Basketball Preview 2017 - Friday, November 10, 2017 - The Daily Cardinal

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Wisconsin Basketball Preview

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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”

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Wisconsin Men’s Basketball

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Big Ten Outlook

Michigan State preseason favorite for Big Ten title; parity remains in deep conference

By Simon Fischer THE DAILY CARDINAL

Most college basketball fans would agree that the Big Ten is one of the landmark conferences of the sport. Storied programs such as Michigan State and Indiana along with consistently good teams like Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan all make the race for the conference title more competitive every season.

However, last year marked the third straight year that a Big Ten team failed to reach the Final Four. Additionally, no Big Ten school was a top-three seed and no one in the conference even made it to the Elite Eight. Will this be the year that the Big Ten can break its Final Four drought and a team can cut down the nets in San Antonio? Who will replace departed stars like Melo Trimble, Caleb Swanigan and Nigel Hayes? Most importantly, which team will earn the right to call themselves champions of the Big Ten? All these questions and more will be answered this year in another exciting edition of Big Ten basketball.

After Purdue earned a hardfought regular season title last year, this year is shaping up to be a bit different. The conference will likely be paced by the Spartans of Michigan State, who have reloaded after a middling season last year.

They are likely poised to make a deep run in March. 22-year veteran coach Tom Izzo will have a much more experienced team this year, led by sophomore and National Player of the Year candidate Miles Bridges, who spurned a potential lottery selection in last year’s NBA draft to return to East Lansing. Izzo also gets back three former top50 recruits who joined Bridges, as well as vaunted freshman forward Jaren Jackson. It all adds up to a pretty rosy outlook in 2017-’18 for the green and white.

While Michigan State looks to be the favorite coming into the season, there’s certainly no shortage of challengers who will make life difficult for the Spartans. Minnesota is bringing back four starters, including senior point guard Nate Mason from its team last year that earned a 5-seed in the NCAA tournament and Texas A&M transfer Davonte Fitzgerald, who should provide an added scoring punch off the bench. Purdue is getting back 7-foot senior center Isaac Haas and four players who shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc. Ethan Happ and D’Mitrik Trice return for a Wisconsin squad that has finished at least fourth in the Big Ten for each of the last 16 years. Seniors Bryant McIntosh and Scottie Lindsey opted to come back to Evanston to try to lead Northwestern to its second straight and second-ever March Madness berth. Moritz Wagner and Michigan will certainly be hungry for another Big Ten tournament title. And don’t sleep on Maryland, who despite losing Melo Trimble get back sharpshooting guard Kevin Huerter and talented forward Justin Jackson, who opened some eyes among NBA scouts last year as a freshman.

Elsewhere, there will be some new faces on the sidelines this year, as there are some first-year coaches and rebuilding projects to keep an eye on as well. Indiana managed to pry Archie Miller away from upstart Dayton to take over for the Hoosiers, as he will try to lead them back to glory. His hire has generated buzz in Bloomington, but he’ll have some work to do and his team will likely have to scrap for a spot in the Big Dance this year.

Ohio State tabbed former Butler head man Chris Holtmann to lead the Buckeyes. He’ll quickly begin rebuilding the program, but the results this year won’t be pretty. Illinois hired

MATT SCHMUCKER/COURTESY OF THE STATE NEWS

Michigan State forward Miles Bridges was named preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.

Brad Underwood away from Oklahoma State, and he’ll look to replicate the success he had after the Cowboys had one of the best offenses in the country last year.

Fran McCaffery and Iowa are retooling after losing star guard Peter Jok, Tim Miles and Pat Chambers enter their sixth and seventh seasons at Nebraska and Penn State respectively, looking for a breakthrough year and progression is imminent in year two of Steve Pikiell’s Rutgers rebuild.

2017-’18 is shaping up to be yet another exciting year for Big Ten basketball. With high-flying teams looking to make a run at the Final Four, blossoming squads looking to finally put it all together and young upstarts readying for the future, there should be something for everyone to look forward to, no matter what team you’re a fan of.

Big Ten Preseason Media Rankings 1. Michigan State Spartans 2. Purdue Boilermakers 3. Minnesota Golden Gophers 4. Northwestern Wildcats 5. Maryland Terrapins 6. Michigan Wolverines 7. Wisconsin Badgers 8. Iowa Hawkeyes 9. Indiana Hoosiers 10. Penn State Nittany Lions 11. Ohio State Buckeyes 12. Illinois Fighting Illini 13. Nebraska Cornhuskers 14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

National Outlook

Duke, Michigan State, highlight top of preseason rankings

By Jack Zweifel THE DAILY CARDINAL

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team finds itself out of the AP preseason top-25 rankings for the first time since the 2010-’11 season, a team that was led by the likes of Jordan Taylor, Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil. But enough of the Badgers, as this column will focus on a national outlook for the upcoming college basketball season. With over 9,000 regular season games to be played in this year (there are 347 NCAA Division 1 teams with a minimum of 27 regular season games each) the possibilities are endless, so to get a clearer look on who we’ll see competing for a national title, let’s consult the current AP preseason top-25.

With a mix of traditional blue bloods and fresh faces to the preseason top-25, the 2017-’18 college basketball season is full of intrigue.

The real contenders include perennial powerhouses Duke, Michigan State, Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky.

Villanova, Wichita State, Florida, North Carolina and USC fill out the rest of the top 10. Any doubters of these rankings or these teams’ dominance over the last few years can look no further than the numbers as Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and North Carolina haven’t missed a preseason top-25 ranking since 2010, while Coach Izzo and Sparty have only missed one in that time period.

Looking deeper into our top teams’ storylines, Michigan State and Duke will look to be dominant in the Big Ten and ACC after both had lackluster conference records last year, while Kansas looks to win a 14th straight title in the Big 12. Head coach Tom Izzo will be reliant on his Naismith-calibur forward Miles Bridges, who’ll hope to have another breakout season after bringing home

Big Ten Freshman of the Year in his first season in East Lansing. Running in tandem with offensively talented sophomore Nick Ward and speedster Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr., Michigan State seems poised to come on strong in the Big Ten and thrive all the way to March. In a somewhat similar fashion, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his fantastic four of freshman talent — including Trevon Duval, Marvin Bagley, Gary Trent and Wendell Carter — along with senior Grayson Allen have their eyes set on an ACC championship in the always loaded conference. Duke could get off to a slow start as a result of its inexperienced lineup, but after this team gels, look out for the Blue Devils to make it far. Lastly, Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks are likely to continue their dominance in the Big 12 even after losing Naismith Award-winning guard Frank Mason.

The Jayhawks will be trying for their

14th straight Big 12 title and continue their dominance over the conference.

Reloading with Devonte’ Graham, Malik Newman, and Svi Mykhailiuk, Kansas shouldn’t be facing too much adversity aside from a talented Texas team and Bob Huggins’ 11th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers.

Accompanied by traditional powerhouses, there are also some new teams making national waves after their top-25 rankings. Minnesota, USC and Texas A&M haven’t cracked the top-25 in over 15 years combined and are hungry to prove themselves.

Minnesota should be a Big Ten contender with a dangerous backcourt couple of Amir Coffey and first-team all Big Ten guard Nate Mason, but it’ll be in a competitive Big Ten West with Purdue, Northwestern and Wisconsin.

Southern California will be fun to watch as it is chock-full of tal-

ent such as Jordan McLaughlin, De’Anthony Melton and Elijah Stewart. But the Trojans may face adversity with assistant coach Tony Bland caught up in the same FBI case that brought down former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. Finally, coach Bill Kennedy and the Aggies greet the top-25 with four returning starters ready to improve upon its 16-15 record from last season.

With returning experience in senior forward Tonny TrochaMorelos and junior starters Admon Gilder and Tyler Davis, the A&M will hope to throw its name in the mix of a rising in talent Southeastern Conference.

Overall, the 2017-’18 college basketball season promises to be a good one with multiple teams in contention to make deep runs in their conferences and postseason tournaments.

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Wisconsin Men’s Basketball

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Feature

‘Hey, hey! Me!’ CAMERON LANE-FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL

After departure of Zak Showalter, freshman guard Brad Davison appears to be Wisconsin’s latest pesky guard

By Thomas Valtin-Erwin THE DAILY CARDINAL

Brad Davison stood just behind midcourt at the Badgers’ annual Red-White scrimmage, waiting for the ball. His teammate stepped to the sideline to inbound the ball with no defenders in sight. As soon as the whistle blew, Davison called out at full volume and the ball came right to him. There was no risk of a fivesecond violation, no members of the Red Squad anxiously waiting to bounce on a lazy pass — just a lone White Squad freshman standing alone at midcourt. But he yelled nonetheless.

It was a fleeting moment, not one that will ever make a highlight reel or a hoop mixtape. But it was emblematic of what the UW coaching staff sees in their young guard: great instincts and natural leadership.

Davison, a four-star recruit, came to the Badgers as one of three high-profile freshmen, alongside three-star guard Kobe King and lanky four-star forward Nathan Reuvers. Reuvers graded out as the top recruit of the three, but it was Davison that quickly grabbed the attention of head coach Greg Gard.

The Osseo, Minn., native

flashed his playmaking ability during the team’s five-game trip to Australia, leading the Badgers in scoring in the team’s final game against the Sydney Kings.

Davison registered 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three-point range. Though he won’t often be called on to do so, Davison can fill up the scoring column when he heats up from long range.

“Brad is just a natural born leader, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

Kobe King Wisconsin guard

And while the starting guard spots are firmly clenched in the hands of sophomore D’Mitrik Trice and redshirt sophomore Brevin Pritzl, Davison will likely be first off the bench in relief of the two. He doesn’t quite have the court vision and tight handle that Trice brings or the 30-foot range of Pritzl, but he does bring a soft blend of the two. He’s well above average from beyond the three-

point line and can provide reliable, if unexciting, ball-handling.

Where Davison will really excel on the court is on the defensive end, where he gives off shades of a late-career Zak Showalter.

The young guard is adept at baiting opposing players into offensive fouls and has a nasty habit of sticking his hands in passing lanes. If Davison has a defensive weakness, it’s his tendency to help one pass away from his man, but his remarkable quickness and ability to read passes mask most potential mistakes.

But despite his inspiring basketball ability and skillset, none of that is what intrigues Gard and his fellow coaches the most. Davison is uncommonly vocal for a freshman, constantly shouting out defensive assignments and sets. During the Red-White scrimmage, it didn’t matter who was on the court alongside him, whether it was Pritzl or junior forwards Khalil Iverson and Charles Thomas — it was Davison that took over the leadership role.

And it isn’t just his voice that makes Davison an important figure on the UW roster. He has the aura of a leader; he’s constantly cheering on and consoling team-

Wisconsin men’s basketball 2017-’18 roster:

0-D’Mitrik Trice-G-6’0’’-177-So. 1=Brevin Pritzl-G-6’3’’=197-RSo. 2-Aleem Ford-F-6’8’’-215-RFr. 3-Walt McGrory-G-6’3’’-Fr. 4-Matt Ferris-G-6’6’’-205-RJr. 5-Aaron Moesch-F-6’8’’-220-RSr. 11-Andy Van Vliet-F-7’0’’-228-Jr. 12-Trevor Anderson-G-6’2’’-196-So. 15-Charles Thomas IV--F-6’8’’-225-Jr. 20-T.J. Schlundt-G-6’5’’-197-RJr. 21-Khalil Iverson-G/F-6’5’’-210-Jr. 22-Ethan Happ-F-6’10’’-235-RJr. 23-Kobe King-G-6’44’-203-Fr.

25-Alex Illikainen-F-6’9’’-231-Jr. 31-Michael Ballard-G-6’4’’-197-RFr. 34-Brad Davison-G-6’3’’-205-Fr. 35-Nate Reuvers-F-6’10’’-215-Fr.

Coaching staff: Greg Gard- head coach Howard Moore- assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft-assistant coach Dean Oliver- assistant coach Marc VandeWettering- director of basketball ops.

Erik Helland- strength coach Andrew Van Handel- video coordinator

mates, fist-pumping after a made basket and clapping encouragingly after a missed play.

Former Badger guard Josh Gasser summed up Davison’s outlook in Madison succinctly: “Man, @BadgerMBB fans are gonna love this Davison kid very quickly,” he said in a recent tweet.

Gasser, incidentally, is also the obvious parallel for the Badgers’ newest guard. Though Davison falls short of Gasser’s ability in most categories, the two bring a stunningly similar style of play that has long been critical to the UW philosophy.

Like Gasser, he’s a relentless defender that can provide occasional — but timely — offense and has a natural understanding of the intricacies of basketball. His tireless energy is a firestarter for an offense that will be prone to long droughts, and his teammates recognize what he brings to the table.

“Brad is just a natural born leader, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win. That’s something we noticed from day one,” King said. “We definitely feed off him.”

Gard agrees, but while he sees the merits of the Gasser comparison, he’s hesitant to force his new player into the shadow of

an all-time Badger great.“[Gasser and Davison are] similar, but I’m also very cautious not to say that somebody has to step into somebody else’s shoes,” Gard said.

“Brad Davison is his own person. He’ll grow in this program.

He’ll have some ups and downs in this program. He’ll be a very good player here.”

“He’ll take on what he earns, but he does have all the traits of some very good leaders that we’ve had here.”

Greg Gard Wisconsin head coach

What Gard does see in Davison, however, is the instinctive leadership qualities of Gasser that powered UW to an average of 29.25 wins per season, two trips to the Final Four and a berth in the National Championship game during his tenure.

“He’ll be a very good leader,” Gard said. “He’ll take on what he earns, but he does have all the traits of some very good leaders that we’ve had here.”

“Where that goes, time will tell.”

UW’s freshmen star in preseason The Wisconsin Badgers are chock full of new faces this season. Kobe King, Nate Reuvers and Brad Davison highlight UW’s latest recruiting class and are all poised to play a major role on the 2017-’18 Badgers team. So far, King and Davison have looked ready for high-level competition.

King led UW in scoring in its exhibition victory over Northern Iowa last Wednesday, while Davison

led the Badgers in plus-minus. All three freshman took turns leading Wisconsin in scoring during its summer trip to Australia and New Zealand.

As the Badgers ready for regular season play, look for all three to contribute in some capacity this season, with King and Davison in particular playing a key role early on.

BY BEN PICKMAN

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Feature

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D’Mitrik Trice is set to take over Wisconsin’s starting point guard spot on a young Badger team.

Next Man Up

After roster turnover, D’Mitrik Trice is learning to lead UW

By Ben Pickman THE DAILY CARDINAL

Just inside the doorway of an over-crowded locker room in Madison Square Garden, D’Mitrik Trice watched as reporters fired questions to Wisconsin’s four seniors. But as Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Vitto Brown and Zak Showalter reflected on their Wisconsin careers following a heartbreaking 84-83 defeat in the Sweet 16, Trice started to look ahead to what his future in Madison would bring.

“We both have some added weight on our shoulders, but we just see it as an opportunity for each other .”

Ethan Happ Wisconsin forward

Trice played just seven minutes in UW’s loss to the Gators.

In Wisconsin’s final two NCAA tournament games, he played a mere 19 combined minutes and finished with three turnovers, no points and six fouls.

“I know there’s a lot of work that I gotta do,” Trice said following the Badgers’ loss to

Florida. “And I’m gonna put in that time to make sure this team gets ready for next year.”

Now, over six months later, Trice is one of the most important pieces on a young and inexperienced Badgers team. While only a sophomore, he will be relied upon to not only fill up the stat sheet, but lead UW on and off the floor.

Trice’s potential to one-day lead the Badgers was apparent early in his freshman season. On Dec. 3 in Wisconsin’s 90-70 win over 2015 Final Four participant Oklahoma, the Huber Heights, Ohio product shot 75 percent from the field, scored 16 points and didn’t record a turnover in 20 minutes off the bench.

“Not a lot of freshman come in to Wisconsin fearless, attacking the basket and also pulling up for three’s like he does,” Koenig said following UW’s victory.

“There’s just a trust factor that you have with him that you can trust him to make a play — make the right play.”

As the season progressed, Trice continued to play an important role for Wisconsin. When Koenig missed two games late in the season due to a leg injury, it was Trice who stepped into the starting lineup. He was one of just five Badgers to play in

every game last season, and while his 5.6 points and 1.7 assist per game numbers are rather pedestrian, the freshman who stated on media day in 2016 that he “just [wanted] to get on court and contribute in any way possible” certainly exceeded expectations.

This season, the Badgers hope that Trice’s prior freshman experiences will pay off.

“Any time you can go through and get the kind of experience as a freshman, it helps you not only with what’s going to happen in year two,” head coach Greg Gard said, “but your preparation and your mindset going into year two.”

Over the summer, Trice worked diligently to become stronger, improve his endurance and work on his finishing ability. He frequently practiced against his older brother, former Michigan State point guard Travis Trice, to develop his left hand on offense and keep a more skilled player in front of him.

Trice also started growing into a leadership role that he didn’t have last year. Freshman point guard Brad Davison has been a frequent workout partner of Trice’s this offseason and has been impressed by Trice’s work ethic and his constant communication on the court. Davison,

who many have already compared to former Badgers Zak Showalter and Josh Gasser, thinks those qualities will go a long way for UW this year.

Trice says he still hasn’t grasped the idea that Hayes and Koenig aren’t walking through the doors of the Kohl Center any time soon. He adds that the novelty of someone else leading the team is new not just for the basketball program but the Madison community as a whole.

“It definitely feels different,” Trice said. “I haven’t quite grasped the feeling yet.”

Trice will be stepping into his leadership role alongside redshirt junior forward Ethan Happ, Wisconsin’s lone returning starter from last season. According to Happ, the duo has spent more time off the court in recent months and Trice adds that they’re talking a lot more this year.

“It’s important that off the court we spend more time together,” Happ said. “We both have some added weight on our shoulders, but we just see it as an opportunity for each other.”

But, even with a young team, the opportunity that Happ and Trice has comes with high expectations. Wisconsin has not finished worse than fourth in the Big Ten in the Bo Ryan-Greg Gard era. And even with disappointing tourna-

ment losses in consecutive years to Notre Dame and Florida, it has still made a Sweet 16 appearance in each of the past four seasons.

“There’s just a trust factor that you have with him that you can trust him to make a play, make the right play.”

Bronson Koenig former Wisconsin guard

Last March, Trice admitted that he couldn’t sleep well before Wisconsin’s Big Ten Tournament opener against Indiana. Against Virginia Tech in his first his first NCAA Tournament appearance he whipped his towel in disgust when he checked out of the game for the final time because his jump shot not falling. And against the Gators, he watched as Chris Chiozza’s runningbuzzer beater sealed the careers of many of his teammates.

Those moments color his decision making as a leader.

They help fuel Wisconsin’s next man up.

“It was a dramatic experience,” Trice said. “And it’s a position that I don’t ever want to be in again.”

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Wisconsin Men’s Basketball

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Ethan Happ Forward || 6'10'' || 235 lbs.

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Wisconsin Men’s Basketball

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Player profiles

Happ, Trice highlight young Badger team Story by Andrew Guckes, Kelly Ward and Noah Bennett With the graduation of Nigel Hayes, Zak Showalter, Bronson Koenig and Vitto Brown, the 2017’18 Wisconsin men’s basketball team is one of the youngest teams that UW’s had in recent memory.

Redshirt junior Ethan Happ is the Badgers’ lone returning starter, meaning that many new faces will be forced to play major minutes.

Wisconsin still has high expectations for itself though and the following players will try and lead UW to its 16th consecutive top four Big Ten finish.

E t h a n Happ Ethan Happ, a redshirt junior from Milan, Ill., received little buzz coming out of high school as a three-star recruit.

But it has only t a k e n him two seasons on the court in Madison to establish himself as one of the best players in the c o u n t r y.

Building off a stellar sophomore campaign in which he led UW in field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, blocks Happ is make the key congo-to man. is based little bit through a n d men-

and steals, poised to leap from tributor to Happ’s game on doing a of everything c o n s i st e n c y f u n d a tals, an

CAMERON LANE-FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL

approach that helped him earn first team AllBig Ten and third team AllAmerican honors last year, as well as conference defensive player of the year. His versatility is exemplified by the fact that he was the only player in the nation to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in conference play.

Happ’s only real weakness is his free-throw shooting — last season he shot 50 percent from the charity stripe on 162 attempts. Expectations are high for Happ this season, and there is good reason to believe he will not disappoint. If he stays a full four years, the lanky 21-year-old is on pace to finish in the program’s top five in points, field goal percentage, field goals made, rebounds, steals, blocks, games started and games played. None of these numbers, however, are Happ’s most impressive or interesting stat. Consider this: He has still not attempted a single 3-pointer in his 2009 career minutes.

D’Mitrik Trice

Poised to take over the reins of the offense in 2017-’18 after performing the role of understudy to Badger shooting guard Bronson Koenig last season, Trice, now in his sophomore season, will be essential if Wisconsin is to have any success in a resurgent Big Ten. Last year, Trice built a solid foundation as a true fresh-

man, appearing in all 37 games for the Badgers and starting two of them while Koenig nursed a calf injury in February. Trice tallied the most minutes, points and assists of any of the Badgers’ reserves last season. The Ohio native led the team in three-point percentage, tallying an impressive .418 from behind the arc on 2.5 attempts per game. He also proved to be a tough man to beat on defense, gaining experience by facing some of college basketball’s best players in UNC’s Joel Berry and Villanova’s Jalen Brunson, among others. Trice’s role will certainly expand with his insertion into the starting lineup this year, particularly on the offensive end where the Badgers are missing their top three three-point options from last season. Trice will need to be the team’s lead facilitator and perhaps primary deep threat in an offense that will require plenty of time to gel in the beginning of the 2017-’18 campaign. This summer in Australia and New Zealand, Trice showed promise as the Badgers’ floor general, leading the team in scoring (12.4 ppg) over the five game exhibition showcase.

couldn’t find the shooting touch that he was known for in high school, only averaging 1.9 points per contest. During the Red vs.

White game, Pritzl was seen getting his shot back, with all three of his first three-point attempts hitting the bottom of the net, showing just how lethal a player he can be when he is healthy and surrounded by the right cast of characters. He took strides on the defensive end last season, though, and has frequently discussed the importance of helping the Badgers more than just from behind the arc. Look for Pritzl to start at shooting guard to open the season and play a big role for the Badgers.

Badgers seem to have found his successor. Brad Davison, who received offers from several Big Ten teams, shows much of the same scrappy and aggressive play Showalter brought to the team.

Davison is fearless on the court, willing to take charges, plays stout defense and battles with the big men when necessary. In the RedWhite scrimmage, Davison finished with 10 points, five rebounds and a team-high three steals in 35 minutes, along with two assists to pair with his standout day. Davison brings a leadership and competitive mindset to the floor that the Badgers will need if they want to contend for a conference title this year.

Kobe King

Joining the youth movement at

Khalil Iverson

Iverson enters his third season in Madison hoping to expand his role from the previous two years. Seasoned veterans filled the guard-forward roles during Iverson’s freshman and sophomore campaigns, relegating him to just under 15 minutes of playing time per game through the first half of his career. However, Iverson usually found a way to make those minutes count, providing a spark with big dunks, blocks (he ranked second on the team last season with 0.6 per game) or key rebounds. The junior from Delaware, Ohio, will get his first shot at significant minutes this season and will be an essential piece on both ends of the floor. As one of the Big Ten’s most athletic players, his speed, strength and leaping ability provide the Badgers with a player that causes matchup issues on offense and a player that can defend multiple positions on the other end.

Head coach Greg Gard and company would certainly love to see Iverson add a more consistent jump shot to his game. Last year he shot at a .308 clip from long range on less than half an attempt per game. Also notable is the fact that Iverson played his best basketball towards the end of the 2016-’17 season, tallying season highs in points, rebounds and assists in various NCAA tournament games.

Brevin Pritzl

Another player that has had an up-and-down career as a Badger is redshirt sophomore sharpshooter Brevin Pritzl. The 6-foot-3 native of De Pere, Wis., started out his college career with a broken foot that cost him the majority of his freshman season and hasn’t been the same player since. Last season, Pritzl appeared in 24 games but

A n d y Van Vliet

After a 2016’17 season that ended rather abruptly in the Sweet 16, junior center Andy Van Vliet hopes to make his mark on a Badgers squad that lost four out of its five starters to graduation. At 7-feet, the Belgian big man is the tallest player on UW’s roster and hopes to use that height to his advantage. A lanky, soft-shooting player, Van Vliet has continued to work on his shooting, as well as touch around the basket. During the offseason, Van Vliet has taken the time to get stronger and should be the recipient of more playing time now that the likes of Nigel Hayes and Vitto Brown are gone.

B r a d Davison

The loss of former s t a n d out Zak Showalter will hurt, but the

Wisconsin this year is Kobe King.

King, who formerly won Mr. Basketball, as well as Gatorade athlete in Wisconsin, brings a sophisticated but strong game to the Badgers. In the RedWhite Scrimmage, King led the team with 16 points, going 7-of-13 from the field, and showed he can play tough inside, but also has an outside game that must be respected. King has potential to be an extremely versatile player for the Badgers this season. At 6’4’’, he has the ability to run the point, but can also slide to play the two or three if needed.

Underrated by many, prepare for King to have a strong freshman campaign.

CAMERON LANE-FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL

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Wisconsin Women’s Basketball

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Season Preview

In head coach Tsipis’ second year, Wisconsin looks to build off experience and chemistry

By Peyton Kadlecek THE DAILY CARDINAL

No doubt there is work to be done this season for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team as it hopes to relinquish its lost ground from its 2016-’17 season. Last season, the Badgers went 9-22, winning only three out of 13 conference games. But, despite a dismal conference record last year, the Badgers remain optimistic heading into this season.

For starters, the Badgers hope that their experience will lead to better results this year. Head coach Jonathan Tsipis said last year was like the equivalent of having “15 freshmen” due to it being his first year as head coach at UW. Now, with the effects of a rebuilding year behind them, the Badgers are determined to make some major improvements. UW gained five newcomers and also managed to keep a majority of its starters.

One improvement observed by Tsipis during the preseason is how “drills are not all new … we have upperclassmen that are able to hold their teammates accountable … and we are in a better conditioning standpoint too.” Additionally, sixth-year senior Kendall Shaw added that she has noticed an improvement in the team’s ability to communicate, which in turn has helped them to operate better as a collective whole.

Even though the Badgers will not be as deep as they were last

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In head coach Jonathan Tsipis’ second season, Cayla McMorris hopes to carry UW to better results. year, they are again expected to play a variety of lineups. With this year’s lineup there may be times when there are four guards on the floor. But in those situations, Tsipis hopes the team will take care of the basketball more effectively.

Though the Badgers may not have a substantial presence down low this season due to losing Malayna Johnson to a torn ACL, their opportunity to get to the glass quickly is heightened with

the abundance of girls who can play the guard position.

Still, the Badgers have high expectations for themselves heading into this season.

“I think we will continue to build on last year’s performance and just continue to contribute to more wins and be better at closing out games and things of that nature,” junior forward Marsha Howard said.

No doubt the Badgers still hold memories of last year’s perfor-

mance, but they are using it to their advantage by having it serve as a reference point. Howard added that UW is also focusing on playing a more consistent brand on basketball.

“Every game is a challenge and every game we have to go out and perform to the best of our abilities,” Howard said. “So there is no underestimating any team, just going out and playing our game.”

Though the Badgers did

experience some rough patches last season, individual players were still able to produce big changes to the women’s basketball program, such as sophomore guard Suzanne Gilreath who set the record for freshman 3-pointers for the university. Gilreath, though, expects to play a more well-rounded game this season.

“The bar is definitely higher for me I know, but I want to do more, not just shooting, but you know driving,” Gilreath said. “More so, just shooting more and getting more shots up and putting that ball even higher so that I know I can make some threes this season, and so I know I can do even more.

I’ve put the work in and I’m still putting the work in.”

Gilreath plots to surprise opponents this year by turning her focus to the defensive end and hopes to rack up more steals this season.

The Badgers will begin play on Nov. 8 with an exhibition game against UW-Platteville. In the meantime, UW plans to continue to improve on ball handling, shooting and communication skills. In all, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team seems ready to show improvement this season.

“It’s a new year and clean slate,” sophomore forward Courtney Fredrickson said. “We are coming for everyone and no one should doubt us.”

Big Ten Outlook

Maryland, Ohio State frontrunners in deep Big Ten

By Michael Parsky THE DAILY CARDINAL

In a rugged and competitive Big Ten conference last season, there was a major difference between regular season co-champions, Ohio State and Maryland, and conference bottom feeders, Illinois, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Nebraska.

But despite the major differences between first and last, the Big Ten was one of the deepest conferences in the country.

Last year for instance, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and Maryland all earned bids to the big dance. Maryland and Ohio State advanced the farthest and were bounced in the Sweet 16 as the Buckeyes fell to top-ranked Notre Dame 99-76, whereas the Terrapins were knocked out by the 10-seed Oregon Ducks, 77-63.

And even despite their relatively early March exits, the Terrapins finished No.4 in the country and the Buckeyes No.11 in the final AP top-25 poll.

Now, locked and reloaded, the two teams that finished atop the Big Ten a year ago are once again now the projected favorites to win the conference this year. The 14 Big Ten coaches along with a selected media panel on Monday, Oct. 23 selected Ohio State as the presumptive favorite to win the

conference. This should come as no surprise as the Buckeyes return a plethora of experience, including four starters and nine overall members, to a team that finished 28-7 a year ago.

Headlining the Buckeye lineup is Kelsey Mitchell, a 5’ 8” senior guard out of Cincinnati, Ohio.

A three-time All-Big Ten first team selection, the scoring guard finished ninth in the nation last year in points per game at 22.6.

Currently, Mitchell stands as the Big Ten’s conference record holder for made three-point-field goals (368) and is fifth in conference history in total points at (2553). It was a short offseason for the talented guard as she recently returned from a stint with the U-23 Team USA basketball team that finished 3-0 at the Four Nations tournament held in Tokyo, Japan.

While their road may be tougher, don’t forget about the Terrapins. After the departure of a pair of All-America honorable mention selections in Brionna Jones and Shatori WalkerKimbrough and the transfer of Destiny Slocum, the 2016-’17 National Freshman of the Year recipient, along with two other transfers out of College Park, head coach Brenda Frese’s task of replicating a successful 32-3 sea-

son is much more difficult. With just 10 rostered players now, the Terrapins will look to experience and leadership from the likes of 5’9” senior guard Kristen Confroy, as well as sophomore guard Kaila Charles, a preseason All-Big Ten selection and the team’s leading returning scorer (9.7ppg) to carry the offense.

Frese noted that the team will rely on chemistry, which was fostered earlier this fall as the Terrapins represented the

United States in the 2017 World University Games held in Taiwan.

Teams on the rise? Look no further than the Michigan Wolverines. After narrowly missing the NCAA tournament at 28-9, Michigan made the most of its March, winning the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), its first postseason title in program history. With six consecutive 20-plus win seasons, the Wolverines are looking to raise expectations this

season as they look for their first NCAA tournament bid since the 2012-’13 season. The Wolverines will have a mixture of experience and youth but ultimately will look toward 5’7” junior guard Katelynn Flaherty, who is just 58 points shy of breaking the school’s scoring record to lead the way. Returning three starters, along with eight letterwinners who are in the mix for playing time, the Wolverines may raise some eyebrows this winter.

CAMERON LANE-FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Roichelle Marble and the Wisconsin Badgers hope to have better results in Big Ten play this season.

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Wisconsin Women’s Basketball

dailycardinal.com

Feature

O Canada!

CAMERON LANE-FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Kendra Van Leeuwen hopes to help lead Wisconsin to a better season after improving her game at Team Canada’s U-19 team’s appearance in the FIBA World Cup.

Van Leeuwen looks to bring international experiences to UW

By Morgan Spohn THE DAILY CARDINAL

Kendra Van Leeuwen, a sophomore point guard on the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team, spent the majority of her summer playing on the Team Canada’s U-19 women’s basketball team. Now, as Van Leeuwen enters her second season in Wisconsin, she hopes to have some of her international experiences pay dividends for both herself and the young Badgers.

“I think taking a never-quit mentality is something that I took away...”

Kendra Van Leeuwen Wisconsin guard

While attending St. John’s College in Brantford, Ontario, Van Leeuwen played almost every sport imaginable. But her sister, Kelly, a successful Canadian women’s basketball player herself, helped guide her to basketball. She initially committed to joining current Wisconsin head coach back when he was at George Washington, but when Tsipis took the job in Madison, Van Leeuwen was granted release and followed him to the midwest. It also helped that a close family friend of Van Leeuwen had just ended her collegiate career as a Badger, that person being former Wisconsin point guard Dakota Whyte.

Whyte, like Tsipis, had a major role in both her style of play and her connection to Wisconsin.

“Dakota actually played with my sister so I grew up watching them when they were playing for Team Ontario,” Van Leeuwen said. “I was very young at that time but even when I came on my visit, she was there and greeted us and added to the family atmosphere being here at Wisconsin.

Also being able to know a fellow Canadian that came here, along with everyone else pitching in, it just made it a great choice to be here.”

Van Leeuwen was impressive on a rebuilding Badgers team. She was one of just two players to start all 31 games, the other being fellow guard Cayla McMorris. She ranked top-10 in freshman records by recording 102 assists and also ranked inside the top five in UW’s 3-point shooting percentage.

After an impressive freshman year for a rebuilding Wisconsin women’s basketball team Kendra got notified in late June that she had been one of 25 athletes selected to tryout for the U-19 Canadian women’s basketball team.

“Every single time it’s brand new, it’s exciting; I just look forward to it. I get really excited about working hard to be there on that day because it’s just not about going there and performing: It’s about everything that you have done up and to that point,” Van Leeuwen said. “So when you get the call, it’s like all that hard work that you put in has paid off, so now you can

actually go and show them and prove yourself in that situation during the tryout.”

She had some previous national team experience, but her competition just to make the team this summer was more different than in previous years.

“It’s a stressful time for any athlete, especially when you want something so bad because it’s a dream and you don’t want to think about not making it,” Van Leeuwen said. “When I went there, I just left everything on the floor and showed them why I deserved to be there.”

Van Leeuwen made the team though, and after a near flawless group stage in the FIBA U18/19 World Cup and a tough quarterfinal victory over China, Canada came up short to Russia in the semifinals. Team Canada responded however with a victory over Japan to claim the bronze medal.

“I think when the final buzzer went off at the very end and that feeling that you had just made history and everyone was cel-

ebrating it was hard to put into words,” Van Leeuwen said. “Just the thrill and excitement that it was over and that it was great to be a part of a team that had made history and come together.”

“It’s a pretty remarkable summer for a young woman who wins a bronze medal.”

Jonathan Tsipis Wisconsin head coach

Van Leeuwen is now back at Wisconsin and hopes to bring some of her momentum and experiences to Madison.

“It’s a pretty remarkable summer for a young woman who wins a bronze medal, gets into business school, has all these going on in her life, and the greatest part is that it doesn’t change her,” Tsipis said.

“Just the fact of her bringing

back that experience and jumping right back into it. I think that’s one appreciation that Kendra’s teammates have for her — that she doesn’t change.

As soon as she steps foot into the gym, she’s gonna work hard, gonna try to get everyone involved, and that’s how she kind of attacks life.”

Since Kendra has been a part of some of the most successful youth teams Canada has ever seen, the Badgers are optimistic she will help improve the Badgers’ culture. Van Leeuwen is confident she can bridge the two experiences and excited to get to work for UW in her second season.

“I think taking a never-quit mentality is something I took away because you never want to stop growing in what you want to do,” Van Leeuwen said. “I think just keep pushing yourself and never settle for what you have now, you have continue to work hard and keep pushing yourself to achieve your goals on and off the court.”

Wisconsin women’s basketball 2017-’18 roster:

2-Kelly Karlis-G-6’2’’-Sr. 3-Suzanne Gilreath-G-5’4’’-So. 5-Roichelle Marble-G-5’7’’-RJr. 10=Kendra Van Leeuwen-G-5’10’’-So. 11-Marsha Howard-F-5’10’’-Jr. 14-Abby Laszewski-F-6’3’’-So. 15-Lexy Richardson-G-5’9’’-RSr. 20-Lizzy Miller-G-5’7’’-Fr. 22-Niya Beverley-G-5’7’’-Fr. 23-Cayla McMorris-G-6’0’’-Sr. 30-Kara Crowley-F-5’10’’-Fr. 33-Courtney Fredrickson-F-6’2’’-So.

35-Kendall Shaw-F/C-6’4’’-Gr. 43-Grace Mueller-F-6’2’’-RFr.

Coaching staff: Jonathan Tsipis- head coach Sasha Palmer- assistant coach Craig Carter-assistant coach Myia McCurdy-Johnson- assistant coach Michelle Nason- director of basketball ops.

Ryan Phillips-video coordinator Madison Cable-graduate assistant Deborah Yenser-athletic trainer