WKU Basketball: Assessing the Adversary — Wisconsin Badgers
Note: This piece was written by The Towel Rack’s Jacob Keith
Here we are. The biggest game the Tops will play outside of the conference tournament.
Game Info
Time: 4:30 p.m. CT
Location: E.A. Diddle Arena | Bowling Green, Ky.
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: The Hilltopper IMG Sports Network
The flipping-flopping badgers of the frozen north get to experience a year’s worth of pent up aggression, frustration and vitriol from Hilltopper nation in a sold out Diddle Arena. I cannot wait for this game. Bring it on you ranch drinking, cheese mainlining, fake “Public Ivy” repping, mole people. Here’s a look at the school:
University of Wisconsin
- Location: Madison, Wisconsin
- Student Population: Approx. 44,413
- Endowment: 2.746 Billion
- Motto: God our Light
- Mascot: Bucky Badger
- Unofficial Mascot: Tunnel Bob (more on him in a bit)
- Miles of creepy tunnels under their campus: 20
- Over/Under for flops this game: 15 (I’ll take the over)
- Notable Alumni: Tunnel Bob (Probably not even a real Alumnus but I don’t care about anyone else)
The University of Wisconsin often refers to itself as “Public Ivy”. They see themselves as providing the prestige and quality that comes with an Ivy League education but without the selectiveness or costs that goes along with Harvard’s and Yale’s of the world. Weird flex, but OK. They may be as white an an Ivy League school, but that’s about it.
Are you kidding me? How laughable is that? Yes, the University of Cheese Powder Snorting and Binge Drinking does have some very highly ranked programs but do graduates honestly think the rest of the country sees them as equals to the freaking IVY LEAGUE? I can see that interview now:
Employer: So you graduated Ivy League?
Cheesy McRancherton: Yes. Wisconsin.
Employer: *Confused Silence*
Ranchey McCheeserton: Yes. You see, we at the University of Wisconsin provide an education on par with Yale or Cornell.
Employer: *Hysterical Laughter*
But this fact pales in comparison to the man, the myth, the legend: Tunnel Bob.
Robert Gruenenwald, known as Tunnel Bob, is a 6'6" tall creeper who, according to some rumors, has at different times lived in the more than 20 miles of underground steam tunnels underneath UW’s campus and now just “visits them on the weekends.”
No, I’m not kidding.
Some report that he is mentally disturbed and has a tendency to harass women and can even get upset and break things. Others say he’s harmless.
According to an online article from the Badger Herald he showed them “his favorite vents to view the hustle and bustle of campus from underground.” He also routinely invites strangers down into the tunnels for “Tunnel Games” of hide and seek.
Remember when I told you Washington let a serial killer attend their school?
Trump card: Wisconsin.
You have a living, breathing, likely relative of the vent lady lurking beneath your campus. Seriously, I can’t make this stuff up. The most interesting thing about Wisconsin is that they are the only university that literally has mole people.
But enough about Clogged Artery U the school. What about their men’s basketball team?
- 2018–19 Record: 10–2
- Kenpom/NET ranking: 12/4
- Projected Conference Finish: 6th
- Latest AP Poll ranking: #15
Wisconsin comes into this game on a two game winning streak and have standout wins over Oklahoma, NC State and Iowa. Their only losses are to Virginia and Marquette.
They are led by 6’10” redshirt senior forward Ethan Happ (19.2 points per game) and 6’0” guard D’Mitrik Trice, a redshirt sophomore (15.9 PPG, 53.7% from three). They are the only two players who score in double digits.
That isn’t to say the rest of the team can’t score; the Badgers average 40% from deep and hit eight per game. They also have four players 6’10” or taller. Yay.
What to Watch
Wisconsin’s calling card this year has been their stifling defense. They are holding opponents to 61.6 points and a 39.7% shooting clip, plus five steals per game. They don’t score a lot of points (76.5 PPG) but they don’t need to. They are a supremely balanced team who are solid in each phase of the game, a lot like St. Mary’s.
If the Tops are to come out of this one with a win, they are going to have to continue to improve their ball movement and play smart.
With Nelson suspended indefinitely, I’m going to be looking for major contributions from Josh Anderson and continued improvement from Dalano Banton, who looked like a starting point guard against St. Mary’s. And if they can get Happ into early foul trouble, well, then we will have ourselves a game.
So Tay, drive at that large man please.
The inconsistency of this team still scares me and most power rankings seem to agree that this game should be a fairly one sided affair, even accounting for home court at Diddle. Still, if the Tops pull this one off I think they can reestablish themselves as the C-USA favorite as they move into conference play.
As you can tell from the opening paragraph, I’m still salty from last year. And rightfully so. The entirety of sports media last year called out the refs in that game for that ridiculous foul call with seconds left. It will be years before I let that die. Let’s hope this game can ease the pain of Hilltopper fans.
