Badgers Basketball 2024-25

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Wow! Tne Badgers not only beat Arizona, who was ranked #9, they did it while putting up over 100 points! We finally have a real star player, Tonje. The guy can put shots up from everywhere, and can move off the ball. Watching him play, and comparing it to the guys who left the program, I can say that the changes are awesome! We might just have something that can compete here. A little early, but they look like they could be a real team, and have a real leader, who has the potential of being an early pick in the NBA draft the way he plays.

This could be an exciting season.
 
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Tonight the Badgers play our small college down here in the RGV in Madison. I hope the Vaqueros show some spirit, even though I want Wisconsin to win. These kids are fighting to be recognized down here, since they're a recent entry into DI basketball, at a lower level. Recruiting isn't easy I'm afraid. But, they do their best, and are 3-2 so far this year. I'm gonna be watching this game and the Bucks game at the same time. Another busy sports night.
 
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A great game if you're a Vaqueros fan. They nearly upset the Badgers. In fact, they led most of the way, and had them looking like a pedestrian team at best, most of the time. It exposed a major weakness in the Badgers. They do not defend well against the 3 point shot. They weren't there to contest often enough.

I had some hope for the Badgers after the Arizona game, but I think that was before their defensive weaknesses were exposed by a lower DI team, and their ball movement. I don't think the Badgers can continue putting up the kind of points they are, game after game, to be highly competitive in the Big 10, and in Power 5 conference play.

Something interesting. The combination of Tonje & Blackwell are rebounding equally with the Winters & Crowl combination. Combined, both pair average 9.6 per game. Quite frankly, that's one of the reasons we're not doing better coverage outside the arc against 3s. Our guards need to crash down for rebounds, because our big guys aren't getting them. Klesmit is the weak link on the floor, offensively, and on the boards, but he has quick hands, and leads the team in steals at 2.2 per game. That's pretty good numbers for a Wisconsin team.

What's to like? There's a ton of untapped talent on this team. It's only an opportunity away from exploding. I wonder if it will.

As for the Vaqueros? They're a well coached team. I think I'm going to try to get out and see them play a couple of games down here this winter when they're in town. I think they're worth watching. Not a championship type team, but a real blue collar hard working scrappy bunch who can be fun to watch.
 
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Wisconsin was totally outplayed by Marquette. There's no way they could keep up with the speed they have. They did a solid job during the first half, but after that, they were not in the game. If Marquette continues to improve, they could be a contender for the Final 4, and at least for the Sweet 16. They're solid.

I can't knock how the Badgers played in this one. They just don't have the players that were on the court against them.

I've always liked Shaka Smart as a HC. I remember when he was down here in Texas, and there were people who wanted him gone from the day he got here. I can guess why, but can't be certain. I do know he did not get a lot of outside help in recruiting. I knew when he got the Marquette job he was going to show these idiots how stupid their actions were.
 
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Watching the Badgers take on Nebraska at the Kohl Center. 19-2 in favor of Badgers. They can't miss from 3. They're going to play a solid game after losing that squeaker to UCLA out on the coast.
 
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WOW!!!!! The Badgers went into Lafayette, IN and beat the Boilermakers by 10 points! Purdue was ranked #7. Needless to say, the Badgers are turning into something special.

They still have a lot of work to do before the NCAA tournament but they're beginning to look like they could be a contender for the Final Four. Five players in double digits again today. One a newcomer. Jack Janicki got 11 points. This team has some shooters.
 

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Just a great effort by Wisconsin on the road, against the #7 team in the Country! They totally dominated the 2nd half.

What a fun team to watch!
 

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Greg Gard will definitely be in the conversation for Coach of The Year in the Big10, if not in the Country.

John Tonje should also be in the conversation for player of the year.

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The McGee ejection for a "flagrant 2" yesterday was a joke. The good news for the Badgers is I really think it fired them up and McGee's replacement, walk-on freshman Jack Janicki, stepped into McGee's role and poured in a career-best 11 points.

That said, I love how Gard handled the ejection it after the game.

"They had no choice," Gard said. "I haven't seen the video. I didn't look at it at halftime. I didn't look at the board or anything. I was having more conversations about what had happened the previous possession on the other end when I felt our guys were like bowling pins falling down and getting knocked around. It's within the rules. This is a really hard game for any crew. That's why we had a really strong crew for this. It's a hard job to do. When they gave me the explanation that's the letter of the law. That's not up for debate. So we needed to move on and keep playing. That was the biggest thing. We had a lot of basketball left to play. We didn't need to dwell on that. Next guy rally up and let's go."
 
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Love that #9 ranking. They can now sweep the rest of the season and find themselves potentially a top 4 and get into the Midwest regional so they can pack the house for games. That would be awesome.

To be honest, I think it's nigh onto impossible making a sweep from here on in. Some stiff competition on the road, and the Big 10 tournament is going to be a tough one this year. No matter what, they will get a solid invite to the big dance and could make some waves before their season ends.
 

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Love that #9 ranking. They can now sweep the rest of the season and find themselves potentially a top 4 and get into the Midwest regional so they can pack the house for games. That would be awesome.

To be honest, I think it's nigh onto impossible making a sweep from here on in. Some stiff competition on the road, and the Big 10 tournament is going to be a tough one this year. No matter what, they will get a solid invite to the big dance and could make some waves before their season ends.

The Badgers remaining schedule is very favorable. 3 games in a row at the Kohl Center and then 2 out of their last 3 games on the road. 3 of their 6 remaining games are against the bottom 5 of the Big10 (Minn., Wash, PSU). Their toughest 2 games will be against Illinois (at home) and Michigan State (@E. Lansing).

This team has done nothing but improve since day 1. I am guessing, but if you ask any of the top 10 teams coaches right now, the Badgers might be the team that none of them want to face in their NCAA bracket.

Exciting season for the Badgers and if they continue to improve and play with consistency, they are going to turn some heads in the tournament.
 
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I'm going to be glued to my 65" TV watching tonight's game which starts at 7:30 PM. The game is on FS1.

Illinois can be good at times and flop the next time out. It looks like it's a tough betting line with the Badgers only favored by 4 1/2 in a home game. It could go down to the wire.

I don't expect the Badgers to shoot a ridiculous percentage again tonight, but if they stay in the 45% range, they'll take them out without breaking too much of a sweat.
 

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I'm going to be glued to my 65" TV watching tonight's game which starts at 7:30 PM. The game is on FS1.

Illinois can be good at times and flop the next time out. It looks like it's a tough betting line with the Badgers only favored by 4 1/2 in a home game. It could go down to the wire.

I don't expect the Badgers to shoot a ridiculous percentage again tonight, but if they stay in the 45% range, they'll take them out without breaking too much of a sweat.
Agree. This is a good test of the Badger team. How will they come out after a huge victory at Purdue? Despite the sub-zero temps in Madison tonight, I think the Kohl center will be rocking!

With the Women's Hockey team and now the Men's basketball team, lots to be excited about for Badger fans!

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Agree. This is a good test of the Badger team. How will they come out after a huge victory at Purdue? Despite the sub-zero temps in Madison tonight, I think the Kohl center will be rocking!

With the Women's Hockey team and now the Men's basketball team, lots to be excited about for Badger fans!

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That's cold. I keep track of the weather in Milton. My Son owns a restaurant/bar by Lake Koshkonong so it interests me. It's one of his side businesses. He goes back and forth from Austin, TX to that area all winter long, and spends the majority of his time during the summer at their summer place near the business.

I'm a little miffed. I had the windows and doors open down here until a little bit ago. I had to close them. It's getting too warm without the AC on.

But on Thursday we only have a high of about 50 degrees. Down here that's like 10 below up there to people. I have a Doctor appointment on Thursday at 1 PM and I'm going to have to wear long pants for only the second time in 7 years! I might even put on socks when I go in. Normally I don't. :)
 

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That's cold. I keep track of the weather in Milton. My Son owns a restaurant/bar by Lake Koshkonong so it interests me. It's one of his side businesses. He goes back and forth from Austin, TX to that area all winter long, and spends the majority of his time during the summer at their summer place near the business.

I'm a little miffed. I had the windows and doors open down here until a little bit ago. I had to close them. It's getting too warm without the AC on.

But on Thursday we only have a high of about 50 degrees. Down here that's like 10 below up there to people. I have a Doctor appointment on Thursday at 1 PM and I'm going to have to wear long pants for only the second time in 7 years! I might even put on socks when I go in. Normally I don't. :)
Resist the urge. Shorts and no socks whenever the temp is above zero F.
 
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Resist the urge. Shorts and no socks whenever the temp is above zero F.
My wife and I had a big laugh about two-hours ago. She pulled out a pair of Levi's I bought about 8 or nine years ago and have only worn once, when we went to a big BBQ show down here in the Valley. She put them in the washing machine because they were dusty. I'm going to wear them along with a western shirt I haven't worn either, that needed washing.

I've also decided to wear my "new" Skechers that I bought over 10 years ago and haven't worn either. I kind of fell into a rut with my old Skechers and even though they are exactly the same, just couldn't part with the old ones which now look like something a street person would turn down because they're so dilapidated.

I guess you might say that she's found it difficult dragging me into the 21st Century in some ways. :)
 

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Jeeeesh, if I ever moved to the South, I'd have to part with 90% of my wardrobe!

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Jeeeesh, if I ever moved to the South, I'd have to part with 90% of my wardrobe!

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You're absolutely right. I have pants, shirts, and jackets that I never wear because I never need them. We were Winter Texans for a few years, and it reached a point that I had two separate wardrobes. One up in Wisconsin for summers, and the other down here, for winters. Since I don't have to worry too much about mosquitoes, I don't need the long sleeves or the long pants to be honest.

The only time I miss snow is on Christmas. But I never miss the cold weather of winter to be honest. When I see people shoveling and getting plowed out, I'm ready to climb on my golf cart and go for a ride and thank the Lord that I can enjoy the balance of my life without freezing my stuff off in that cold.
 

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My wife and I had a big laugh about two-hours ago. She pulled out a pair of Levi's I bought about 8 or nine years ago and have only worn once, when we went to a big BBQ show down here in the Valley. She put them in the washing machine because they were dusty. I'm going to wear them along with a western shirt I haven't worn either, that needed washing.

I've also decided to wear my "new" Skechers that I bought over 10 years ago and haven't worn either. I kind of fell into a rut with my old Skechers and even though they are exactly the same, just couldn't part with the old ones which now look like something a street person would turn down because they're so dilapidated.

I guess you might say that she's found it difficult dragging me into the 21st Century in some ways. :)
Hey V where do you live?

I seriously will wear shorts and no socks until it gets to zero (OK, maybe the 20s but who cares - I still look nutz.) Those are Wisconsin rules. We lived just outside SF for 18 years and it was shorts and no socks all year. Winter in Nor Cal, at its worst, is like the 50s, overcast, and drizzling. The natives think they've gone to hell. I'm like (What's the big fking deal?)

Back in WI now because I think it's fairly safe....... No wildfires or earthquakes - well, yet.......
 
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Hey V where do you live?

I seriously will wear shorts and no socks until it gets to zero (OK, maybe the 20s but who cares - I still look nutz.) Those are Wisconsin rules. We lived just outside SF for 18 years and it was shorts and no socks all year. Winter in Nor Cal, at its worst, is like the 50s, overcast, and drizzling. The natives think they've gone to hell. I'm like (What's the big fking deal?)

Back in WI now because I think it's fairly safe....... No wildfires or earthquakes - well, yet.......
I live just 7 miles North of the Mexican border in a town called Weslaco. It's located between McAllen and Harlingen. There are several 55+ Winter Texan parks, and we're in one of them. We have a huge community in our park and constant activities. It's an amazing park. I'm adding a link to it so you can see just how much goes on here. It's a warm and friendly community. We go everywhere in the park on our golf carts. In fact, my wife and I don't put very many miles on our Honda Pilot. It's a 2019 and that we bought new and have less than 31,000 miles on it which includes our trips back and forth to the Austin area where both our sons live. The area we live in is in the sub-tropical zone of the US. We call it "Ken & Barbie 50 years later."

 

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A nice win for Bucky last night! They didn't play their best basketball, but still cruised against a top 25 team and did it quite comfortably the entire game.

I don't know much about the Illinois Basketball team, but the announcers seemed enamored by many of their players and rambled on and on about where they will go in the NBA draft. Oh well, I'm just tickled that the Badgers have a team that is deep in talent and guys that work really hard as a team. I didn't see a lot of team play from Illinois last night, seemed more like a "I'm going to be the guy to score" performance, which doesn't win you big games very often.

Not sure what was going on with the Badgers and turnovers last night, but they had like what, 3 traveling calls in the first 5 minutes? Their free throws were also a bit off last night. When I say a "bit off", that goes to show you my expectations of the team that leads the country in FT % by shooting above 83%. I guess 17-22 (77%) is still good and better than many of the past Badger Teams.

I'm not a big X and O guy, but I think Gard made some adjustments during the game and what started out as a contest that looked like it could come down to the final shot, turned into one that Bucky seemed to have full control of over the final 30 or so minutes. That deep bench of the Badgers is going to be really beneficial during the Big10 and NCAA tourney.
 

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Also hoping that the Badger players don't all get sick. Illinois had some kind of flu virus sweep through their locker room recently. It was the reason that their coach called off the traditional handshake after the game. Well I got news for you, if he feared a handshake would make the Badgers sick, I think the damage may have already been done on the court. Illini player Jake Davis got sick pregame and didn't even join the team at halftime. Tomislav Ivisic didn't travel with the team and drove up on his own to try and play.

Where is RFK when you need him? :coffee:
 
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If I was to pick the most valuable player on the Badgers basketball team this year it would have to be Kirk Penney. The Euro game that he brought with him has transformed the sleepy slow moving Badger team into a dynamic scoring machine that has at least 7 guys who can step up and lead the team in scoring when needed.

Players whose skills were hidden because of the slow-moving offense that relied on superior defense is gone, replaced by players who have stunned the Big 10 with their play. As I've said since the time they left, we wouldn't miss Storr or Hepburn. Gard made them the entire focus of the Badger offense and it stifled everyone else.

Last year it was obvious to some of us that a freshman, Blackwell, was a better point guard than Hepburn because he was quicker and moved the ball around much better than Chuckie. Blackwell also showed his skills at creating situations that led to other players scoring more because of the open looks they were getting. He has also shown he isn't in the slightest bit selfish about sharing the ball.

Storr was a scoring machine because he was given the opportunities while others weren't. Gard used him as a one man show offense and it cost the Badgers a lot of scoring potential from players who could have contributed.

Kirk Penney coming on board changed all that. As you watch the games unfold this year, you can see the players confidence growing every time they hit the floor. They believe in themselves, and most of all, they believe in each other and the skills they offer to the team. They are playing as a team that emphasizes maximum effort by everyone on the floor, at all times.

Gard is being suggested as the Big 10 Coach of the Year, and it's deserved. He's also seriously in the running for national coach of the year. He deserves it if he gets it. But one thing is clear. No matter what accolades Gard gets, he should share the glory with his staff and give a real special mention to Kirk because he's the guy who brought the game out of the stone age for the Badgers. Fortunately, Gard felt like he was under enough pressure with his system that he listened and adapted the changes to their style of play.
 

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I live just 7 miles North of the Mexican border in a town called Weslaco. It's located between McAllen and Harlingen. There are several 55+ Winter Texan parks, and we're in one of them. We have a huge community in our park and constant activities. It's an amazing park. I'm adding a link to it so you can see just how much goes on here. It's a warm and friendly community. We go everywhere in the park on our golf carts. In fact, my wife and I don't put very many miles on our Honda Pilot. It's a 2019 and that we bought new and have less than 31,000 miles on it which includes our trips back and forth to the Austin area where both our sons live. The area we live in is in the sub-tropical zone of the US. We call it "Ken & Barbie 50 years later."

Houston is considered sub-tropical as well I think. Your place sounds great, and I don't mind the humidity here in the summer. I've been in Houston in the summer. Too much for this cowboy.
 

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If I was to pick the most valuable player on the Badgers basketball team this year it would have to be Kirk Penney. The Euro game that he brought with him has transformed the sleepy slow moving Badger team into a dynamic scoring machine that has at least 7 guys who can step up and lead the team in scoring when needed.

Players whose skills were hidden because of the slow-moving offense that relied on superior defense is gone, replaced by players who have stunned the Big 10 with their play. As I've said since the time they left, we wouldn't miss Storr or Hepburn. Gard made them the entire focus of the Badger offense and it stifled everyone else.

Last year it was obvious to some of us that a freshman, Blackwell, was a better point guard than Hepburn because he was quicker and moved the ball around much better than Chuckie. Blackwell also showed his skills at creating situations that led to other players scoring more because of the open looks they were getting. He has also shown he isn't in the slightest bit selfish about sharing the ball.

Storr was a scoring machine because he was given the opportunities while others weren't. Gard used him as a one man show offense and it cost the Badgers a lot of scoring potential from players who could have contributed.

Kirk Penney coming on board changed all that. As you watch the games unfold this year, you can see the players confidence growing every time they hit the floor. They believe in themselves, and most of all, they believe in each other and the skills they offer to the team. They are playing as a team that emphasizes maximum effort by everyone on the floor, at all times.

Gard is being suggested as the Big 10 Coach of the Year, and it's deserved. He's also seriously in the running for national coach of the year. He deserves it if he gets it. But one thing is clear. No matter what accolades Gard gets, he should share the glory with his staff and give a real special mention to Kirk because he's the guy who brought the game out of the stone age for the Badgers. Fortunately, Gard felt like he was under enough pressure with his system that he listened and adapted the changes to their style of play.

I agree. I think it was the perfect storm in Madison. Penney coming in with some smart ideas, the team was made up of a group of guys that the concepts work perfect with. Going into this season, most pegged the Badgers for the bottom 5 in the Big10, now they are in the conversation for actually winning the Big10 and being a threat in the NCAA tourney. The 2 games this season against Illinois really showed just how far the Badgers have progressed in a short time.

A good interview with Kirk, back in November. The audio is terrible, especially for the first minute. Coach Penney won't be in Madison long if word gets out just how much he has helped the Badger offense.

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