The Wisconsin men’s basketball team is more than halfway through its season, and in pursuit of its second straight appearance in the Final Four. The seventh-ranked Badgers’ (15-2, 3-1 Big Ten) season thus far has been marked by a loss to then-No. 4 Duke at the Kohl Center, a championship in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and a stunning upset loss to Rutgers. Now, Wisconsin is without its starting point guard Traevon Jackson until March, and have some remaining questions that need to be answered if they hope to get back to the Final Four in Indianapolis this April.
1. Can Bronson Koenig take over and be effective as the starting point guard after Traevon Jackson’s injury?
Jackson’s injury could be the defining moment of Wisconsin’s Big Ten season. Jackson has been very effective in his time at point guard with his passing and ability to attack the basket. But he’ll be out until the beginning of March at the earliest, so the Badgers will need Koenig to step up and fill Jackson’s role.
Koenig, a highly recruited player out of high school, no doubt has potential and right now could be just as good of a point guard as Jackson. Wisconsin will need Koenig to facilitate the basketball, which is his best trait. While he can’t quite attack the basket like Jackson can, Koenig has improved his pull-up jumper this season, which has made him a somewhat more reliable threat to score. But it’s Koenig’s ability to see the floor and find the open guy that has made him look so impressive in his first two seasons at UW.
Jackson’s injury may be a blessing in disguise as it gives the sophomore Koenig a chance to take over an important role and gives him some valuable experience, which could pay off come March and April as UW advances through postseason play. In a year where Wisconsin is a heavy favorite to win the Big Ten, if Koenig can run the offense effectively and the likes of Dekker, Kaminsky and Hayes continue to dominate the frontcourt, Wisconsin should find themselves atop the Big Ten once Jackson returns.
2. What can the Badgers expect to see out of Sam Dekker the rest of the season?
The junior forward came into this season with high expectations after an impressive summer showcase. However, Sam Dekker has had an up-and-down season thus far. Dekker started out playing well, averaging 17.3 points per game in Wisconsin’s first three games, but then dropped off a bit after his ankle, which he injured in practice before the season began, started to bother him again. As a result, Dekker scored five or fewer points in four of his next six games, which included a 5-point performance against Duke at the Kohl Center.
Now Dekker looks to be healthy again and is averaging 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in Wisconsin’s last eight games. Dekker has shown flashes of being an NBA talent with his ability to get to the basket, improved strength when finishing at the rim and improved shooting stroke. And if Dekker can become even more aggressive as Big Ten play continues, he can be Frank Kaminsky’s right-hand man as the other star we all expected him to be before the season kicked off.
3. Can the UW offense find a way to get Josh Gasser more involved?
As of right now, Josh Gasser is looking at a drop in points, assists and rebounds when comparing last year’s statistics to this year’s. There are many possible explanations for that, most of them focusing on the fact that Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and especially Nigel Hayes are taking on bigger offensive roles after showing improvements. Nevertheless, Wisconsin needs finds a way to get Josh Gasser more involved in the offense, as this year he’s been nothing more than a three-point specialist at best.
Where UW can take advantage of Gasser most is at the free throw line, where the redshirt senior has only missed five times all year and is currently shooting 86.5 percent (32-37). This means when Gasser is at the line, it’s almost guaranteed points for the Badgers. In Bo Ryan’s swing offense, it’s easy for guards to find themselves in the post near the basket. If Wisconsin can make more of a point to get Gasser on the block, where he has found success in years past, they can look for him to score or draw a foul. Drawing a foul puts Gasser at the line and allows Wisconsin to take advantage of his high free throw shooting percentage.
4. Can Frank Kaminsky continue to play as one of, if not the, best player in the nation?
Kaminsky certainly came into the season with lofty expectations and thus far has lived up to them. Through 16 games this season, the seven-footer is averaging team-highs in points (16.9) and rebounds (8.2) and is second on the team in assists (2.3) while attacking opponents from both the inside and outside. The supporting cast of Hayes and Dekker definitely helps Kaminsky thrive, but his ball handling and self-control is phenomenal for a man of his size, which is why he is one of the best players in all of college basketball. If UW hopes to return to the Final Four it’ll need Kaminsky to continue to play at an elite level. His performance in the NCAA Tournament last season was one of the main reasons the second-seeded Badgers advanced to the Final Four. While Kaminsky, Dekker and Hayes are three of the best players in the Big Ten, Wisconsin will need an elite player like Kaminsky to guide the team through a season that hopefully ends once again at the Final Four.
5. Is Wisconsin the clear-cut favorite in the Big Ten, and what team poses the biggest threat to the Badgers?
Everybody was shocked when Rutgers toppled Wisconsin on Jan. 11., but Wisconsin still remains the favorite to win the Big Ten. It was unlikely that UW was going to run through conference play undefeated, so as long as the Badgers bounce back from that Rutgers loss, they should be just fine.
Perhaps this year more than ever the Big Ten doesn’t have a clear-cut second best team behind UW. Maryland, Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa all can make a legitimate case to be the second best team in the conference. Ohio State and Michigan State are always going to be tough tests for the Badgers, and it’s hard to imagine they won’t finish toward the top of the conference. Maryland — ranked 14th as of Jan. 13 — has been a bit of a surprise team in college basketball this season. Its lone losses this season have come against now-No.2 Virginia and at Illinois Jan. 7. If the Terrapins continue to play at this level, they could very easily finish second behind the Badgers. Freshman Melo Trimble has had a phenomenal first season for the Terrapins, averaging a team-high 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Maryland and Wisconsin meet for the only time in the regular season on Feb. 24 in Maryland.
