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The Wisconsin Badgers basketball team begins its defense of the sweep of Big Ten titles and back-to-back appearances in the Final Four with a team that won’t look anything like the one that went out there the past two seasons.
Does that mean the ride at the top of the college basketball world is over? What will this team actually look like as it takes to the court for its regular season opener later this week?
Let’s take a look in to how the backcourt of the Badgers will shape up this season.
Projected Starters:
Bronson Koenig (Jr.)
2014 Stats — 8.7 ppg; 1.8 rpg; 2.5 apg; 24 starts
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 06: Bronson Koenig #24 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks to pass to Frank Kaminsky #44 in the first half against the Duke Blue Devils during the NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
The junior wasn’t supposed to be a grizzled veteran just yet, but thanks to a broken foot suffered by Traevon Jackson early in Big Ten play, the sophomore got plenty of playing time down the stretch run of the season. Koenig far from failed at the challenge put in front of him, often time playing over 35 minutes a game while also putting up double digit points in all but eight of the 23 games following the Rutgers contest.
It also helps that he proved to be a sharp shooter from deep, shooting a career-high 40.5 percent from the three-point line. He also did a great job of taking care of the basketball, averaging 0.8 turnovers per game and dishing out a career-best 2.5 assists per game.
Zak Showalter (Jr.)
2014 Stats — 2.1 ppg; 1.3 rpg; 0.5 apg; 7.2 minutes per game
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 04: Dakari Johnson #44 of the Kentucky Wildcats goes up for the ball against Zak Showalter #3 and Bronson Koenig #24 of the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half during the NCAA Men’s Final Four Semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Steppig – Pool/Getty Images)
All the offseason focus has been on replacing Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky, and with both going in the first round of the NBA Draft that is an understandable thing to focus on. However, one player may have been the biggest key to what Wisconsin was able to accomplish this past season — guard Josh Gasser. Replacing him is going to be equally as difficult as anything going on up front.
The first person to get the challenge of replacing Gasser’s energy, production and grit will be Germantown product Zak Showalter. While the stats may not suggest huge things coming, there are few players on UW’s team that are as athletic as Showalter is. He can jump out of the gym and is a solid defensive player. Teaming up with Koenig on the outside should provide the Badgers with an interesting backcourt to speak of in the 2015-16 season.
Key Reserves:
Jordan Hill (So.): If there is a mystery player in the Badgers backcourt, it is Hill. A lot of that is due to him taking the rare decision to redshirt after his true freshman year and playing sparingly in the 2013-14 season. Still, he is going to be counted on in a major way as the main backup at point guard behind Koenig.
Hill averaged just 2.3 minutes per game and averaged 0.6 points per game, so it is safe to say there isn’t a major track record on the court in games that matter. What we do know is that he appears more than capable of understanding what Bo Ryan wants his offense to accomplish, and that’s more than half the battle. He still is a bit thin, at 6-3 and 178 pounds, so defensively Hill is going to be challenged by bigger guards this season as well. If he can give 10-15 minutes per game this season, Wisconsin got what it needs out of the reserve point guard.
Riley Dearring (So.): Showalter seems to be the starter at shooting guard by default. However, injuries happen and Showy has just one season of experience under his belt. That’s where Dearring comes in to the mix, and if the small sample size that was 15 games of action last season is to be believed, he could help with perimeter scoring. At 6-5 though, Dearring will also be counted on to help be a defensive stopper on wing players. In fact, that may be where he has the most value to the Badgers this season as he continues to work on his offensive game.
Brevin Pritzl (Fr.): No player on the Badgers roster has a better pure shot than Pritzl, and he hasn’t even set foot on the Kohl Center court in a game yet. Having seen him in person more than a handful of times, Pritzl’s quick release and spacing on the court are his biggest assets. Will that still be the case after Prtizl comes back from a broken foot?
If the 4-star recruit decides a redshirt is the way to go, look for this Badgers team to lean a lot more on Koenig to be the person getting the job done from deep. Wisconsin has to hope he can get back quickly and decide to help this team out from this season and beyond. Otherwise, Wisconsin is going to be really thin on reserves that can help this team score in a major way.
X-Factor: Brevin Pritzl’s decision
The incoming freshman was expected to be a plug and play type guy for the Badgers, even if it was coming off the bench in a sharp shooting role. Pritzl’s ability to shoot the ball from beyond the arc is going to be badly needed by a team that lacks a lot of options and a lot of experience from the guard position.
However, he’s still not 100 percent sure if he’ll redshirt or not thanks to a broken foot suffered while walking to a workout in August. Even if Pritzl tries to give it a go, sometimes an injury like that is more about the mental side of the game than anything physical. How Prtizl handles this and if he is even available could be a major help or hinderance to Wisconsin’s chances early on.
Prediction for this Group:
A lot of the attention has been on the incoming 4-star shooting guard out of De Pere, Wis. — Brevin Pritzl — and rightfully so. He’s got an ability to shoot from deep like few Wisconsin has had coming in to the season. However, Wisconsin’s season may well go as Showalter and Hill go.
If Showy, as the team has taken to calling him, can continue to grow into his role and be more than just an energy guy off the bench, Wisconsin’s backcourt is going to surprise some people. I’m just not sold that the depth and ability from outside the arc is there from this group. It looks like it will be Koenig and the frontcourt players making the biggest difference for the Badgers in 2015-16.
The post Wisconsin Badgers 2015-16 Basketball Preview: Guards appeared first on Madtown Badgers.
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