With the college basketball season inching closer, we’ll be taking a long look at the conference at large as well as Indiana’s roster over the next few weeks. Today, we continue our team previews with a look at the Wisconsin Badgers.
The style of play might not be sexy, but under the tutelage of Bo Ryan, the Wisconsin Badgers have become one of the top programs in the Big Ten. Over the past five seasons, Wisconsin is 65-23 in conference play. That impressive mark trails only one team — Ohio State.
Wisconsin finished the 2010-11 season with a 25-9 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual runner-up Butler. Statistically, the Badgers had the league’s most efficient offense, the lowest turnover percentage (11.1) and were also the Big Ten’s best defensive rebounding team.
The combination of Jon Leuer, a second round NBA Draft pick of the San Antonio Spurs, and Jordan Taylor, who returns to Madison this year for his senior season, was as good as any in the league. One of Leuer’s 2011 KenPom comparables was JaJuan Johnson, the Big Ten Player of the Year. Taylor, meanwhile, turned in the second lowest turnover percentage in the country (8.5), shot close to 43 percent from behind the 3-point line and ranked in the top 25 nationally in offensive rating.
Despite losing Leuer, who averaged 18.3 ppg, and two other starters — Keaton Nankivil and Tim Jarmusz — Wisconsin is expected to once again contend for a conference title. Josh Gasser, who started 30 games and recorded the school’s first triple-double as a freshman, will join Taylor, a consensus All-American pick, in anchoring the backcourt.
With the college basketball season inching closer, we’ll be taking a long look at the conference at large as well as Indiana’s roster over the next few weeks. Today, we continue our team previews with a look at the Michigan Wolverines.
With the college basketball season inching closer, we’ll be taking a long look at the conference at large as well as Indiana’s roster over the next few weeks. Today, we continue our team previews with a look at the Michigan State Spartans.
With the college basketball season inching closer, we’ll be taking a long look at the conference at large as well as Indiana’s roster over the next few weeks. Today, we continue our team previews with a look at the Purdue Boilermakers.
With the college basketball season inching closer, we’ll be taking a long look at the conference at large as well as Indiana’s roster over the next few weeks. Today, we continue our team previews with a look at the Illinois Fighting Illini.
2011-12 ITH Season Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes
In four of Thad Matta’s seven seasons in Columbus, Ohio, his Buckeyes have claimed a Big Ten championship. And as the 2011-12 campaign approaches, a fifth is well within sight.
It all starts with Jared Sullinger. The sophomore big man opted to forego the NBA draft in June — one in which he was a surefire Top 5 pick — in order to remain a Buckeye for another season. Some viewed this as the wrong move. You take the money when you can. But with the lockout still looming over the NBA and Sullinger reportedly working his game and body to be more ready to take on the 4-spot in the pros, maybe he got it right.
The Columbus native was a force in the paint last season in a number of ways. He scored (17.1 points per game), got to the line (65.1 percent free-throw rate) and rebounded (both his offensive and defensive rebounding percentages ranked second in the conference). And his 2010-11 comaparables via Ken Pomeroy are impressive: Kevin Love (’08), Tyler Hansbrough (’06), Blake Griffin (’08) and Greg Oden (’07).
But like many Matta teams, Sullinger isn’t the only talent. We previously profiled sophomore Deshaun Thomas as a potential breakout candidate. With David Lighty and John Diebler gone, Thomas figures to take on a larger role for the Buckeyes. Senior William Buford, who started 34 games in 2010-11 and was the team’s second-leading scorer (14.4 points per game) behind Sullinger, will provide experience and yet another strong option for the Buckeyes’ offense.
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