Wisconsin Basketball: 3 Questions That Need Answering
Here are the three questions I still have about Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers ahead of full-time conference play.
Madison, Wis. – Head coach Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers are off to a 7-2 start to the season, doing what they do best – exceeding preseason expectations.
Picked to finish 9th in the Big Ten, Wisconsin basketball is putting together a decent early season resume. Thus far, UW has wins over Standford, Dayton, USC, Marquette, and No. 13 Maryland, all of which are in the KenPom top 100. Their losses came at the hands of No. 3 Kansas in overtime at the Battle 4 Atlantis and Wake Forest in a one-possession game in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Not too shabby.
Despite the impressive start to the season, UW has its fair share of warts (as all teams do). Here are the three questions I still have about the Wisconsin Badgers ahead of full-time Big Ten play.
Will UW sort out its backup point guard situation?
The Wisconsin Badgers know better than most just how important it is to have multiple-point guards on the roster. When Chucky Hepburn went down in the round of 32 last season, UW seemingly lost all hope without a primary ball handler available to initiate the offense.
During the offseason, Greg Gard brought UW-Green Bay transfer Kamari McGee into the fold to rectify depth issues. From a talent standpoint, he was a bit of a reach. That said, he is a team-first guy who plays tough defense and isn't afraid of hard work - which is precisely the type of player who excels at Wisconsin.
Thus far, McGee has appeared in six games and is averaging 0.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 5.7 minutes per game.
The 6-foot PG is a perfect candidate to earn minutes for the Badgers – but it will require some patience while he transitions to a higher level of competition. With three years of eligibility, McGee's addition was more about the long-term than the short-term.
Needing additional depth, the Badgers coaching staff approached former walk-on Isaac Lindsey about transitioning to PG during the offseason. Seeing a potential avenue to earning minutes, he agreed and took the assignment in stride. While I'd argue he isn't a natural ball-handler, he's done some nice things - enough to warrant minutes.
Lindsey has taken care of the basketball (just one turnover) and given UW another shooter on the floor, connecting on the sixth-most threes among Badgers (4) on 33% from beyond the arc.
Yes, the backup position is unsettled, and in an ideal world, they would have had a better grip on the backup spot by now, but they're making it work. This situation will remain a question mark for me until we see Greg Gard settle on a nightly backup.
Can Wisconsin basketball improve around the basket?
Wisconsin is shooting an impressive 37% from beyond the arc this season, a marked improvement from last season. On the flip side, UW can't make a bunny to save its life.
According to KenPom, the Badgers are finishing just 42.4% of its two-point attempts. That ranked 340 out of 358 division one NCAA teams. Gross.
Everyone's had their fair share of struggles, but struggles around the rim are becoming a pretty common theme. For a team that genuinely plays inside-out, UW needs to figure it out. A cold shooting night from beyond the arc could be detrimental for the Badgers if they can't finish within five feet of the bucket.
In theory, with players like Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl on the low block, this should iron itself out over time - but the extra attention has clearly given UW fits thus far. Chucky Hepburn has also struggled mightily finishing around the rim, so he'll be another interesting case to monitor.