|
By
Nick Meyer
itoffishul777@hotmail.com
March 15th, 2004
NCAA Tournament
Scouting Report: Wisconsin
The Badgers have always
been a smart, tough, fundamentally sound team, especially on defense.
But this squad is also more athletic than people give them credit for.
The return of swingman
Alando Tucker from the foot injuries of last year has been vital to the
Badgers. Tucker is athletic and versatile, with a great knack for
getting his shot off at impossible angles to finish around the basket.
The backcourt of
Shariff Chambliss and Kammron Taylor is very quick, but a little
undersized.
Small forward Zach
Morley is a dynamic offensive player with the ability to score inside
and out, and he’s coming off a great Big Ten Tournament performance.
Shooting guard Clayton Hanson is a phenomenal spot-up shooter, hitting
43 percent of his threes, but is one
dimensional.
Tucker teams up inside
with first-team All-Big Ten center Mike Wilkinson to provide great
inside scoring and defense. Wilkinson is a smooth 6’8, 240-pounder with
excellent footwork and the ability to finish inside with both hands.
He’s also a master at drawing offensive fouls.
Bo Ryan is one of the
nation’s most underrated coaches, and he gets maximum effort and
production from his players.
Weaknesses:
The Badgers are
excellent defensively, but lack of balanced scoring is a nagging
problem.
Wilkinson and Tucker
are the only players who average above double figures. Chambliss
and Taylor are not proven pressure performers, and both are prone to bad
shot selection and turnovers. Lack of backcourt depth is a serious
problem.
Summary:
The Badgers are a
well-coached, fundamentally sound team that excels at all the little
things.
Their unorthodox “swing
offense,” featuring post plays for the guards, and slow-down style make
them difficult to prepare for. But the lack of backcourt experience
should be their downfall. If only they still had Devin Harris…
Prediction:
Wisconsin won’t have much trouble with Northern Iowa, but Kansas
should knock them out in a close second-round game.
More Big Ten
NCAA Tournament Scouting Reports
So you think the Big Ten had a
down year? Most conferences would kill for 5 NCAA Tournament
teams, and the #1 seed in the entire field of 65. Maybe the Big
Ten isn't as strong as it has been in recent years, but you'd be foolish
to just ignore the damage that a Michigan State or Wisconsin can do.
Nick Meyer presents scouting reports for each Big Ten team that's
playing in the post-season, including NIT bound Indiana.
NCAA
Tournament
Illinois Scouting
Report
Michigan State
Scouting Report
Wisconsin Scouting
Report
Iowa Hawkeyes
Scouting Report
NIT
Indiana Scouting Report
Return to the
NCAA Tournament Homepage.
|
