College Basketball: Breaking down the Wisconsin-Marquette rivalry
Current NBA Talent
Marquette Golden Eagles
Jimmy Butler: Butler is entering his seventh season in the NBA. After spending the first six years of his career with the Chicago Bulls, Butler is now a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. A three-time All-Star, Butler has career averages of 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He has averaged more than 20 points per game in each of the past three seasons.
Dwyane Wade: A three-time NBA Champion (and 2006 Finals MVP) and 12-time All-Star, Dwyane Wade is one of the best shooting guards in NBA history. Wade has played 14 seasons in the league, 13 of which with the Miami Heat. For his career, Wade has averaged 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
Jae Crowder: A double-digit per game scorer in each of the past two seasons, Jae Crowder has emerged as a valuable role player in the NBA. He has spent time with Dallas and Boston in his first six seasons in the league. This season he will be joining LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, though. Crowder averages 8.9 points per game for his career.
Wes Matthews: An eight-year veteran in the NBA, Wes Matthews has carved out a very solid career. While playing with Utah, Portland, and Dallas, Matthews has averaged 13.9 points per game on 38.3% shooting 3-point land during his career.
Henry Ellenson: Entering just his second NBA season this year, Ellenson did not do much as a rookie. He put up 3.2 points per game.
Vander Blue: After signing with the Lakers in August, the hope is that Blue sticks with the team for his longest NBA stretch. He has played in five total games during his career.
Wisconsin Badgers
Devin Harris: An All-Star in 2008-09, Devin Harris has bounced around the league in the last several seasons. He has played for the Mavericks, Nets, Jazz, and Hawks during his career. Although he only averaged 11.3 points per game for his career, he did post over 20 per game with the Nets while becoming an All-Star.
Jon Leuer: Emerging in recent years as a solid bench option, Jon Leuer has had a decent career. In six career seasons, Leuer has played with the Bucks, Pistons, Grizzlies, Cavaliers, and Suns. He has averaged 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game to this point in his career.
Frank Kaminsky: With two NBA seasons under his belt, Kaminsky has been solid for the Charlotte Hornets. This past season, he averaged 11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game even though he struggled with his shot. His game at the NBA level is still coming along.
Sam Dekker: After missing most of his first season due to injury, Dekker bounced back to play in 77 games this past season, putting up 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He will hopefully continue to progress as a valuable player for the Rockets this season.
On the current NBA landscape, Marquette holds the advantage. They have two players that are either current or former stars in the league and hold 15 total All-Star appearances to just one from the Badgers. Still, even though Marquette has had more NBA talent, the Badgers are the ones who have been running the collegiate series over the past several seasons.
Will this trend continue or will the tides change? Will Marquette start to beat Wisconsin more often or will Wisconsin start to produce more next-level talent?