Opening Comments: I will not jump to conclusions based upon one game against an inferior team. I will not jump to conclusions based upon one game against an inferior team. I will not jump to conclusions based upon one game against an inferior team. …
Mastodons are slow moving and extinct.
Summarizing the game in a few words: UW shot the lights out inside the arc and played great D.
Pace: The game was a normal, for UW, 63 possessions.
Efficiency: UW put up a stellar 1.19 PPP and held IPFW to a miserly .73 PPP.
Shooting: UW achieved a stunning 63.3 eFG% and held IPFW to a lowly 37.2%. We outscored IPFW inside, outside and at the line.
3 pt shooting: UW hoisted 5 more threes than IPFW and made 3 more shots. UW was a so-so 6/18 for 33% while IPFW hit only 3/13 for 23%. That gave UW an extra 9 points from beyond the arc.
2pt shooting: Surprisingly, IPFW took more shots inside than UW – 34 to 31. But, quality trumped quantity big time. UW hit a stunning 71% inside going 22/31. Yikes! IPFW was 13/34 for 38%. UW picked up an additional 18 points inside.
1pt shooting: Both teams were comparably efficient at the line. IPFW hit 73% (11 of 15) while UW was 76% (13/17). UW got an extra 2 points on the line.
Rebounding: [Edit: I goofed up the rebounding. It should now be fixed.] Protecting the glass will be something I plan on watching a lot this year. Can Leuer, Nankivil, Berggren, Jarmusz and company approach the effectiveness of Landry and Krabbenhoft?
UW Defensive end: There were 32 rebounding opportunities on UW’s defensive side and UW grabbed 26 for 81%. Anything above 66% is better than average for NCAA D1. Or, IPFW grabbed 19% of their misses. Last year we allowed the opposition 26.4% of the misses, which was #4 nationally. Hence, the concern about losing Landry and Krabbenhoft.
UW Offensive End: There were only 23 rebounding opportunities (see UW’s shooting percentages for an insight) and UW plucked 7 for 30%. Normally, UW would concede the offensive glass to play defense. Last year we gathered 32%, which was below average for D1 teams. Offensive rebounding, to some degree, is a strategy decision.
Turnovers: IPFW had 14 TO's for 22% while UW had 13 TO's for 21%. Last year we averaged 16%, which was #5 nationally. There was that forgettable stretch where we lost it about 6 times in a row in the second half. Ugh. As they say, Bo has some “teaching moments.” We will watch this all year.
Fouls: IPFW had 20 to UW’s 16. UW ended up with 2 extra free throws.
Playing time: Bo played 8 players 10 or minutes with Berggren getting 9 and Smith logging a pleasing 6. Good job, W'QS.
Notable Performances: Everyone who took a shot from the floor scored at least as many points as FGA’s.
Leuer was on fire today. He was 8-10 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, grabbed 6 boards (including a great long-armed snatch under IPFW’s basket), and blocked 4 shots. John, long will the tales of your exploits be told around the campfires of my people.
Jarmusz was a tidy 9 points on 7 shots with 4 boards. JBO knocked down 12 on only 7 shots and had 3 blocks. JBO, people, campfires …
Shetown’s Predictions: Shetown had 3 hits, no misses, and fouled off 2.
1. Defending the three. The one thing IPFW is good at is shooting treys. Last season, Wisconsin’s opponents shot 32.6% from 3, good for 72nd worst in the country. Hit. IPFW hit 23%.
2. Defensive Rebounding. With the likelihood of long rebounds off of missed 3 bombs, the Badgers need to secure the boards against a poor offensive rebounding team and try to convert transition opportunities against this poor defensive team. Hit. IPFW got 6 of 25 for 24%. That is about average for our opponents last year, but UW was one of the best in the nation at protecting the glass. This is a good start, but obviously the level of competition has something to do with this.
3. Pound the ball inside. With IPFW’s best post defender suspended, Leuer, Nankivil, and Berggren should be able to have a field day in the paint. Major Hit. UW hit a shocking 71% inside the arc and outscored IPFW by 18 points.
4. Going inside will also lead to making that magical “make more free throws than their opponents take” stat come back to life after a 308 day hiatus. Not quite. UW made 13, IPFW tried 15.
5. I think UW accomplishes my keys to the game leading to the Badgers freezing the Mastodons 82-60 in a 71-possession game. Sort of. The game was 75-46 with 63 possessions. UW’s defense outperformed Shetown’s expectations. He predicted .85PPP buit UW achieved .73. Good job, team.
Closing Thoughts:
I normally do not look at blocks and assists. Who cares? But, one cannot help but notice UW had 11 blocks (to IPFW’s 0). Amazing.
As for assists, I still do not care.
Mrs. Turomon paused the TV and showed me that Andy North was present in the crowd (Thank God for HDTV or we would not have seen him). That got us at least a sip of our favorite beverage. For those who actually read this far and do not know the game, an Andy North sighting is a major part of our Badger drinking game).
I commented to Mrs. T that I need to pick a new favorite player since Joe Krabbenhoft is gone. This is a stressful thing for me to do. I want to get it right. Imagine the pressure on the poor guy who gets the honor. She recommended that I wait awhile before picking a favorite player, which makes a lot of sense. My instincts lean towards Jarmusz, but Leuer made me pause tonight. JBO is great - I really like his defense and his offensive efficiency is through the roof. Hughes does the dirty work. There are so many to choose from.
I really like the way the team appears to be unflappable. In particular, Hughes and JBO have the same demeanor all game every game no matter the opponent. I am not one who believes that basketball players should get fired up. Fired up players are mistake prone players, IMHO. I like to see steady high level performers (e.g. Mike Wilkinson, Marcus, …).
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