It’s been a rough start to the season for Wisconsin Basketball. After two bad losses, heading into a big Wednesday night matchup against NC State, it might be time to start thinking about making a change in the game plan.
Expectations for Wisconsin Basketball were rather timid entering the 2019-20 season. It was expected that the loss of Ethan Happ was going to be brutally felt, but it is fair to say that even the most pessimistic Badger fans did not see forward this poor of a start.
While still early, the 4-3 Badgers are fighting to stay above the .500 mark following back-to-back losses during the Legends Classic to both Richmond and New Mexico. Those two losses were “buy games” and – in the words of the great Jon Rothstein – were “the epitome of brutality.”
New Mexico’s win was their first win over a Power 5 school since 2012, in which Wisconsin shot an abysmal 2-26 from the 3-point line. Their previous loss to Richmond was not much prettier as they shot 7-27 from deep that time around. Both losses came in atypical Wisconsin fashion.
Now, using another Rothstein one-liner, “this is only December.” Wisconsin Basketball has time to get back on their feet. But the clock is ticking, and with Badger fans starting to lose their patience ahead of an important Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup against NC State, now might be time to consider making some change.
One of those possible changes is a bold one, as it is one suggesting the Badgers go against their own age-old grain. Wisconsin Basketball’s slow-paced half-court offense has been a mainstay within the program forever, but given the team’s current circumstances, it might finally be time for the Badgers to speed up their game.
Initially, that might seem like a bold thing to suggest, given the fact that Wisconsin has preached playing “careful” basketball for an eternity now. But, it has also been a while since Wisconsin has had a team like the one they currently have.
Exhibit A is the fact that former Badger big, Ethan Happ, has been absent from the floor this season. If it was not obvious before, it has recently become very clear as to why Happ was so special for Wisconsin: his ability to force his shot and get a look whenever called upon.
If an offense is going to exclusively run in the half-court, it needs to have a scapegoat for when the offense stalls. Happ and his dominant post-game acted like that for the Badgers.
Before him, Nigel Hayes did the same (along with Bronson Koenig and his fantastic perimeter game). Before them, it was Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky who bailed the offense out. Now? The Badgers simply just don’t have their scapegoat.
That’s not meant to imply they have no talent. They have plenty of players who can play, and they have proven such. It’s just that the players seem to not be ideally meant for the current scheme.
There’s no one in the lineup who can get an efficient bucket in isolation when the going gets tough. Nate Reuvers might be that with time, Kobe King is slowly starting to show that ability, but neither is evidently ready right now. This leads to Wisconsin relying upon and taking far too many forced 3-pointers; it’s their only option at times.
“You live behind the line, you die behind the line;” and Wisconsin Basketball has been dying. Yet they don’t really have an alternative option to go to in the half-court. Given that, it seems as if it is time to adapt; it is time to “transition” to a more full-court offense.
While pushing the pace does go against many of the Badger cornerstones (turnovers do tend to go up, for example), it could solve their problem and help find more efficient looks.
It’s an obvious fix on paper; if you’re struggling to penetrate the defense in the half-court, run in transition and attack a less prepared defense. It’s not an abstract concept by any means, which is why the Badgers could at least toy with the idea (like they have previously suggested).
The fact that they currently have the personnel built to play faster only makes the idea seem less crazy. Even the Badgers best half-court player (arguably), Nate Reuvers, could find an effective role in the full court game. While he is not the fastest runner, the big man is a career 33.3 percent 3-point shooter; his presence as a trailing catch-and-shoot big man could add a layer to Wisconsin’s offense that has never been seen before.
As for others who could thrive under more transition; Kobe King’s gifted athleticism is built to run the whole 94-foot floor. He did it a ton at the high school level – in which he won both a state title and Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball – allowing him to return to his strengths could take his game to an even higher level. Brad Davison is a bulldog point guard who thrives under chaotic moments; he certainly could carry the decision-making load during a faster change of pace.
Aleem Ford is another athlete, like King, who seems built to run-and-gun it more often (for his size). Wisconsin’s surrounding shooters could expect to see more open looks also, something that’s been a highlighted issue thus far this season. The percentages should be there – they have proven scorers from deep – but they just aren’t; transition jumpers could be the answer.
The hope is not that the Badgers decide to go absolutely guns blazing for their next game against NC State, but at least deciding to run with the momentum on defensive rebounds a little more often could be a sightseeing venture of the ages for Wisconsin Basketball fans.
The best basketball teams are the ones who are willing to adapt to the times – to adapt with their resources. Wisconsin Basketball has stuck to the same recipe for quite some time and it undoubtedly has worked wonders, but that has not been the case thus far this season.
With as great of a basketball team that the Badgers are, one can only pray they realize at least a slight change might have to be on the horizon. And one can also pray they might finally consider that change to be to pick up the pace. Perhaps that change is coming soon, but only the games will tell; starting with Wednesday night’s matchup against NC State.