It’s no secret to anyone who’s paid any attention to the Wisconsin men’s basketball team this season that the offense has had to undergo a somewhat bumpy transition in the frontcourt.
Unsurprisingly, Ryan Evans, Mike Bruesewitz and Jared Berggren haven’t been able to replicate what Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil (along with Tim Jarmusz) were able to produce on the frontlines last year.
On an individual level, all three of UW’s current bigs have experienced periods of affluence and streaks of nonfulfillment. Collectively, they’ve been a part of an offense that, at times, has looked dysfunctional — where good looks are passed up for a hopefully better look and hot potato ensues.
But give this unit some postseason experience and another offseason to fine tune things, and what the Badgers could have on their hands come next November is a well-rounded frontcourt where one or two of them could produce double-double numbers every night.
In an interview last week, UW assistant coach Lamont Paris referred to it as the “elusive double-double,” since the Badger players had only managed the feat twice so far this season (two games later, that stat remains true).
All season long, the trio has been flirting with double-doubles, and I can’t help but think it represents the shell these rookie starters are playing under – which can be broken once they come around for their senior seasons.
Bruesewitz, who achieved a double-double against Ohio State, has also come one three-pointer away from the accomplishment against Penn State and needed seven more points against Minnesota. Those games, by the way, are three of UW’s last four.
Berggren fell three rebounds shy against Iowa, one free throw away in the second game against Nebraska, and notched 10 rebounds and one point on the road versus Penn State.
Evans, who earned Wisconsin’s other double-double, has come closest to achieving the elusive feat the most. He needed two more baskets against Michigan and three more rebounds against Michigan State. Against the likes of Northwestern, Indiana and Penn State, he needed just one more rebound.
Now I know you’re going to lock onto a few of Bruesewitz and Berggren’s numbers I put forth and point out that they hadn’t even come halfway to reaching double-digit point totals. But what’s important to remember is that both of them have the ability to score. In conference games, Bruesewitz has the team’s third-best shooting percentage, and Berggren averages 8.6 points per game and 10.5 on the whole season.
So while we know all three can score in double-digits (Evans averages 11.1 points in conference games), we can figure that, due to Jordan Taylor’s departure after this season, the scoring dynamic will place increased emphasis on the frontcourt.
Taylor’s absence will leave Josh Gasser and Ben Brust to man the backcourt. After nearly two full seasons as a starter, Gasser has yet to prove he can be a consistent scorer. Even on this team, where he has the second-most starting experience, Gasser is fourth in scoring. There’s not much reason, at least right now, to think he’ll light up scoreboards next year.
Meanwhile, this was supposed to be Brust’s breakout season as a marksman, but once Big Ten play arrived, that prophecy now looks premature (he’s shooting .349 from the field and .286 from downtown).
That’ll leave Wisconsin with three seniors with previous starting experience in the frontcourt, two of whom show a much larger nose for the basket than Gasser.
That’s where the points are going to come from.
And without Taylor, Wisconsin’s offense will have no excuse dilly-daddling for an entire possession. There will be no Taylor for the Badgers to fall back on, no Taylor to offer up shot-clock-beating heaves or last-second drives to the rim.
With Taylor gone, someone will have to take charge, and that responsibility will most likely fall on the three seniors at the frontline.
Thus, the three should consistently score more than they do now. And as seniors with plenty experience, cleaning the boards should become more of a habit.
Evans (4th) and Bruesewitz (10th) are currently in the Big Ten’s top 10 in rebounding. Of the other eight players, two will graduate, and Jared Sullinger will likely enter the NBA Draft, bumping these two even higher up the conference’s rebounding food chain.
The last few games seem to portray Evans as someone on the verge of turning into a double-double machine. If Berggren can learn to hit more of his shots out of the post, and if Breuesewitz attempts more shots next year, then these three could, collectively, put up double-double figures on a regular basis next season.
It’s all just a work in progress at the moment, but come next season, expect the return of a sturdy Wisconsin frontcourt.
Elliot is a senior majoring in journalism. What do you think about the growth of Wisconsin’s frontcourt this season? Let him know at [email protected] or tweet @BHeraldSports.
