Wisconsin

[WTSooner]

They have been so fun to watch over the last several years.

That program is what OU should be trying to emulate. They don't recruit a bunch of studs. Some four star guys, and bunch of three star guys that they turn into studs, and even some unranked kids. They have a way of doing things. They are tough. They don't have major drop offs from year to year. They bring guys into the system that don't always play much the first year or two, but they are ready to "take over" by the time they are juniors.

Reminds me of Kelvin's teams with better offense, and possibly slightly better talent.

It's now back to back Sweet 16's after losing Kaminsky and Dekker to the first round of the NBA 2 years ago.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

One of my best buddies is a UW grad, so I have followed the Badgers as a distant fan for some years. I traveled to Wisconsin last September and watched the LSU-Wisconsin football game at Lambeau Field.

You are most correct on their history of player development and success. One thing I have always noticed when I looked at their basketball roster over the years is that they redshirt a lot of freshmen. Their current roster has 7 players that have redshirted previously; plus 2 of their 3 current true freshmen players are redshirting this season. Somehow, they get a good number of players to bide their time, develop and mature, and many of these guys become at least solid role players by the time they are 3rd-year juniors. Two of their top 4 scorers this season (Happ and Showalter) had previously redshirted. Wisconsin has a system, and it seems to include player patience (for playing time) as well as toughness.

The current roster has 6 Wisconsin high school players, plus 4 from Ohio high schools.

Wisconsin does get the occasional Top-100 recruit that comes in and plays a lot as a freshman, but even Nigel Hayes came off the bench as a freshman in 2013-14. The Badger’s best freshman this season (D’Mitrik Trice) comes off the bench to score 6 points per game. It is just real hard to start or get a ton of playing time as a true freshman at Wisconsin, as they always have a bunch of experienced and older players that have been working their way up.

Wisconsin sells out the Kohl Center with 17,000-Plus fans, even when they are playing Central Arkansas.

Must be nice.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

2017 Wisconsin Recruiting Class:
http://wisconsin.247sports.com/Season/2017-Basketball/Commits

According to 247Sports, the Wisconsin class is rated #19, compared to OU at #20.
http://247sports.com/Season/2017-Basketball/CompositeTeamRankings

 

[sperry]

OU has been recruiting and developing 4 year guys, and Kruger has been doing it a high level for a lot longer than Wiscy has been relevant in hoops. Kruger just did so with complete mastery, taking his first recruiting class to the tournament all 4 years, and progressing from first round to sweet 16 to final four. The current group of freshmen and sophomores who got a lot of run next year will make their first tournament next year and will continue to progress with deeper tournament runs.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Certainly, Coach Kruger has recruited and developed 4-year players for a long time, and OU has a wonderful basketball history. This thread is titled "Wisconsin." I agree with WT that they have been a fun team to watch for several years.

The Wisconsin basketball history is not without highlights, although their most recent history certainly shines bright, as they have been to the Big Dance the last 19 years in a row. That shows extreme consistency in their current program. The Badgers are doing something right.

NCAA Tournament champions .. 1941
NCAA Tournament runner-up .. 2015
NCAA Tournament Final Four .. 1941, 2000, 2014, 2015
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight .. 1941, 1947, 2000, 2005, 2014, 2015
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen .. 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

 

[coolm]

there is not a single program in college basketball that is comparable to any other program. each has it's own unique situation.

The only program OU needs to do as well as or better than is OU.

 

[chuckb]

We already have a great program. Let's make a list of all the programs that should emulate ours, including our neighbor across the state.

 

[WTSooner]

The only program OU needs to do as well as or better than is OU.

Old Chinese proverb?

 

[WTSooner]

We already have a great program. Let's make a list of all the programs that should emulate ours, including our neighbor across the state.

We've missed the Dance 5 of the last 11 years.

We have room for improvement.

 

[WTSooner]

Certainly, Coach Kruger has recruited and developed 4-year players for a long time, and OU has a wonderful basketball history. This thread is titled "Wisconsin." I agree with WT that they have been a fun team to watch for several years.

The Wisconsin basketball history is not without highlights, although their most recent history certainly shines bright, as they have been to the Big Dance the last 19 years in a row. That shows extreme consistency in their current program. The Badgers are doing something right.

NCAA Tournament champions .. 1941
NCAA Tournament runner-up .. 2015
NCAA Tournament Final Four .. 1941, 2000, 2014, 2015
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight .. 1941, 1947, 2000, 2005, 2014, 2015
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen .. 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

Thank you for looking all of that up. Proves the point I was trying to make. I would think Wisconsin would have some of the same limitations that OU basketball has, yet they've found a way to have a consistently good team that has shown the ability to make it to the second weekend of the Dance quite frequently over the last two decades.

 

[Larry72]

Wisconsin like all tournament teams, believe in movement, screening, and good passing.
That did not happen at OU this past year.

 

[chuckb]

We've missed the Dance 5 of the last 11 years.

We have room for improvement.

https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/strawman

Everyone has room for improvement. But the notion that we should emulate anyone else implies that the other program is superior to ours. Some are. Wisconsin isn't one of them. They've had some good years. So have we and we'll be better than them next year, as we were last year. Maybe they should emulate us.

 

[WTSooner]

https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/strawman

Everyone has room for improvement. But the notion that we should emulate anyone else implies that the other program is superior to ours. Some are. Wisconsin isn't one of them. They've had some good years. So have we and we'll be better than them next year, as we were last year. Maybe they should emulate us.

<yawn>

If you haven't been impressed with what Wisconsin has done over the last 20 years, fine. But I have. And they've done it in a way that I believe OU can copy. We aren't ever going to be Kansas. Or Kentucky. Or UCLA. We can't do those things. But I think Wisconsin has found a pretty darn good formula that I think OU can borrow from. Don't agree? Cool, move along.

 

[chuckb]

<yawn>

If you haven't been impressed with what Wisconsin has done over the last 20 years, fine. But I have. And they've done it in a way that I believe OU can copy. We aren't ever going to be Kansas. Or Kentucky. Or UCLA. We can't do those things. But I think Wisconsin has found a pretty darn good formula that I think OU can borrow from. Don't agree? Cool, move along.

Again, you're misrepresenting my argument so that yours seems better. Wisconsin has has a good program. So do we. We're not, and will never be Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, or Duke. Neither will they. Their formula works for them. I happen to think that Kruger's formula is working for us. We don't need to be like them any more than they need to be like us.

We had a down year. They will next year (and, in fact, have largely been disappointing this year, playing below their talent level). Teams have down years. Don't agree? Cool. Move along.

 

[WaymanFan]

<yawn>

If you haven't been impressed with what Wisconsin has done over the last 20 years, fine. But I have. And they've done it in a way that I believe OU can copy. We aren't ever going to be Kansas. Or Kentucky. Or UCLA. We can't do those things. But I think Wisconsin has found a pretty darn good formula that I think OU can borrow from. Don't agree? Cool, move along.

Well, I have been impressed with Wisconsin this century, and would love for OU to be at their level based on 21st century accomplishments. I'm just not sure it's a true apple-apples comparison. Wisconsin has been very good in both football and basketball for s long time, but not sure they're a national power in either. OU is a blue-blood football school...a top 5, perhaps top 3 all-time tradition. We're far superior to Alabama, USC, Nebraska, Miami and Florida State in hoops tradition. We're slightly ahead of Texas and Notre Dame, and we're at the same level as Michigan, Ohio State and Florida. In that respect, most other programs are trying to emulate after us.

I think for us to be at Wisconsin's 21st century level in hoops, it has to start with the fans.

 

[WTSooner]

We had a down year. They will next year (and, in fact, have largely been disappointing this year, playing below their talent level). Teams have down years. Don't agree? Cool. Move along.

lol, what?

Two years ago they lost to players to the NBA draft, as first round draft selections. In the two years since, they've made two Sweet 16's with a couple of 4* kids, some 3* kids, and some non-ranked kids.

So no, they aren't having a down year.

 

[coolm]

what ... you're just not satisfied unless you're finding another reason to rag on OU every week?

Now you're railing on us for not being Wisconsin. Meh, Wisconsin is no Oklahoma either. We have the stronger athletics department by far.

get over your hate and move on to next season already.

 

[WTSooner]

We have the stronger athletics department by far.

No crap.

But this was my opinion on what OU might be able to do to improve our hoops program. Or, in other words, a vision of what I see as our "ceiling" as a program.

 

[sperry]

Dude, just stop. Not sure why, on the heels of a sweet 16 and final four run, it's crept into your brain to just constantly rip on Kruger, but it's absolutely moronic and it's getting really old.

 

[oudna]

WI is a better basketball state than OK.

Strong coaching at the HS level. Lots of indoor time in that weather!