Many of the Badger sports programs have high expectations for the upcoming season. In order for each team to be successful they must stay healthy, play together, do the little things right and other cliches anybody could tell you. At the end of the day, though, certain key players are going to have to come through in big moments.
A couple of guys with the same name come immediately to mind in this conversation: Junior running back John Clay for the football team and senior forward Jon Leuer for the men's basketball team will be important, but they are not the only two. Here is a list of five players who will be critical to the success of their respective teams.
Jordan Taylor, junior guard, men's basketball
Head coach Bo Ryan played point guard in his college days, and he has been able to churn out productive players at the point throughout his tenure as the Badgers' head coach, and Taylor is the latest in that line. The 6'1"" native of Bloomington, Minn., evolved into a starting-caliber member of last year's squad because of his ability to protect the ball and make big shots.
Although he improved markedly between his freshman and sophomore years, Taylor will need to continue to work on his jump shot in order to be efficient within Ryan's swing offense. Taylor averaged 10.0 points per game, led the team in assists and had the third best assist-to-turnover ratio in school history at +3.03. With the departure of Trevon Hughes, Taylor will be asked to step into more of a leadership role and continue his development into a top-tier player in the Big Ten.
Craig Smith, sophomore forward, men's hockey
He won't be able to replace all of the production that this unit has lost to graduation and NHL aspirations. Not even close. However Smith, who has the talent to harbor professional aspirations of his own, will have to become a premier performer for the Badgers this winter.
Smith skated on the top line with Hobey Baker winner Blake Geoffrion for a good chunk of the season, and showed flashes of brilliance in the process. Listed at 6'1"" and 195 lbs, Smith has the size and speed to become a terror in the WCHA.
At times during his freshman campaign, Smith appeared to lose his cool. That included a checking-from-behind incident against Minnesota State that earned the Madison. native a two-game suspension.
Smith played on the wing last year, but may be asked to move to the middle and play center as the Badgers lose their top two in Geoffrion and Derek Stepan. He scored eight goals and tallied 25 assists last year.
John Rzepka, senior midfielder, men's soccer
After missing all of the 2008 season with a foot injury, Rzepka cleared a major hurdle in simply getting back on the field last season. He managed to start 18 games and tally two goals and an assist as the Badgers stayed in the hunt for a Big Ten title until late in the season. Now, as a senior, Rzepka will once again have a new head coach and a new supporting cast around him, but at least he is healthy.
The Badgers lost their top scoring threat in two time all-Big Ten forward Scott Lorenz. Rzepka will not be the only capable scorer on the roster this year, but his two goals in a 4-3 win over UW-Milwaukee in Wisconsin's spring schedule are nothing but positive for a team that managed to score just 15 goals in 18 games last season.
Alyssa Karel, senior guard, women's basketball
The Badger women's basketball team is coming off of its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2002, and Karel is a big reason why. She started all 33 games for the Badgers and averaged 14.3 points per contest, leading the team. Having seen significant playing time since her freshman year, Karel is a career 42.6 percent shooter from the field and led the team in both 3-point field goals and 3-point attempts. The St. Paul, Minn., native became the program's 20th 1,000-point scorer in March and earned Second Team All-Big Ten Honors.
The expectations will be raised this season after 21 wins and a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and with the departure of contributors like Rae Lin D'Alie and Teah Grant, Karel will be called upon to carry the load in 2010-'11.
Andrew Howe, junior, wrestling
Last year, the Wisconsin football team re-established itself on the national scene with ten wins and set the stage for this year over a perennial power in Miami. The men's hockey team came within three periods of a national title. Andrew Howe did not lose a match. To call the Cedar Lake, Ind., native's sophomore campaign dominating would be an understatement, as he compiled a 37-0 record and won a national championship at 165 lbs.
Now, as a junior, the All-American will headline a wrestling team that is deep in talent. Even though the Badgers season will not start until the late fall, Howe has already continued his impressive stretch of results. He won the ASICS U.S. Open in freestyle at 163 lbs. in April and came up just short of representing the United States in the World Championships, finishing second in the U.S. World Team Trials in Iowa in June.
Many teams in Madison have high expectations for the upcoming year, but earning a second national title would lift Andrew Howe into rarefied air.
