Badgers can’t overcome awful 1st half in loss to Gophers

[Da-news-now]

It was a tale of two halves, but it was the team who got out to the better start — Minnesota — that took home a 59-52 victory in the return to Big Ten play. The Gophers (12-2, 2-1 B1G) survived a tough second half thanks to an even rougher first half by the Badgers (10-4, 2-1 B1G) and an inability to shoot well from the free throw line by the hosts. Wisconsin managed just 14 points in the first...

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[57packer]

Ugly first half meltdown, but could have been overcome. They came out more ready to play in the second half and cut the lead to just a few points, and then proceeded to melt down again in the final minutes.

Not sure what was going on with Trice at the end, but he just lost it and gave the ball away 2-3 times before they pulled him. He seemed to turn a corner this year, but we'll have to see if he can maintain against Big-10 pressure.

Then there is the ongoing free throw problem. Had they hit close to 70%, it would have changed the end-game play a great deal.

I remain amazed that a guy with all of Happ's skill and coordination is just completely lost at the free throw line. (Oh well, he's in company with guys like Wilt and Shaq.) They actually had to pull him because Minny resorted to "hack a Happ" and he missed all of his free throws down the stretch. (I saw someone say (possibly correctly) that his free throw shooting might be the difference between him playing in the NBA and the Turkish league.)

Then there is Iverson, who also has an ugly outside shot but weirdly enough has been a pretty good free throw shooter and he chokes down the stretch. He's a senior, like Happ. If he'd have done this a couple of years ago, fine, but he needs to be more of a leader at this point.

Hopefully, along with the poor game against Western Kentucky, this is just a bump in the road and not a sign of how their season is going to go.

 

[TW]

I thought Gard might be a solid HC. Now I'm beginning to believe that he was handed the job because Bo wanted to reward his loyalty, not necessarily because he figured he was the best. Gard has made enough money as HC at this point that he should be set for life.

It's time for the Badgers to do their best to get a guy like Bennett out of Viriginia.

 

[TW]

I remain amazed that a guy with all of Happ's skill and coordination is just completely lost at the free throw line. (Oh well, he's in company with guys like Wilt and Shaq.) They actually had to pull him because Minny resorted to "hack a Happ" and he missed all of his free throws down the stretch. (I saw someone say (possibly correctly) that his free throw shooting might be the difference between him playing in the NBA and the Turkish league.)

This is the multi-million dollar question, isn't it? As good as he can be, he's also the guy you don't want touching the ball down the stretch because he throws up bricks from the free throw line. As for Trice, I'm getting the impression the kid is a bit moody. If he's unhappy about something out there, he just plain lets up. I have no idea why he stood at the corner of the key for several seconds, until the ball was slapped away. He was just waiting for someone to come off either wing, but not orchestrating what should happen, and he's the point guard. Don't make sense.

 

[FlaPack]

Just a bump in the road. 1-11 from 3 in the 1st half and I think 6-26 overall in the half. Things like that happen. Trice has been off last 2 games and Ford could not get going. Post holiday lull maybe This team is still 10-4. Beat a very good NC State team and also a very good Oklahoma team. Still think its a top 5 team in the BiG

And Bennett is not coming to UW ever....no love between the Bennett family and UW

 

[TW]

I know Bennett won't be going to UW. I hope the next coach has his acumen for basketball, and ability to recruit. I just don't see Gard being at UW more than two years now.

 

[FlaPack]

If they make the NCAA's for the next 2 years he's safe. Virginia has not recruited well if you go by class rank. The 2018 class did not have a guy in the top 300 same with 2017. The 2017 class was ranked 65th in the nation. Its much like UW, you recruit to the system. That all said recruiting rankings are more than subjective. Harris and Kaminsky were 3 star kids so was Hayes. On the flip side Butch was a 4-5 star kid who can be debated he was a flop with that ranking. Remember Sam Okey?

Its a fair debate to question the system but same was true with Bo. Everyone wanted Shaka Smart after his success at Va Commonwealth but he's only went 59-54 at Texas. Crean was fine at MU but flopped at Indiana. I guess my point is be careful what you wish for.

 

[TW]

If they make the NCAA's for the next 2 years he's safe. Virginia has not recruited well if you go by class rank. The 2018 class did not have a guy in the top 300 same with 2017. The 2017 class was ranked 65th in the nation. Its much like UW, you recruit to the system. That all said recruiting rankings are more than subjective. Harris and Kaminsky were 3 star kids so was Hayes. On the flip side Butch was a 4-5 star kid who can be debated he was a flop with that ranking. Remember Sam Okey?

Its a fair debate to question the system but same was true with Bo. Everyone wanted Shaka Smart after his success at Va Commonwealth but he's only went 59-54 at Texas. Crean was fine at MU but flopped at Indiana. I guess my point is be careful what you wish for.

I see a lot of Shaka down here in Texas. He's a very intelligent basketball coach. Maybe a little too intelligent. I don't think some of his players can keep up with what he's saying.

I honestly didn't look at Virginia's ranking in recruiting. What I've seen is a team that plays as a team. Whether or not these guys have 3, 4, or 5 star ratings doesn't seem to matter to him. He gets guys out there that learn to play together, and it shows. They could get another 30 win season this year the way they're going. He just seems so solid when it comes to making adjustments during games, and seems to know which players will match up on defense against everyone they play. They sure know how to play D, that's for sure.