Has the tide finally turned in the U-M/Wisc bball series?

Submitted by Human Torpedo on

Obviously, calling Wisconsin a shell of its former self this year is putting it mildly. Still, winning three in a row including two in the same year last year after a run of going 2 for 18 (!!!) has got to be a significant for this "rivalry" right now

A Lot of Milk

February 11th, 2018 at 3:43 PM ^

It could easily be four in a row. The game in Madison last year was topped only by the Minnesota debacle in terms of shitty reffing. Wisconsin is what a team looks like when they can't recruit and the new coach is trying to emulate the former one. Terrible defensively and (today excluded) they really can't shoot. Teams have been destroying Wisky by doubling Happ and having him turn it over or pass to open shooters who brick shot after shot. I was mad we played Happ one on one, but they had some hot shooting today so maybe it was good they didn't trade Happ's twos for WhiteGuyShooter(TM) threes.

LS And Play

February 11th, 2018 at 3:43 PM ^

One thing that has not changed: absolutely horrific officiating at the Kohl Center. Happ elbowed Wagner virtually every single possession in the post. Never called. And the Davison 3-point leg kick was one of the worst calls I have ever seen. 

NittanyFan

February 11th, 2018 at 4:04 PM ^

Wisconsin hoops doesn't have the structural advantages that other B1G schools (including Michigan) have.  Yet, they were great for 15-20 years.  That's mostly due to their coaches.

With more typical coaches, they're probably a mid-tier conference team.  As they were under Stu Jackson and Stan Van Gundy (yep, he was the UW coach before Bennett).

LSAClassOf2000

February 11th, 2018 at 4:16 PM ^

I remember that Van Gundy was an assistant under Jackson, then Stu Jackson left to become the GM of an expansion NBA franchise, leaving Stan in charge of a team with Michael Finley on it. I think that Wisconsin team ended up with a losing record and Van Gundy was canned after just the one season too. It worked out for him - and Wisconsin, with the Bennett hire - in the long term. 

BJNavarre

February 11th, 2018 at 5:04 PM ^

That was true 20 years ago, but Wisconsin is a big time athletic program now, as opposed to the 3rd rate program pre-Alvarez/Pat Richter (their AD). They are now the first choice for most recruits out of Wisconsin and one of the top choices for recruits out of the surrounding states. Their situation is much better than it was 25 years ago, even with a 2nd rate coach.

TrueBlue2003

February 11th, 2018 at 5:48 PM ^

not necessarily anymore.

This cycle the three 4-star players from Wisconsin signed with Kentucky, Marquette and WVU.  Wisconsin signed no players from Wisconsin and only got two 3-stars (from MI and MN) for the 75th overall class and 12th (!!) in the big ten.

Last year Iowa State got the only 4-star from Wisconsin. UW did get Davison and Reuvers who were 4-stars from MN last year it wasn't a two year slump but it'll be interesting to see what happens with the 2019 class coming off this bad season.

rob f

February 11th, 2018 at 7:11 PM ^

is overall in much better shape than 20 years ago, they're still just one bad hire in each revenue sport from slipping back towards the mediocrity from which they came.

Besides Basketball, which has had a very nice 20+ year run under Dick Bennett and Bo Ryan, Wisky has had even longer good-to-very-good stretches in Football (Alvarez, then Bielema, then two years of Gary Anderson [until he fled largely because playing school IS important at UW], and now Paul Chryst), and in Men's Hockey.

While Wisky Football has benefited greatly from being in the weaker B1G West since realignment, they appear to be in good hands to continue winning under Chryst, who seems capable of maintaining what Alvarez built.

I'm not as sure about the future of Wisconsin Hockey. Under Tony Granato (his coaching resume looks pretty "meh" to me) they haven't impressed me yet. And with ND, Minnesota, and an improving Michigan program likely to be stronger than Wisky in the long run, the Badgers seem destined to spend a lot of time in the middle of the pack in the B1G.

Wisconsin Basketball looks the most vulnerable right now of revenue sports. They're an awful team right now (yeah, injuries), but the talent pipeline seems to be shriveling up and the Greg Gard era is seemingly NOT heading in a positive direction. Unless Gard quickly turns things around over the next couple seasons, he won't last. If IU, with a much longer and richer basketball tradition than Wisky, can struggle under mediocre coaches, then you better believe that Wisconsin can quickly fall towards the bottom of the B1G.

bronxblue

February 11th, 2018 at 3:51 PM ^

You lose maybe the best coach in your program's history and replace him with a perfectly fine but unspectacular assistant, a downturn is not unexpected.

I think Michigan has gotten better and Wisconsin has gotten worse.  That's usually how rivalries go; rarely are both teams at their peak at the same time.  But if it means Michigan can beat the Badgers a couple more years before they get back on their feet, that isn't a bad thing.

goblue16

February 11th, 2018 at 4:06 PM ^

Actually if you think about talent Wisconsin always over achieved every year with Ryan as their coach. Now there getting back to reality. Recruiting is important when you have a nobody as your head coach

jmblue

February 11th, 2018 at 4:15 PM ^

I didn't know it was that bad previously (though I certainly remember the Gasser/Brust shots), but it sure looks like they're not the same program without Bo Ryan.