Revenge will be on the minds of the men's basketball team and their 'grateful red' fan base when the Pepperdine Waves ride into town this Saturday.
Last year, the Badgers traveled to Malibu, CA. expecting some fun in the sun, but came home with a 75-61 beating. With the score tied at the half, Pepperdine went on a 25-4 run to put the game away. Wisconsin played one of its sloppiest games of the season, giving up 22 turnovers and shooting an abysmal 3 of 17 from the three-point line (17 percent).
Fortunately for Wisconsin, the top four scorers are gone from last year's Pepperdine team, including Glen McGowan, who put up 29 points in last year's contest and Alex Acker, who was picked by the Detroit Pistons in the NBA draft.
Waves head coach Paul Westphal will turn to a host of newcomers in order to rebuild last year's 17-win team. The former Phoenix Suns coach has turned his team over to freshman guard Michael Gerrity who is averaging 21 points, 4.7 assists, three rebounds and 2.3 steals on 55 percent shooting.
However, there are risks that come with relying on a freshman, regardless of how talented they are. Gerrity is turning the ball over an alarming 3.7 times per game. The Badgers should look to take advantage by pressuring the freshman into forcing shots and making bad passes. On the interior, another freshman, 6'11' center, Chris Oakes has led the team by averaging 7.3 boards in just over 22 minutes a game.
Inexperienced basketball teams are able to start well, but have trouble closing out games. The lack of experience has shown so far this season. The Waves are plus-20 in points in the first half, but minus-46 in the second. In their last game, they blew a 30-point lead to UC-Irvine and squeaked out a three point victory.
The Badgers are young, but plenty of their players have experience. Alando Tucker, Ray Nixon and Jason Chappell have all played on Big Ten Championship teams and seven players return from last year's Elite Eight squad. The Badgers have dominated their opponents equally throughout their games, going plus-34 in first halves and plus-36 in second halves.
Pepperdine has been beaten badly on the boards, having been outrebounded by nearly nine boards per game. Wisconsin, however, has attacked the glass with intensity, outboarding their opponents by 12.8 rebounds per contest.
After struggling to pull out some tough victories in St. Thomas, the Badgers showed how comfortable they are in the Kohl Center, by breezing past Coastal Carolina 92-54. Despite an off night from Tucker (five points), other players stepped up. Junior guard Kammron Taylor paced the team with 20 points. While sophomore center Brian Butch came up with 17 points and nine boards in the victory.
The Badgers have been explosive on the offensive end this year averaging an astounding 87.8 points per game. They have topped 80 points for the sixth straight game, going back to last year's UNC contest, something they have not done since 1993.
Wisconsin is 60-2 under Coach Bo Ryan when the team scores over 70 points. This year, teams have been able to keep one or two players from scoring, but a different player seems to step up every night. If it's not Tucker, it's Taylor. If not Taylor, it's Butch, and if not Butch, it could be freshman forward Marcus Landry. All four are averaging in double figures in points. Through four games, the Badgers have had three different players lead them in scoring.
Wisconsin also shined on the defensive end of the floor against Coastal Carolina. Sophomore guard Michael Flowers led the team by collecting a career-high five steals off the bench. The Chants shot just 29 percent from the field and were forced into committing 22 turnovers. Flowers, Taylor and Tucker shut down Carolina's two talented guards, holding Pele Paelay and Jack Leasure to just 20 points combined.
A victory would be Ryan's 60th at the Kohl Center. The high-power offense combined with the intimidating confines of the home court should mean revenge will be in order this Saturday for Wisconsin.
