And thus it begins. Exhibitions, scrimmages and runs up Elver Hill are over. Now, it's time for the regular season. The University of Wisconsin men's basketball team enters Sunday's 4 p.m. matchup against the Mercer University Bears with high expectations. Ranked No. 9 in both the AP and USA Today polls, the Badgers start the season with their highest preseason ranking ever and the second best ranking in school history.
Looking over the roster, there are a lot of familiar names. The Badgers return 10 of 11 letter winners from last season, and of those 10, four were starters. Ray Nixon is the only player lost from last year's squad.
When talking about impact players for the men in cardinal and white, the conversation always starts with senior forward Alando Tucker, who was voted Big Ten preseason Player of the Year. Tucker, who averaged 19 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season, will be the focal point of the offense against Mercer.
While Tucker enters the game as the go-to-guy for UW, he is not the only weapon the Bears will contend with. Senior point guard Kammron Taylor has been known to torch defenses that adjust for Tucker's offensive prowess, and rest assured, if the Bears' defense over-commits to Tucker, Taylor has the capability of being a go-to scorer for the Badgers.
Depth looks to be the major strength of the Badger team this season and Sunday's game will be no different. While Taylor is UW's starting point guard, Michael Flowers can easily move from his starting shooting guard position to handle the point. Additionally, true freshmen Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes and redshirt freshman Mickey Perry could also see significant minutes at guard.
The offensive attack doesn't end there, though. Sunday's game marks the return of Marcus Landry and Greg Steimsma to the Kohl Center after both missed the latter half of last season due to academic ineligibility. While Landry and Steimsma will provide some inside presence, returning starters Jason Chappell and Brian Butch will do the bulk of that work. The big-man rotation also features depth in sophomore forward Kevin Gullikson, a refreshing surprise last season who earned a scholarship this year, and is available to bang around down low as well.
On the flip side, Mercer's roster is not as potent. After losing their top three scorers from last season, including guard Jacob Skogen, who led the team with 15.5 points per game, the Bears are searching for a go-to-guy similar to Tucker. The Bears boast no player that started more than 17 games last season.
Junior forward Sam Dolan is the Bears' leading returning scorer and rebounder with 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and he will have to carry much of the load against the Badgers' big men inside. Mercer will also rely on guards Ross Alacqua and Montavious Waters, who chipped in 7.3 and 7.1 points respectively last season.
On paper, it would appear that Mercer and Wisconsin are at the opposite ends of the NCAA college basketball spectrum. With the Badger team poised and ready to start the season off defending the Kohl Center's home court advantage and justifying its No. 9 ranking, Mercer will need to find something special in order play spoiler on the road Sunday afternoon. And short of finding a magic wand, it probably won't happen.
