2009-10 Wisconsin Basketball Predictions

Written November 10, 2009 by Kyle Hunter

It has become an annual occurrence now, every single year Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers are thought to be down and not a factor in the Big 10 because of key losses of players, but every year the team plays hard-nosed basketball and is a major factor in the conference. The Badgers are the type of team each year that if you look at them on paper doesn’t look that impressive, but they will grind out it with you for 40 minutes and make you look bad. Can they do it again this year? It’s tough to count out a team like Wisconsin. The current college basketball odds to win the 2009-10 Tournament list the Badgers at +8000.

Gone are both Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft, the two leading rebounders for the Badgers last season. The Badgers will definitely miss both of them, especially their presence down low and their leadership abilities. Even with the losses of these two players Wisconsin should be starting a lineup that has a pretty good amount of experience, which always helps in a system like Ryan’s.

The key for the Badgers will probably be the play of point guard Trevon Hughes. Hughes can be a bit of an enigma at times, though he has improved in the last year or so. Hughes has to be careful to play within the offense and not take shots that are ill advised and could lead to easy points for the other team. Hughes is a very quick guard that can penetrate and kick, as well as score the basketball himself. Hughes is also a terrific on the ball defender. Jason Bohannon is a terrific shooter from distance that can really carry the team at times if he has his form working correctly. Bohannon won’t wow you with quickness or great overall skills, but he plays solid fundamentally and can shoot the ball from anywhere on the court. Get a $500 match bonus at BetUS that you can use to bet NCAA basketball this season.

The bigger issue for Wisconsin this year will be the post players. The post player that has shown the most promise so far is returning 6’10 junior Jon Leuer, who seems ready to step in as one of the big men who can shoot the ball from distance or scrap down low with the big men. Keaton Nankivil will probably start as well in the post, and he has the ability to stretch the defense, but he will need to bulk up a little bit to be a serious presence on the glass.

Like every other year expect the Badgers under Bo Ryan to pride themselves on their defense. Wisconsin does a terrific job of taking a team out of the flow of the game and forcing them to play Wisconsin’s style of basketball. The team will definitely be a work in progress, especially since they lost their two leading rebounders. In the end I would expect the Badgers to upset some of the best teams in the conference, especially at the Kohl Center where there are nearly unbeatable. Even though it doesn’t look like a tournament team on paper, the Badgers will probably make their way to the NCAA Tournament again this season.

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