The Wisconsin Badgers did not deliver an offensive masterpiece on Wednesday night against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. They still didn’t shoot the three especially well — 8 of 23 — and they missed five of 16 foul shots in a game they lost by seven points. Wisconsin still can’t get to the foul line regularly, either, a continuing sign of the inability of this team to drive the ball hard to the tin and draw shooting fouls. Yes, some of the offensive flaws and limitations seen in previous road/neutral losses are still there. The 14 turnovers — most committed in the game’s first 16 minutes before a much cleaner second half — are unacceptable. Some problems have certainly lingered for UW.
Yet, Wednesday night was a clarifying moment for the Badgers. They didn’t play poorly on offense. Flawed, yes, but hardly the barren box score of previous weeks. They didn’t merit an A-minus, but they also didn’t merit an F, either. A grade of C-plus or B-minus is probably fair for Wisconsin. Scoring 65 points on the road, shooting 48 percent from the field, should normally get it done… but it did not.
If I told you before this game that Kobe King would hit 7 of 12 shots and score 18 points; that Rutgers would hit only 5 of 19 threes; that Wisconsin would outscore Rutgers at the foul line (11-9), earn more free throws (16-13), and commit fewer fouls (17 compared to 19 for RU), you probably would have concluded that Wisconsin would win.
This game removed the idea that the offense is the main thing holding this team back. The idea that Wisconsin can’t shoot well in a building other than the Kohl Center has been demolished. The TEAM didn’t have a bad offensive game; Nate Reuvers and D’Mitrik Trice had bad offensive games.
The issue is bigger than the offense itself, even though the offense still carries notable flaws and hasn’t yet found a formula which will fix them. Wisconsin’s problems run much deeper than the offense; we will explore this in future articles this week at Badgers Wire.
Wisconsin fell to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Piscataway on Wednesday night. Here are the top three takeaways from the 72-65 loss.
Wisconsin was handed its fifth loss of the season on Wednesday evening, falling to Rutgers 72-65 in Piscataway. Here are our top three takeaways from the game for the Badgers.
Wisconsin proved they can make shots away from the Kohl Center after all…but they still can’t take care of the ball.
After some abysmal performances outside of Madison this season, the Badgers were finally able to knock down some shots away from home against Rutgers last night, particularly in the first half when they went 40 percent from beyond the arc and 52.4 percent from the floor overall.
Granted, they finished at 34.8 percent from long range and 47.9 overall, and while those aren’t exactly stellar shooting clips, they are notable improvements from where Wisconsin was at in its three-game losing streak at the Legends Classic and against NC State.
Nov 25, 2019; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Nate Reuvers (35) reacts against the Richmond Spiders in the second half of the Roman Legends Classic at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports
Ultimately, their ability to score effectively on the road was not the reason for the Badgers’ demise in this one. To try to make sense of this loss, a good start would be to look at their persisting issues with taking care of the ball away from the Kohl Center.
After giving up just four turnovers in the win over Indiana last weekend, Wisconsin ultimately ended up coughing up the ball 14 times last night, just off of its season-high 15 against Richmond, including a whopping 12 in the first half that put the Badgers in a hole early. The Scarlet Knights took full advantage of Wisconsin’s carelessness, converting them into 18 points in the first half and 22 for the game.
The Badgers were lucky Rutgers wasn’t as efficient shooting the ball as head coach Steve Pikiell would have liked (26.3 percent from three and 46 percent overall), otherwise, the game had blowout written all over it.
Reflections on the 2020 Rose Bowl between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Oregon Ducks.
Our team at Badgers Wire highlighted the fact that Tyler Biadasz was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy. No one needs any explanation in the state of Wisconsin — or in any Badger football-loving forum — about the centrality of offensive line play in growing the UW program and establishing it as a formidable national force.
It is worth noting, in the wake of the announcement that Wisconsin will play Oregon in the 2020 Rose Bowl, that the Ducks value offensive line play as well. This is the big point of commonality between the two programs as they prepare for this prized pigskin pageant on New Year’s Day of 2020.
No, Chip Kelly didn’t devalue offensive line play when he coached the Ducks against the Badgers in the 2012 Rose Bowl. Kelly’s offenses were finely-tuned machines. Chip’s track record in Eugene (in marked contrast to the final season of his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles and each of his seasons as head coach of UCLA, in the Rose Bowl stadium itself) shows that he developed his offensive lines in concert with the offensive system he ran.
Nevertheless, if Chip Kelly had a top priority as Oregon’s head coach, it was speed. That’s what he valued more than anything else at Oregon. Speed was the cornerstone of UO football. The zone-blocking concepts were designed to make defenses hesitate and unleash his speed. The emphasis on tempo at Oregon at the start of this decade was designed to make superior speed triumph over the course of 60 full minutes. A physical defense might stop Kelly’s speed in its tracks in the first quarter or a quarter and a half, but in the third and fourth quarters, conditioning and speed would have the final say.
When I refer in the title of this piece to “Old Wisconsin” and “New Oregon,” I am not referring to age versus youth, but to the fact that Wisconsin has maintained a very consistent identity under Barry Alvarez’s watch, with Paul Chryst keeping the tradition going, 30 years after Alvarez first arrived in Madison at the end of 1989. The current Wisconsin way is the old Wisconsin way. It’s not in any way a criticism. Old, in this case, means traditional, time-tested, and proven.
“New Oregon” doesn’t imply the Ducks are better or fresher or more hip than Wisconsin, only that the Chip Kelly emphasis on speed has given way to a greater emphasis on power. Mario Cristobal doesn’t devalue speed, much as Kelly didn’t devalue line play. He simply puts his foremost point of emphasis on being very physical.
There is less emphasis on tempo in this Oregon offense, less emphasis on getting as many snaps per game as possible; that was a Chip Kelly goal. Whereas Wisconsin has Tyler Biadasz, Oregon has Penei Sewell, an elite lineman who — like Biadasz — should cash a very hefty check on Sundays in the future. Oregon’s commitment to a physical offensive line is a core reason the Ducks supplanted Washington — which similarly rose to Pac-12 prominence on brawn more than swiftness — as the Pac-12 champion this year.
Yes, the Ducks certainly like to get backs and receivers in open space; again, they don’t dismiss the value of speed. Yet, if Chip Kelly preferred track meets at UO, Mario Cristobal prefers trench warfare. In this sense, Wisconsin is meeting a like-minded opponent on New Year’s Day.
I’m not going to tell you that the full Big Ten Conference bowl season is great. Michigan State-Wake Forest? ZZZZZZ. Illinois-California? Nap time. Indiana-Tennessee? That’s nice. Penn State, thanks to Wisconsin making the Rose Bowl, gets pushed into the corner to play Memphis, getting the Group of Five assignment Power Five schools hate at bowl season.
However, five of the Big Ten’s nine bowl games are really sexy and very important. The Wisconsin Badgers are just one part of a five-part story. This year, the Big Ten’s better teams all drew high-profile opponents, which lends some snap, crackle and pop to the 2019 bowl season. One could very easily make the argument that in a generally lackluster lineup of 39 bowl games (UCF-Marshall! Appalachian State-UAB! Pittsburgh-Eastern Michigan!), the Big Ten has the best and most interesting matchups, the games a lot of casual sports fans will watch at bowl season.
Oregon. Clemson. Alabama. Auburn. USC. Those five schools have all played for national championships this century. More specifically, they have all played for national titles in the past 15 years. Four of the five (USC being the exception) played for the national title THIS DECADE. Three of those four schools (Oregon being the exception) won a national title this decade.
These are the five opponents for Big Ten teams in the upper-tier bowl games.
Oregon is Wisconsin’s opponent in Pasadena. Clemson faces Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl playoff semifinal. Alabama returns to the Citrus Bowl — where it began this decade against Michigan State — to play the other Michigan school, Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines. Auburn gets P.J. Fleck and Minnesota in the Outback Bowl.
A hilarious aspect of the Outback Bowl:
It’s taken me too long to realize that P.J. Fleck is about to coach a football game in a stadium with a giant boat in it. pic.twitter.com/V62MxOqr8v
USC is Iowa’s opponent in the Holiday Bowl. A trip to San Diego and a marquee opponent give Hawkeye fans a good reward for their team’s season. We can power-rank these games later on (you can bet that we will), but for now, simply realize that the five best Big Ten bowl games are all showcase events. None of the matchups are dull. Bama might blow out Michigan, but the matchup isn’t a snoozer. Harbaugh versus Saban demands attention… at least the first one and a half quarters.
The Big Ten isn’t going low-profile this bowl season. This is an attractive, dressed-up, high-end football fashion show to close out the 2010s and ring in the new year… and the new decade.
Wisconsin faces the Rutgers in Piscataway on Wednesday evening. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.
Wisconsin (5-4) will look to reverse its miserable fortunes away from the Kohl Center so far this season when it takes on Rutgers (6-3) in Piscataway on Wednesday evening.
The Badgers were able to snag a win by the skin of their teeth in last year’s matchup between these programs in Madison, taking down the Scarlet Knights 69-64 after trailing by five at halftime.
Wisconsin is coming off of a much-needed blowout victory over Indiana at home last weekend to snap a three-game losing streak, while Rutgers has lost two straight. Most recently, the Scarlet Knights dropped a 77-65 decision in East Lansing to No. 11 Michigan State on Sunday.
When you compare the personnel on these two rosters, there is no question that this is a matchup Wisconsin should come out on top of, even on the road. That being said, the Scarlet Knights have given the Badgers plenty of trouble in the last three meetings between these squads (they actually beat Bucky in 2017-18), and they have the pieces in their rotation to do so again this season.
Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout tomorrow’s contest.
Harper has stepped into the role of Rutgers’ No. 1 scorer this season now that last year’s leading bucket-getter, Eugene Omoruyi, has transferred to Oregon.
While the sophomore guard/forward’s scoring average is up five points from his freshman season, his value to the Scarlet Knights extends far beyond his ability to knock down shots. The 6-6 Harper has exceptional size for his position and a versatile skill set that helps him make an impact inside and out, on both ends of the court. In addition to leading the team in scoring, he currently ranks second on the team in rebounds and third in blocks and steals.
Dec 3, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Geo Baker (0) handles the ball against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
A consensus Honorable Mention All-Big Ten pick last year, Baker was head coach Steve Pikiell’s top returning scorer heading into the season, as well as a returning team captain.
While his scoring production is down a bit from a year ago, he’s certainly still served as a go-to player for Rutgers in that department this season, ranking just one point behind Harper for the team lead with an average of 11.8 points per game. Baker is also the team’s top assists man as well as a pesky defender, leading the Scarlet Knights in steals.
The 6-4 guard’s 1.6 steals per game is the No. 4 average in the Big Ten, and he trailed only Josh Reaves of Penn State in that category last season.
Baker is arguably the best player Rutgers will have at its disposal against Wisconsin, but it’s worth noting that his performances against high-major opponents this season have left much to be desired: in the Scarlet Knights’ last two games against Pitt and Michigan State, he combined for just 13 points on 22.2 percent shooting from the field.
Rutgers will probably need a stronger effort than that from Baker to beat the Badgers.
Myles Johnson – Center
2019 stats: 8.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 69.6 FG%
The 6-10, 255-pound Johnson is Rutgers’ enforcer down low, utilizing his 7-7 wingspan to lead the team in blocks and rebounds so far this season. He’s also about as efficient of a scorer near the basket as you will find in the conference, ranking third in two-point shooting percentage.
Johnson is especially solid on the offensive glass, currently sitting at No. 4 in the Big Ten in offensive rebound percentage after trailing just nine other players nationally in that category a season ago.
Nate Reuvers, the Badgers’ leading scorer right now and the only true post player in the rotation with Micah Potter still ineligible, has had some problems on both ends of the floor when matched up with physical big men in the paint throughout Wisconsin’s first nine games. Reuvers’ struggles have often coincided with the team’s as a whole, so how he fares in his matchup with Johnson will be critical to the game’s outcome.
Reflections on the upcoming game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Wisconsin Badgers.
The upcoming basketball game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights marks an occasion in which the brain can logically process a given reality… but the heart, the emotions, need to be married to the brain’s level of awareness.
What do I mean by this? It’s not that complicated — this is something human beings deal with all the time. We have all encountered a life situation in which we know, intellectually, that a given task or moment is important, but we don’t feel the same sense of urgency other people around us might feel. “Yeah, yeah, I know what I have to do,” we might say to a spouse or a sibling who is a lot more emotionally invested in this important moment. Yet, we aren’t as excited (or tense, or focused) as the other person.
Sometimes, this situation leads us to walk into an event less prepared than we thought we were. We might have assumed this task or moment would be easy to handle, but upon immersing ourselves in the event itself, we find ourselves lacking the full amount of resources needed to get the job done properly. We knew this was an important event in our minds, but didn’t put in the actual prep work to make SURE we were ready, and the moment goes badly. Our spouse or sibling or parent or child gets mad at us, and we have to try to do better the next time.
That’s what this Wisconsin-Rutgers game is. The Badgers surely know how important it is to notch a road win, especially in Big Ten play. However, because it’s RUTGERS, the urgency of the occasion might be lacking. Wisconsin has to really invest itself in this game and feel the sense of importance attached to Wednesday night in New Jersey.
If this seems a bit vague and lacking in specificity, here are two precise reasons Wisconsin should take Rutgers seriously, so that the Badgers are on their toes and highly vigilant when tip-off time arrives on Wednesday night:
First, Rutgers beat Wisconsin the last time these teams met in New Jersey. Wisconsin won last season in Madison, but in the 2017-2018 college basketball season, Rutgers ambushed UW in Piscataway. That memory — which Greg Gard was part of — ought to light a fire under some fannies in the Wisconsin locker room and get this team to bust out the gate ROARING at Rutgers.
If that memory from two seasons ago seems a little distant and remote, fine. I will offer an even better reason for UW to take RU seriously: Rutgers gave Michigan State a tough battle on the road this past Sunday. Rutgers went to East Lansing and the Breslin Center, and was right there, down 62-55, with 3:30 left. Rutgers wasn’t likely to win, but it was highly competitive and stayed in the hunt for 37 minutes. Michigan State struggled for much of the game and didn’t land a knockout punch. The Spartans realized that Rutgers was a tenacious team.
As Jon Rothstein said after big Rutgers wins late last season:
The identity of Rutgers is based on toughness and tenacity. If Wisconsin intellectually realizes this game is important, but it doesn’t bring any urgency to the court, the Badgers could get nailed by Steve Pikiell’s players.
Take. Rutgers. Seriously. Let this be a warning to Wisconsin, even though Rutgers hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1991. Wisconsin got burned the last time it went to Piscataway. Vigilance and emotional preparedness need to be part of Wisconsin’s game plan this time around.
A look at the Rutgers Scarlet Knights before their game against the Wisconsin Badgers.
Wednesday night’s basketball game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights is a huge one. Wait a minute.
RUTGERS? HUGE GAME? No, come on now. That’s just a cheap way to get some extra clicks. You don’t really MEAN that, do you?
Actually… yes, I do. This is genuinely a huge game. If you think about it, it’s not that controversial a statement to make, even though any sentence with the words “Rutgers” and “huge game” seems absurd on its face.
First of all, this is a road game. Wisconsin has to win one of these pretty soon. The Badgers need to enter the heart of Big Ten play — on January 3, 2020, at Ohio State — knowing they can play well on the road. This Rutgers game is the last Big Ten road game before that Ohio State contest. This game is the next-to-last road game for Wisconsin before the heart of the Big Ten season. The other road game is on Saturday, Dec. 28, at Tennessee. If Wisconsin plays a poor game against Rutgers, how can the Badgers realistically expect to win in Knoxville? If the Badgers don’t win in Knoxville, how can they expect to win in Columbus several days later?
Second, Wisconsin plays just one game in the next 16 days after this visit to Piscataway, New Jersey. The Badgers host Milwaukee on Dec. 21, then have the Christmas holiday, followed by the Tennessee game a week later on the 28th. Wisconsin won’t have many live-game situations in which to test its responses and instincts. Getting it right on Wednesday against Rutgers gives Greg Gard and his players a chance to realistically say to themselves, “We’re on the right track.” Without a lot of games in the next few weeks, the Badgers need to make this moment count.
Third, the fact that this is Rutgers is precisely what makes this game bigger, not smaller. If Wisconsin was going to Ohio State or Michigan on Wednesday, to play a top-10 team which has been flourishing, the Badgers really wouldn’t have much of a chance. Moreover, Wisconsin could play well against OSU or Michigan right now and still lose. Rutgers, however, is an opponent the Badgers should beat. RU is an opponent the Badgers need to beat, in order to improve their road-neutral record (part of the NCAA Tournament’s “nitty gritty report” and the overall data profile the committee looks at in early March). Rutgers is an opponent Wisconsin — at this stage of its season-long evolution — can beat on the road. It is in many ways the truest measuring stick this team could ask for. A win says this team can grow. A loss would show this team is not yet ready to evolve.
Huge game? Yeah. I think I just laid out a convincing three-point argument… whether you like it or not.
Wisconsin senior outside linebacker Zack Baun has accepted an invitation the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
Senior outside linebacker Zack Baun emerged as one of the top breakout stars in all of college football this season, earning consensus First Team All-Big Ten honors last week on the heels of a phenomenal regular season of play. Taking into account his performance in the loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, Baun has now tallied a team-high 12.5 sacks to go along with 19.5 tackles for loss, numbers that are both good for No. 2 in the conference and No. 7 in the nation.
His rise to stardom has landed him squarely on the radars of NFL franchises as they prepare for the draft in the spring, as evidenced by his invitation to the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl. After accepting his invitation on Monday afternoon, Baun will have the chance to make even more of a name for himself in NFL circles.
Baun is the first Badger to accept an invitation to this year’s Senior Bowl, an annual showcase of some of the top senior players in all of college football. Hundreds of NFL coaches, scouts, general managers and other front office personnel flock to Mobile, Ala. each year to take in the game, and, more importantly, take stock of the players throughout the three days of practice sessions that precede it.
Along with college pro days and the NFL Scouting Combine, the Senior Bowl is one of the most important events leading up to the draft for prospects, and it offers its participants the opportunity to greatly increase their stock. For example, it was his performance at the 2018 event that catapulted Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield into the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick in that year’s draft.
Last year, offensive linemen Michael Deiter and Beau Benzschawel and fullback Alec Ingold represented Wisconsin in Mobile. Ingold, in particular, had a big week on the North team that was coached by Jon Gruden and the Raiders’ coaching staff, and that played a major role in Oakland picking him up as an undrafted free agent following the draft.
Wisconsin fans can watch Baun in the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl on Jan. 25.
Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz was announced on Monday as one of the three finalists for the Rimington Trophy.
After a stellar redshirt sophomore season in which he was a consensus First Team All-Big Ten selection and graded out as the nation’s top center by Pro Football Focus, Tyler Biadasz entered the 2019 campaign with plenty of hype as potentially the best player at his position in all of college football.
Biadasz has fully lived up to those lofty expectations this season, earning first-team all-conference honors for the second year in a row while blasting open holes for the Big Ten’s No. 2 rushing offense, looking like a possible first-round NFL draft pick in the process. After Monday’s announcement that he has been named one of the three finalists for the Rimington Trophy, he’ll have a chance to officially earn the title of the nation’s best center.
The Rimington Trophy is awarded each season to the most outstanding center in the FBS. The winner is chosen by determining the consensus All-American center pick from the All-American teams selected by the Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America. The player with the most first-team votes from those three teams wins the Trophy.
In addition to Biadasz, the trio of finalists includes Matt Hennessy (Temple) and Creed Humphrey (Oklahoma). The winner will be announced on Jan. 18, and should Biadasz be named the recipient of the Trophy, he will be the first Badger to take home the award in its 19-year history.
Along with Oregon left tackle Penei Sewell and Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, Biadasz is also one of the finalists for the Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best interior lineman on offense or defense. The recipient of that award will be announced on Thursday.
Wisconsin for the 10th time in program history will be heading to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl In their nine previous games in this bowl, the Badgers have been a disappointing 3-6 Wisconsin’s most recent appearance coming in 2013 when they lost to No. 6 Stanford 20-to-14 This time the Badgers will face off with the Oregon Ducks who finished the season 11-2 with an impressive win over Utah
Wisconsin for the 10th time in program history will be heading to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl In their nine previous games in this bowl, the Badgers have been a disappointing 3-6 Wisconsin’s most recent appearance coming in 2013 when they lost to No. 6 Stanford 20-to-14 This time the Badgers will face off with the Oregon Ducks who finished the season 11-2 with an impressive win over Utah
