W MEN'S BASKETBALL: Pressure on the Badgers
Senior forward Mike Wilkinson knows what is Job One tonight at the Kohl Center when the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team faces the full-court pressure applied by in-state rival UW-Milwaukee.
"You have to take care of the ball," Wilkinson said.
The Badgers (5-2) stress that every game, but it will be even more critical against the Panthers (6-1), the Horizon League preseason favorites who are forcing 19.4 turnovers per game.
"You have to make good passes," Wilkinson said. "You have to move the ball. You have to get good shots."
The Badgers, seeking to rebound from Saturday's 63-54 loss at Marquette, also have to make their shots. They shot just 34.6 percent from the field in a physical, half-court game against the Golden Eagles.
First things first, UW associate head coach Rob Jeter said, when asked how to effectively handle UWM's press.
"We've got to get it down there first," Jeter said, with a laugh. "So, we have got to be able to handle their pressure. Then after that, once we do get it across, we have to be aggressive. But aggressive doesn't mean taking 3-point shots from all over the gym. I think we can still get it into the paint and get easy layups. So, we have to get it across half court and attack."
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Coach Bo Ryan's Badgers are familiar with the presses used by UWM coach Bruce Pearl, who spent 14 years as an assistant to Tom Davis. "It's the same type of press we applied for many years," Jeter said.
So, look for variety - a diamond-and-one, a 1-2-1-1, a one-trap-and-done press.
"They do a really good job of denying the entry," Jeter said. "Or, sometimes, they allow you to get it in the corners and then they trap you."
The Panthers - who average 78 points per game, or 22.3 more than their opponents - will push an up-tempo style. The Badgers must respond with depth and plenty of energy.
"We've played teams like this where that's absolutely necessary, yeah," Ryan said. "I don't think with this team there's ever been a question that it's got to be done by eight, nine, 10 players."
How UW's point guards handle the ball will be important, but Jeter said it takes the entire lineup to break a press.
"We have to be ready against them, because they are going to bring it the entire game," Jeter said. "I feel comfortable in our guards, but knowing that there are going to be some turnovers out there. We just can't have a lot of them and we can't string them together."
The Badgers used full-court pressure earlier this season, but haven't lately.
"Certain teams, certain times, and having guys that I can practice with every day," Ryan said of when he'll use full-court pressure. "That probably doesn't help it very much (when players miss practice). But you say it that way, and I don't want it interpreted any other way. It's not an excuse. It's just we're going to do the best we can with what we have. We're surviving."
Pearl said even though UW's personnel might be different, the Badgers still run their system - and remain effective getting the ball inside and getting to the foul line. Pearl said UW misses current Dallas Maverick guard Devin Harris, but Harris' absence wasn't necessarily the reason Marquette guard Travis Diener scored 29 points against UW.
"They miss Devin defensively and they miss Devin when they're down to make plays and break defenses down," Pearl said. "But what Diener did, he's done against everybody. So, it would be unfair to blame the Wisconsin guards for not being able to guard him. They can guard."
The Golden Eagles played a physical game that stymied UW's inside attack.
"We're not built to beat the Badgers, where I think Marquette was with big, strong defenders who could build a wall around the basket that bothered Wisconsin," Pearl said. "We don't have that luxury. I also don't have Travis Diener on my team."-
UW-UWM preview
Game vitals
What: The University of Wisconsin Badgers (5-2) vs. the UW-Milwaukee Panthers (6-1) in a non-conference game.
Tickets: The game is sold out.
Coaches: UW - Bo Ryan 73-30 at UW (fourth season); 456-133 overall (21st season). UW-Milwaukee - Bruce Pearl, 66-33 at UW-Milwaukee (fourth season) and 297-79 overall (13th season). ?
About the Badgers
Probable starters: Sharif Chambliss, 6-foot-1, sr. (8.1 points per game, 1.3 rebounds per game), and Clayton Hanson, 6-5, sr. (6.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg), at guards; Alando Tucker, 6-5, so. (14.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Mike Wilkinson, 6-8, sr. (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), and Zach Morley, 6-8, sr. (8.9 ppg, 6 rpg), at forwards.
Key reserves: Kammron Taylor, 6-2, so. (6.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg), at guard; Ray Nixon, 6-8, jr., (2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg), at forward; Andreas Helmigk, 6-9, sr. (3 ppg, 2.6 rpg), and Brian Butch, 6-11, fr. (4.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg), at center.
Last game: UW lost to Marquette 63-54 Saturday at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
Last season: Wilkinson had 18 points in an 89-71 victory over UWM at the Kohl Center on Dec. 13, 2003.
Class time: Wilkinson (class presentation) and Butch (study session) didn't practice Tuesday. Wilkinson is progressing well from a left lower leg injury.
Home, sweet home: The Badgers have won 32 consecutive home games, which is the longest active home winning streak in the nation. The streak is the second longest in program history. UW won 33 straight at home from March 8, 1911, to Jan. 23, 1915. UW's margin of victory during its current winning streak is 20.4 points per game.
The series: The Badgers are 20-1 against UWM and have won the last 11 meetings. ?
About the Panthers
Probable starters: Ed McCants, 6-3, sr. (13.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg), and Boo Davis, 6-3, jr. (9.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg), at guards; Joah Tucker, 6-5, jr. (16 ppg, 5.7 rpg), and Adrian Tigert, 6-7, jr. (10.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg), at forwards; and James Wright, 6-6, sr. (4.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg), or Derrick Ford, 6-10, jr. (5.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg) at center.
Key reserves: Chris Hill, 5-10, jr. (8.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg), at guard; Jason McCoy, 6-9, jr. (4.3 ppg, 2 rpg), at guard or forward; and Nick Hansen, 6-5, so. (1.7 ppg. 0.8 rpg), at forward.
Last game: UWM had its six-game winning streak snapped with a 72-71 loss at Valparaiso Saturday. Tucker had 20 points.
Tucker vs. Tucker: Pearl on the potential battle between UW's Alando Tucker and UWM's Joah Tucker: "I think it's a great matchup. They're both big guards who play like men."
Senior forward Mike Wilkinson knows what is Job One tonight at the Kohl Center when the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team faces the full-court pressure applied by in-state rival UW-Milwaukee.
"You have to take care of the ball," Wilkinson said.
The Badgers (5-2) stress that every game, but it will be even more critical against the Panthers (6-1), the Horizon League preseason favorites who are forcing 19.4 turnovers per game.
"You have to make good passes," Wilkinson said. "You have to move the ball. You have to get good shots."
The Badgers, seeking to rebound from Saturday's 63-54 loss at Marquette, also have to make their shots. They shot just 34.6 percent from the field in a physical, half-court game against the Golden Eagles.
First things first, UW associate head coach Rob Jeter said, when asked how to effectively handle UWM's press.
"We've got to get it down there first," Jeter said, with a laugh. "So, we have got to be able to handle their pressure. Then after that, once we do get it across, we have to be aggressive. But aggressive doesn't mean taking 3-point shots from all over the gym. I think we can still get it into the paint and get easy layups. So, we have to get it across half court and attack."
Advertisement:
Coach Bo Ryan's Badgers are familiar with the presses used by UWM coach Bruce Pearl, who spent 14 years as an assistant to Tom Davis. "It's the same type of press we applied for many years," Jeter said.
So, look for variety - a diamond-and-one, a 1-2-1-1, a one-trap-and-done press.
"They do a really good job of denying the entry," Jeter said. "Or, sometimes, they allow you to get it in the corners and then they trap you."
The Panthers - who average 78 points per game, or 22.3 more than their opponents - will push an up-tempo style. The Badgers must respond with depth and plenty of energy.
"We've played teams like this where that's absolutely necessary, yeah," Ryan said. "I don't think with this team there's ever been a question that it's got to be done by eight, nine, 10 players."
How UW's point guards handle the ball will be important, but Jeter said it takes the entire lineup to break a press.
"We have to be ready against them, because they are going to bring it the entire game," Jeter said. "I feel comfortable in our guards, but knowing that there are going to be some turnovers out there. We just can't have a lot of them and we can't string them together."
The Badgers used full-court pressure earlier this season, but haven't lately.
"Certain teams, certain times, and having guys that I can practice with every day," Ryan said of when he'll use full-court pressure. "That probably doesn't help it very much (when players miss practice). But you say it that way, and I don't want it interpreted any other way. It's not an excuse. It's just we're going to do the best we can with what we have. We're surviving."
Pearl said even though UW's personnel might be different, the Badgers still run their system - and remain effective getting the ball inside and getting to the foul line. Pearl said UW misses current Dallas Maverick guard Devin Harris, but Harris' absence wasn't necessarily the reason Marquette guard Travis Diener scored 29 points against UW.
"They miss Devin defensively and they miss Devin when they're down to make plays and break defenses down," Pearl said. "But what Diener did, he's done against everybody. So, it would be unfair to blame the Wisconsin guards for not being able to guard him. They can guard."
The Golden Eagles played a physical game that stymied UW's inside attack.
"We're not built to beat the Badgers, where I think Marquette was with big, strong defenders who could build a wall around the basket that bothered Wisconsin," Pearl said. "We don't have that luxury. I also don't have Travis Diener on my team."-
UW-UWM preview
Game vitals
What: The University of Wisconsin Badgers (5-2) vs. the UW-Milwaukee Panthers (6-1) in a non-conference game.
Tickets: The game is sold out.
Coaches: UW - Bo Ryan 73-30 at UW (fourth season); 456-133 overall (21st season). UW-Milwaukee - Bruce Pearl, 66-33 at UW-Milwaukee (fourth season) and 297-79 overall (13th season). ?
About the Badgers
Probable starters: Sharif Chambliss, 6-foot-1, sr. (8.1 points per game, 1.3 rebounds per game), and Clayton Hanson, 6-5, sr. (6.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg), at guards; Alando Tucker, 6-5, so. (14.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Mike Wilkinson, 6-8, sr. (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), and Zach Morley, 6-8, sr. (8.9 ppg, 6 rpg), at forwards.
Key reserves: Kammron Taylor, 6-2, so. (6.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg), at guard; Ray Nixon, 6-8, jr., (2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg), at forward; Andreas Helmigk, 6-9, sr. (3 ppg, 2.6 rpg), and Brian Butch, 6-11, fr. (4.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg), at center.
Last game: UW lost to Marquette 63-54 Saturday at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
Last season: Wilkinson had 18 points in an 89-71 victory over UWM at the Kohl Center on Dec. 13, 2003.
Class time: Wilkinson (class presentation) and Butch (study session) didn't practice Tuesday. Wilkinson is progressing well from a left lower leg injury.
Home, sweet home: The Badgers have won 32 consecutive home games, which is the longest active home winning streak in the nation. The streak is the second longest in program history. UW won 33 straight at home from March 8, 1911, to Jan. 23, 1915. UW's margin of victory during its current winning streak is 20.4 points per game.
The series: The Badgers are 20-1 against UWM and have won the last 11 meetings. ?
About the Panthers
Probable starters: Ed McCants, 6-3, sr. (13.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg), and Boo Davis, 6-3, jr. (9.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg), at guards; Joah Tucker, 6-5, jr. (16 ppg, 5.7 rpg), and Adrian Tigert, 6-7, jr. (10.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg), at forwards; and James Wright, 6-6, sr. (4.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg), or Derrick Ford, 6-10, jr. (5.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg) at center.
Key reserves: Chris Hill, 5-10, jr. (8.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg), at guard; Jason McCoy, 6-9, jr. (4.3 ppg, 2 rpg), at guard or forward; and Nick Hansen, 6-5, so. (1.7 ppg. 0.8 rpg), at forward.
Last game: UWM had its six-game winning streak snapped with a 72-71 loss at Valparaiso Saturday. Tucker had 20 points.
Tucker vs. Tucker: Pearl on the potential battle between UW's Alando Tucker and UWM's Joah Tucker: "I think it's a great matchup. They're both big guards who play like men."
