Post-Game: Tough loss tonight in front of a sparse crowd in Crisler Arena. Starting a game with a 7 minute scoring drought is never a good plan for success. One of the worst parts of the game for me was the rebounding. Just weak on the glass, I don’t know how many times a Badger player got their own rebound inside and usually made a bucket or got the bucket&the foul. I don’t know if the rebounding is a problem with the 1-3-1, poor practice, no heart, but it needs to be better. Sign Carson Butler up.
Leuer burned Michigan all day from long range (5/5 3pfg) and I didn’t even have him in my pregame! Kid was flat out on fire, this recruiting article says he is a perfect Beilein kid. Michigan 6 baskets in the first half, Leuer four 3-pointers. I don’t know how that kid was left open so many times, the breakdowns in the defensive rotation are painful.
Game was just painful in the fact that every time Michigan would show some heart and cut it to 8 Wisconsin would break their spirits. One of the most troubling things for me is the body language of the team. They seem almost ready, expecting to lose. Team really needs some toughening up mentally and physically. Pre-Game: Wisconsin travels to snowy Ann Arbor Wednesday night for the first BigTen test for the Wolverines. Michigan has had plenty of practice and time off over the last week and a half since the UCLA game and plenty of time to gameplan for Wisconsin. Meanwhile Wisconsin was busy knocking off Texas in a huge win in Austin.
Wisconsin leading scorer Trevon Hughes is questionable tonight, after not playing in Saturday’s win over Texas. However he is off of crutches and walking with little noticeable limp.
Wisconsin has a pretty balanced attack led by point guard Trevon Hughes (15.1 ppg) and Brian Butch (13.1 ppg) but also gets solid performance from Landry, Flowers, and Krabbenhoft. Wisconsin has 8 players averaging more than 8 minutes per game. Wisconsin proved themselves in their non-conference slate for the most part. The highlights (and low lights) were a blowout loss at Duke, a close loss at home to Marquette, and closing out the pre-Big Ten slate with quality wins over Valpo and Texas.
Back in the top 25, Wisconsin will be looking to take no prisoners in Ann Arbor. Michigan has had success at home against Wisconsin over the past few years though and the Wolverines should come to play. It will be a fun one so try to make it out to Crisler.
UMHoops Prediction: Wisc 72 – UM 64
