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New look for Bo’s bunch

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Also by Ben Voelkel:

Rocky trip Outback for UW (January 1, 2008)

by Ben Voelkel

Friday, November 9, 2007

With the exhibition games over and the AAT (After Alando Tucker) era officially tipping off for Wisconsin Sunday when the Badgers take on Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, fans will finally get a chance to see the new team in action.

For the first time in head coach Bo Ryan's tenure, the team will start the season without an established go-to scorer — no returning player averaged more than nine points per game last year.

With the loss of three starters from last year's 30-win team, the Badgers will have a revamped lineup this season.

Thing is, no one really knows exactly what that lineup will look like.

In both exhibition games, Ryan started the game with a lineup of Trevon Hughes and Joe Krabbenhoft at guard, Marcus Landry and Brian Butch at forward and Greg Stiemsma at center.

However, the coach warned observers to be careful to not take too much from that combination.

"It could be different lineups. It could be different things going on," Ryan said. "The guys do not have a problem with that. … We'll see, whoever starts, starts."

That said, here's a look at how the Badgers may fare when they take the floor Sunday.

Frontcourt

The frontcourt seems fairly set, and the exhibition trio of Landry, Butch and Stiemsma will likely all find themselves in the starting lineup.

Butch is the incumbent starter at the power forward position, and will be expected to make a leap offensively in his final collegiate season.

For all the criticism thrown at Butch during his four years on campus for not being a physical enough presence, the 6-foot-11 big man is a phenomenal rebounder.

"He actually is stronger than he looks," Ryan said.

Before his injury in the second-to-last game of the regular season, Butch was the conference's leading defensive rebounder by percentage, pulling down more than a quarter of all defensive rebounds when he was on the floor.

Stiemsma is the likely choice to slide into Jason Chappell's vacated role at center and draw the opposing team's toughest defensive assignment in the post. Stiemsma can be a physical presence defending the post, but his success will be largely dependent on his ability to stay out of foul trouble early in games.

When he can do that, as he showed down the stretch when called upon to play more minutes last season, Stiemsma can be a decent offensive weapon with a midrange jumper to go along with an uncanny passing ability for a big man.

After primarily subbing in at power forward last season, Landry will move over to small forward this season.

Landry is a sound defender and a tough rebounder, but where he will likely make the biggest impact on the team is on the offensive end.

"Hopefully he can get to the free throw line a lot," Ryan said. "He's very strong with the ball. He's improved his outside shooting. … He looks good with what he's done with his shot in the offseason."

Backcourt

While the frontcourt seems relatively settled, the big questions surrounding the starting lineup reside in the backcourt.

Between Krabbenhoft, Hughes, Michael Flowers and Jason Bohannon, the Badgers have four capable guards to fill two spots.

"The two guards you’re looking for are guys who can handle the ball, take care of the ball, and then they're going to be your key defensive players in terms of chasing shooters and containing dribble penetration," assistant coach Gary Close said.

Given that, it seems likely Flowers and Hughes will form the starting backcourt.

Flowers is the only one of the bunch with more than one game of starting experience — he started all 36 games for Wisconsin last season, Krabbenhoft started once — but did not start either of the exhibition games.

Talking with reporters earlier this week, Ryan seemed to indicate that although Flowers was a reserve in both exhibitions, he is still likely to find his way into the starting lineup after missing two weeks on a leave of absence.

"As a starter, has a pretty good track record," Ryan said. "It's going to be kind of hard to keep him off the floor. … Michael needs to be on the floor."

While Flowers led the Badgers in assists a season ago, he could end up playing more of an off-guard role, with Hughes handling the point guard duties.

Hughes also has shown the ability thus far this season to create chances for his teammates by driving the lane and collapsing defenses, while also knocking down open shots when allowed to.

"Trevon has the pure talent," Flowers said. "He can create space off the dribble, he can attack, … he opens up so much."

Moreover, a backcourt of Hughes and Flowers would be one of the toughest defensively in the Big Ten.

The bench

That backcourt would leave on the bench the types of players Ryan likes to have at his disposal for substituions: a versatile, multiple-position option and someone who can spark an offense.

"I like bringing people off the bench who offer more than just one thing, but I definitely like bringing a scorer off (the bench)," Ryan said.

Ryan likes to use his initial substitutions to create matchup advantages for the Badgers, and Krabbenhoft can do just that.

The gritty 6-foot-6 junior has shown the toughness and defensive ability to play anywhere on the court — from shooting guard to power forward — and is a tenacious rebounder.

"I think Joe's just one of those guys [that says], 'Hey, Coach, what do you want me to do?'" Ryan said. "His basketball IQ is pretty good, he knows what needs to get done and he's been pretty effective at giving us a boost."

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