As the start of the college basketball season approaches, the hype of Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins continues to grow. Wiggins, this season’s top recruit, may be the most highly talked about NBA prospect since LeBron James.
After Wiggins, the next predicted NBA draft picks are not surprisingly other freshmen from schools like Kentucky and Duke. One after another, these “prestigious” basketball schools rack in the top recruits.
With this repeated pattern, the question may arise as to how a school like Wisconsin even competes with these powerhouse recruiters. In fact, you can go to ESPN’s recruiting rankings and scroll down for a long while before stumbling upon on Wisconsin commit. Yet, every year Wisconsin is ranked in the top 25 and consistently is a top contender in the Big Ten conference.
So, how is it that Wisconsin is able to compete at such a high level, while only getting half the strength of recruits of other conference opponents like Michigan State and Ohio State? It’s actually quite simple. Wisconsin plays the best team basketball of any team in the country.
Let’s start out on the topic of recruiting. Whereas teams like Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina recycle big-ticket players like Wiggins every year, Wisconsin brings in players who stick with the program for the entirety of their career. Unlike many top recruits, Wisconsin players don’t use their college as a gateway to the NBA, but as another chance to compete and reach the ultimate goal of a championship.
While staying their four or more years in Madison, players take the opportunity to become experts at the system, while also improving their skills and team unity every game along the way.
Just take Ben Brust, for example. Brust is a guy who came in as a three-star recruit, according to ESPN’s rankings. He was a player who was pretty much unknown to the nation, playing little minutes his freshman year. By his junior year, he earned his way onto the front page of ESPN’s website after hitting an electrifying half-court shot to send UW's game against top-ranked Michigan into overtime. Brust is now a senior and likely top scorer for the Badgers.
Wisconsin also plays a methodical, classic style of basketball.
The swing offense that head coach Bo Ryan brought to Madison allows the Badgers to slow down any team and make opponents play at their pace. They set the tempo for each game and make their opponents adjust their play. This is why regardless of the talent or athleticism of the other team, Wisconsin will always be right in the game.
The swing offense is perfect because it requires smart, patient players, which fits UW’s players perfectly. It also has no set spots for each position, so any player on the court can play any part in the offense. This feat is vital to Wisconsin because it allows any position to shoot three-point shots, as UW traditionally has some of the best shooting big men, and allows it to utilize mismatches in the post positions.
Likewise, UW's systematic offense causes very few turnovers. In fact, Wisconsin is consistently one of the teams with the fewest turnovers in the nation. Since the Badgers' 2008-’09 season, they have not been outside the top five for fewest turnovers, while they had the fewest of any team in the 2009-’10 and 2010-'11 seasons.
Lastly, Wisconsin plays tough, team defense. This mentality that Ryan spreads upon his players is a huge part of the Badgers' success. Just last year, they lead the conference in defense, holding their opponents to an average of 55.9 points per game. With the return of redshirt junior guard Josh Gasser, the defense should get an even bigger boost this season.
Wisconsin may not be the biggest, fastest or most athletic team, but it plays the game right.
As long as UW continues the team principles that is has built its success around, it will be able to compete with anyone.
Are players leaving after their freshman season hurting college basketball? Does any team in the country play better team basketball than Wisconsin? Let Blake know by emailing sports@dailycardinal.com.
