Tag: lineup

Surprising candidate in contention for Wisconsin basketball starting point guard job

Surprising candidate emerging as Wisconsin basketball starting point guard

This story was updated to add new information

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard met with the media on Tuesday after the Badgers’ open practice.

One surprising note from his comments came regarding the team’s ongoing battle for the starting point guard role. Gard said Kamari McGee has “consistently separated himself” at practice and has “played the best [of the point guards] over the two and a half weeks so far.”

Related: Big Ten basketball power rankings entering 2024-25 season based on KenPom rating

Gard was asked to specify if the job is McGee’s to lose at this stage of the preseason. His response: “We’re still a ways away from Nov. 4. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

The comments point toward McGee possibly leading a point guard group that includes top 2024 recruit Daniel Freitag and Central Arkansas transfer Camren Hunter.

Freitag joined the program this offseason as 247Sports’ No. 127 player, No. 11 point guard and No. 2 recruit in Minnesota in the class of 2024. Hunter  missed all of the 2023-24 season with an injury. He previously averaged 16.9 points in 34 minutes per game as a sophomore in 2022-23. The two projected to be the team’s primary options at the position.

McGee, on the other hand, played in 25 games for the Badgers in 2023-24. He finished with per-game averages of 8.2 minutes, 2.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.5 steals on 54% shooting. His six-week absence in January and February directly coincided with the Badgers’ losing skid. While McGee’s numbers don’t jump off the page, Wisconsin seemed to consistently win with him in the lineup and lose with him out of it.

This is the biggest story surrounding the Wisconsin program with less than three weeks remaining before the opener against Holy Cross.

Freitag figures to play a big role immediately as a true freshman. But his role, and Wisconsin’s entire lineup, is somewhat up in the air. The team does not lack talent or experience — but it is set to look extremely different from last year’s group after the offseason departures of Chucky Hepburn, A.J. Storr and Tyler Wahl.

Gard and his team continue their preseason preparation before opening the 2024-25 season at the Kohl Center on Nov. 4 against Holy Cross. All eyes should be focused on who is announced as the team’s starting point guard during the pregame introductions.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Greg Gard highlights breakout player on Wisconsin basketball’s 2024-25 roster

Greg Gard highlights breakout player on Wisconsin basketball’s 2024-25 roster

Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard spoke with reporters at Big Ten media days in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday. The event marks the start of the ramp-up to the season, which is just four weeks away.

One topic of conversation was Gard’s thoughts on his roster entering the season. Specifically, on a player who could experience a breakout campaign.

Related: Big Ten basketball power rankings entering 2024-25 season: A first look at the expanded conference

His answer: sophomore center Nolan Winter.

BadgerExtra’s Michael McCleary relayed Gard’s sentiment: “For Nolan to take the jump he has … he still’s got a ways to go, but we really like what we’ve seen so far.”

Winter played in 36 games as a true freshman in 2023-24. He finished with per-game averages of 9.4 minutes, 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds on 56% shooting. Most significantly, he was thrust into action against some of the best players in the country, headlined by Purdue superstar center Zach Edey.

The sophomore enters 2024-25 still as Wisconsin’s backup center behind senior Steven Crowl. This role should allow Winter to continue his development without being relied upon as arguably the most critical member of the Badgers’ starting lineup. If Gard’s words are any indication, Winter could be ready for the same midcareer jump seen with several recent Badgers centers. Crowl and Nate Reuvers are two prominent examples.

Wisconsin enters the 2024-25 season tied for 12th in the preseason Big Ten media poll. While the team has real questions after offseason departures of Chucky Hepburn, A.J. Storr and Tyler Wahl, Gard reloaded the roster in the transfer portal and welcomes top 2024 point guard Daniel Freitag to campus.

Signs point to Wisconsin entering the season under the radar with the ability to again contend for a conference title. Game 1 is at the Kohl Center on Nov. 4 against Holy Cross.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Saints share unofficial depth chart for Week 1 vs. Panthers

The New Orleans Saints shared their unofficial depth chart for Week 1’s kickoff game with the Carolina Panthers:

The New Orleans Saints shared their unofficial depth chart for Week 1’s kickoff game with the Carolina Panthers. What’s new? What checks out based on what we’ve seen over the summer? Here’s our first look.

There aren’t too many surprises, but a few things do stand out. Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill are listed as the starters at tight end, ahead of Juwan Johnson. That makes sense given how much time he missed this offseason recovering from foot surgery.

On the other side of the ball, it’s Jordan Howden projected to start at safety next to Tyrann Mathieu, not Will Harris or Johnathan Abram, who both played ahead of him throughout the preseason.

And there are two positions hit with the controversial “or” designation: defensive end and quarterback. Either Carl Granderson or Chase Young is penciled in to start across from Cameron Jordan, while the backup quarterback will be either Jake Haener or Spencer Rattler.

In the former case, it’s probably a situation where the Saints don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers and label either deserving veteran the starting right defensive end. In the latter case, they want the young quarterbacks to keep pushing each other and prove why they should be the next man up if Derek Carr has to miss any time.

Now with that said, it’s important to remember this depth chart is unofficial and created by the media relations staff, not the coaches or anyone in the front office. It’s a projection not a set-in-stone lineup. What we see on Sunday may look different but the broad strokes should remain the same. See for yourself, and remember that starters’ names are emboldened while rookies are underlined:

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BREAKING: Wisconsin basketball signs Serbian center Andrija Vukovic

BREAKING: Wisconsin basketball signs Serbian freshman Andrija Vukovic

Wisconsin basketball has made another offseason addition.

The program announced the signing of Serbian center Andrija Vukovic on Monday, rounding out its roster ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Related: Wisconsin men’s basketball 2024-25 finalized roster with Andrija Vukovic

Vukovic stands 6’11” and enters the program with four years of collegiate eligibility. He previously played for KK Vršac of the Basketball League of Serbia, averaging 13 minutes, 6.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists on 66% shooting.

The young center figures to slide into Wisconsin’s front court rotation behind starter Steven Crowl and primary backup Nolan Winter. He is the fourth impactful addition of the offseason by Greg Gard and his staff, along with PG Camren Hunter, G John Tonje and F Xavier Amos.

“We are excited to announce the addition of Andrija to our program,” Gard said to UWBadgers.com. “Since the conclusion of last season, our staff has been on a mission to find an impact big man to help our team going into next year..Wwe were fortunate to find such a tremendous player and person that will fit in perfectly with our program.”

Related: Wisconsin basketball 2024-25 starting lineup, rotation and bench with Andrija Vukovic signing

Gard and his staff are working to end what is now a seven-year drought without a Sweet Sixteen appearance. The program has found regular season success, but has struggled to replicate that success in March.

The Badgers will look different in 2024-25. But a productive transfer class paired with promising youngsters has the team’s expectations rising.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

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Projecting the Saints’ starting lineup on defense in 2023

Projecting the New Orleans Saints’ starting lineup on defense in 2023: Alontae Taylor vs. Paulson Adebo is the main event to watch

There’s a surprising amount of upheaval in store for the New Orleans Saints defense in 2023, having moved on from a number of established starters as well as several high-profile assistant coaches. What’s the end product going to look like? Can Dennis Allen keep his defense in shape with so many changes swirling around them?

Odds are, yes, he’ll continue to field an elite group. Even if the starting lineup looks different from what fans have grown used to. We’ve written up the entire 90-man roster by jersey number here, and shared our way-too-early predictions for the 53-man depth chart and practice squad in Week 1 as well. Now let’s take it a step further and project the starters on defense:

Projecting the Saints’ 2023 starting lineup as offseason program begins

The New Orleans Saints recently kicked off their offseason program to return to work. Here’s what their starting lineup may look like going into the 2023 draft:

The New Orleans Saints recently kicked off their offseason program under the second year with Dennis Allen at head coach, following an eventful free agency signing period that brought several new starters into town.

And they aren’t finished yet. After signing Derek Carr, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders, the Saints are positioned to add more talent through the upcoming 2023 NFL draft. General manager Mickey Loomis and his front office are hard at work looking for upgrades in this rookie class. Taking a look at the projected starters on offense, defense, and special teams gives us an idea of which areas still need to be addressed.

Here’s our projection of what the current Saints starting lineup should look like given the players under contract for 2023:

Projecting the Saints’ starting lineups after recent signings

Projecting the Saints’ starting lineups on offense and defense after recent signings:

We aren’t out of the woods yet. The New Orleans Saints can still make some additions through free agency, and they’re positioned well to make a splash in the upcoming 2022 NFL draft after acquiring another first round pick through a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

But this is a good opportunity to take stock of the depth chart and project which players could make the starting lineup on offense and defense. The first few waves of free agency are behind us. At this point, the Saints are more likely to tweak the top of the roster rather than seriously mix it up. Let’s review:

Thunder starting lineup: Rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in at center

The Thunder’s starting lineup for the game against the Bucks was announced.

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault announced his starting lineup that will take the court in the Thunder’s preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The only change from the first game is that Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will start at center. Isaiah Roby started there against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

The full lineup against the Bucks:

Point Guard: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shooting Guard: Lu Dort

Small Forward: Josh Giddey

Power Forward: Darius Bazley

Center: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

The Thunder traded picks 34 and 36 in the 2021 draft to move up to No. 32 and take Robinson-Earl. The Villanova product impressed during summer league, showing the ability to play down low and stretch the court by shooting 3-pointers.

Over two seasons at Villanova, Robinson-Earl averaged 12.8 points and 9.0 rebounds. He attempted an average 2.6 3-point attempts per game and made an average of 0.8 per contest, a clip of 30.1%.

In the first preseason game, Robinson-Earl was held scoreless. He had two rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes of play.

Roby had six points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal as a starter in the preseason opener, a 113-97 loss to the Hornets.

Tipoff for the Thunder’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central time. Action can be watched on Bally Sports Oklahoma.