

 

[Big_Blue79]

Nice, fair analysis, OP. I have lots of friends and family that are Wisconsin alums, and they do not love the matchup. Say the team struggles a bit with size and length. By and large they think UK will win, but it will be a very competitive game.