Whenever we have a game, I try and seek out the views and opinions of those from the opponents area.
Today, we will look at Swingtown Badger Basketball Blog and The Badger Herald.
From Swingtown:
I don’t think a home game could have come at a better time. The Badgers couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn in Orlando, especially from deep…Â NC State used to be a lot like Wisconsin with Herb Sendek at the helm. But he was chased away to ASU because their fanbase seemingly values high tempo over success… But they are signing 4- and 5-star recruits now, so I guess they can lose in style.
The Herald:
Despite their youthfulness, UW head coach Bo Ryan acknowledged the team’s athleticism and natural talent, saying they “can beat anyone in the country.â€
But when it comes to anticipating NC State’s game plan, Ryan, whose teams have always been able to slow down the pace of their opponent, expects nothing less from the Wolfpack than another attempt at running the Badgers up and down the court.
“They’ll do that. Anybody that sees our team salivates. You know, if Pavlov rang a bell…†Ryan said. “People have been trying to run it down our throats for 10 years, it’s our job to stop them.â€
Slowing down the opposing offense is somewhat of a trademark for UW, which has finished in the NCAA’s top 10 in points allowed in each of the last four years. So far this year, the Badger ‘D†has remained as dependable as ever, allowing an average of 54 points per game, right on cue with years past.
Only one team thus far has scored more than 60 points on UW, and Badger opponents have been held to shooting an average of just .387 and .351 this season.
On the other side of the court, the Badgers have struggled to consistently shoot the ball well over their last three games in the Old Spice Classic. In all first halves, UW connected on just .318 of all shots while coming back in the second to hit .509 of all attempts.
Other than poor shooting, UW’s two losses so far this season don’t have much else in common. Against UNLV, Wisconsin won the rebound fight and took full advantage of second chance points, but it was costly turnovers late in the game that made the difference.
Against Notre Dame, Wisconsin committed just four turnovers but lost the rebound fight and failed to get to the free throw line.
Tonight will be a battle of wills, the will to impose one style over another. The thing is, I don’t see it being that much of a factor unless we REALLY run the floor. Fortunately, we do have the ability to run an effective half-court offense, and we all know Wisconsin can run. This is a really tough game to quantify, which means we could easily get blown out or pull the upset. One thing is certain, this is an exceptional opportunity for NCSU to take the next step. But if we lose tonight, we still have some marquee games remaining in December to nullify a loss to the Badgers.
In absolutely unrelated news, came across this (not sure if anyone is talking about it on the forums): In short, despite what we heard from Gruden’s camp earlier this week, athletic director Kirby Hocutt will travel to Tampa Wednesday and meet with Gruden to gauge his interest in the position.
