This weekend the Wisconsin Badgers (3-1) return to the Kohl Center and seek to bounce back after Tuesday’s heartbreaking loss to Maryland in their matchup with the Detroit Titans (2-1). Detroit no longer boasts any All-Americans as they have in the past couple years when Willie Green and Rashaad Phillips received honorable mention honors, but head coach Perry Watson is known for replacing graduated stars and not losing much production out of his program.
Watson has his hands full this season as he attempts to replace two four-year starters in Green and power forward Terrell Riggs, but the Titans also feature three returning starters from last seasons. Senior Elijah Warren, Willie Wallace and Rulon Harris will be leading a young Detroit squad this season with their experience in Watson’s system.
Willie Wallace will have the task of replacing Riggs in the post this season. Wallace is being asked to grab rebounds under the hoop with his wide 6-foot-7, 250-pound frame and he is currently doing just that. Thus far he leads the team in rebounds with 6.7 per game and has chipped in a solid 8.3 points per game through three games.
Rulon Harris had a tough time adjusting to playing point guard in Division-I last season after transferring from the junior college ranks. Harris averaged 2.1 assists per game, still good for third on the team, but also shot a dire 9-41 from behind the three-point arc. This year, Harris shares the starting back-court slots with Syracuse transfer James Thues, who helped lead the Orangemen to the 2002 NIT with 5.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game before being benched last season in favor of Gerry McNamara in Syracuse’s NCAA champion run.
Detroit has compiled deep depth in their back-court. Jimmy Tyman, who split minutes at point guard with Harris last season, plays a key role for the Titans as their primary back-up guard. Also coming off the bench are 6-foot-4 swingmen sophomore Ben Green and red-shirt freshman Muhammed Abdur-Rahim. Both hold connections to the NBA as Green is the cousin of Philadelphia 76er and former Detroit star Willie Green while Abdur-Rahim is the younger brother of the Atlanta Hawks’ Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Though the Badgers’ perimeter defense is typically of no great concern, it will be essential in this weekend’s game. Devin Harris, Freddie Owens and Boo Wade match-up well against Detroit’s sound guard rotation.
Detroit’s leader is undisputedly Elijah Warren, however. Warren was a preseason second team all-Horizon conference selection and is the returning scorer from last year. He currently leads the Titans with 12.0 points per game.
Warren can also do a little bit of everything as a versatile 6-foot-5 small forward. Last year he averaged 4.9 rebounds per game and was Detroit’s top three-point gunner as he posted a three point percentage of 38. While Warren’s rebounding average has dipped to a paltry 1.7 this year, he has shot an outstanding 56.5 percent from the field as well as hitting half of his three-point attempts. Head coach Perry Watson is expecting big things out of Warren as he steps up as his go-to man after Willie Green, last year’s Horizon Player of the Year, graduated last season.
Watson also believes that his team can return to the 20-win mark after missing the plateau the past two seasons. In spite of Detroit’s struggles the past two years, this goal is not absurd by any means. Watson has a reputation for great recruiting, especially considering the fact that he loses a lot of talent to the bigger programs in the state like Michigan State and Michigan. Also, he always manages to get the most out of his teams regardless of how porous the roster’s talent may seem.
This year will be no different. With the well-balanced squad that Detroit features this season, Watson will be able to do a great deal with the Titans in the Horizon Conference. However, they appear to be overmatched in this weekend’s game against a highly ranked Wisconsin team. This matchup should be a quality tune-up game for the Badgers as they prepare for a four game home stand against the Detroit Titans as well as the three other Division-I Wisconsin schools this month.