Welcome toย The Sports Bankโs third annualย college basketball season previewย series. ย Two years we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. ย Last year, we were slightly more aggressive and expanded to 111 teams in 111 days and will do so again as we look ahead to the 2012-2013 season.
We will rank the 75ย power conferenceย teams and top 36ย mid-majorsย in reverse power ranking order. ย Weโll break down rosters, transfers, incoming freshmen, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
My normal rule is never under any circumstances predict a Bo Ryan-led Wisconsin Badgers team outside of the Top 25 in my preseason rankings. ย However, the devastating torn ACL injury suffered by Josh Gasser in the preseason is a massive loss that has me going against my usual instincts.
WISCONSIN BADGERS
Last Season: 4th, 12-6 in Big 10, 26-10 overall
Predicted Big Ten Finish: 6th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Jared Berggren (Sr)/Frank Kaminsky (So)/Evan Anderson (So)
F: Mike Bruesewitz (Sr)/Zach Bohannon (Jr)
F: Ryan Evans (Sr)/Sam Dekker (Fr)/Duje Dukan (Jr)
SG: Ben Brust (So)/Traevon Jackson (So)/Zak Showalter (Fr)
PG: George Marshall (Fr)/Josh Gasser (Jr-out for season)
Gone: PG-Jordan Taylor, G/F-Rob Wilson, F-Jared Uthoff (transfer-Iowa)
2012-2013 Outlook:
Gasser was expected to transition from the shooting guard position to the point, replacing experienced floor leader Jordan Taylor. ย Ryan praised Gasserโs growth during the off-season with the newly implemented NCAA rule of coaches being able to work with their guys for limited time during the summer. ย Now that responsibility of being the lead guard will fall onto the shoulders of redshirt freshman George Marshall.
โWith George being a freshman, heโs going to take his bumps and bruises,โ Ryan admitted when I spoke to him at the Big Ten Media Day. ย He did show some confidence in his young point guardโs ability referring to Marshall as, โvery competitive, quick with the ball, and a good shooter.โ
Senior center Jared Berggren picked up on that thought, โ(George)โs quick. ย Heโs aggressive. ย Heโs fearless. Heโs tough.ย Heโs going to do whatever coach asks of him. ย Going head-to-head with Jordan last year everyday in practice, they had some good battles. ย Thatโs definitely going to help prepare him for what we need him to do this coming season. ย The biggest thing for him is getting some game experience.โ
Gasserโs move to the one was already going to open up some concern about who would step into the starting shooting guard role. ย Sharpshooter Ben Brust appears to be the favorite since he saw quality minutes off the bench last year. ย He was extremely streaky last year and the Badgers will need more consistency with his outside shot to help offset the losses of Taylor and Gasser who combined to average more than 22 points per game last year.
Gasserโs injury also limits the already thin options on the bench. ย Sophomore Traevon Jackson now becomes the primary reserve and must play some point guard as well which is not his natural position. ย Freshman Zak Showalter was originally supposed to be a walk-on but earned a scholarship after the much-debated transfer of forward Jared Uthoff and could see spot minutes if there happens to be foul trouble or another injury of some sort.
With a lack of experience in the backcourt, the leadership now shifts to the senior frontcourt of Jared Berggren, Ryan Evans, and Mike Bruesewitz. ย Berggren is a skilled center who will hold down the fort in the middle. ย In typical Wisconsin big man tradition, he can stretch the floor with his outside shooting but also has a variety of moves on the block.ย Berggren is also the conferenceโs top returning shot blocker.
Still, he didnโt make CBS Sportsโ list of top 50 centers in college basketball preseason. ย Berggren chuckled when I asked him about that at Big Ten Media Day. ย โI donโt really care too much about preseason stuff,โ he said. ย โThey pick our team middle of pack, they leave us off preseason lists, it doesnโt really matter to us. ย Hopefully we can find our way onto some lists and find some success throughout the season, and people will be talking about us at the end of the year.โ
Sophomore Frank Kaminsky will back up Berggren and is another inside/outside threat capable of knocking down threes or scoring in the paint. ย Evan Anderson barely saw the floor last season and provides another big body off the bench. ย His development has been very minimal though as he is really nothing more than a stiff who has struggled to grasp what Ryan asks of his bigs on both ends of the floor.
Evans made a solid jump during his junior year emerging as Wisconsinโs second leading scorer. ย He has always been known for his athleticism but showed development in his all-around offensive repertoire which now includes a consistent mid-range game and ability to use his quickness to power dribble and finish at the rim. ย Showing more consistency from behind the arc will be the key for him to really take his game to the next level.
As for Bruesewitz, he suffered a leg injury that could sideline him for the first couple weeks of the season. ย Bruesewitz struggled with his offense last season but still made an impact with his rebounding, energy, and hustle; never afraid of getting on the floor or diving into the front row after a loose ball.
His injury likely opens the door for highly touted freshman wing Sam Dekker to see heavy minutes from the opening tip of the season. ย A top 20 recruit in the country according to some rankings, Dekker is 6-7 and might already be the most talented scorer on the Badger roster. ย His versatility combined with a need for depth at guard might give him the opportunity to see some minutes at the two as well.
โAnytime youโve got someone who can score from the outside and inside, who is long and who can defend, thatโs going to be an asset to your team,โ Evans said of his new teammate.
Berggren echoed those sentiments. ย โHeโs definitely a very talented kid, a kid that has the right attitude, eager to learn.ย He has all the talent necessary to get the job done so I think heโll definitely be a guy who can help us out this year.โย Air Force transfer Zach Bohannon (the younger brother of former Badger shooting guard Jason Bohannon) and Duje Dukan will compete for minutes off the bench as well.
Under Ryan, Wisconsin has never finished lower than fourth in the Big Ten standings. ย With three top five preseason teams coming from the Big Ten, the always dangerous Michigan State, and a veteran laden Minnesota squad combined with Gasserโs costly loss; the deck is stacked against the Badgers extending that incredible streak.ย UW isn’t going to just lay down and roll over though.
โThereโs going to be plenty of adversity throughout the season,โ Berggren stated. ย โThatโs the nature of basketball. ย To get a little taste of it right now and see how we handle things going forward, I think it can definitely be a positive for us in the long run.โ
โOur teamโs always been an underdog collectively,โ Evans added. ย โItโs something that really gives you that burn and drive to be great. ย I think we all feed of that.โ
Player to Watch: Sam Dekker
Freshmen typically donโt find themselves in the immediate rotation on Bo Ryan coached teams. ย While Dekker will certainly have to earn his minutes on both ends of the floor, he is too talented to keep buried on the bench. ย He ended his high school career by scoring 13 points in the final 50 seconds of the state championship game on the Kohl Center floor and will look to carry over that type of success on that exact same hardwood.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/14 at Florida
11/23 vs. Creighton (Las Vegas Invitational)
11/24 vs. Arkansas/Arizona State (Las Vegas Invitational)
11/28 vs. Virginia (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
12/2 vs. California
12/8 at Marquette
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#29 New Mexico Lobos
#30 St. Mary’s Gaels
#31 Georgetown Hoyas
#32 North Texas Mean Green
#33 Ohio Bobcats
#34 Texas Longhorns
#35 Miami Hurricanes
#36 Purdue Boilermakers
#37 Alabama Crimson Tide
#38 St. Joseph’s Hawks
#39 Murray State Racers
#40 VCU Rams
#41 Davidson Wildcats
#42 Stanford Cardinal
#43 UMass Minutemen
#44 St. John’s Red Storm
#45 Butler Bulldogs
#46 Florida State Seminoles
#47 Drexel Dragons
#48 St. Louis Billikens
#49 West Virginia Mountaineers
#50 BYU Cougars
#51 Temple Owls
#52 Washington Huskies
#53 California Golden Bears
#54 Kansas State Wildcats
#55 Nevada Wolfpack
#56 Colorado Buffaloes
#57 Iowa State Cyclones
#58 Northern Iowa Panthers
#59 Colorado State Rams
#60 Iowa Hawkeyes
#61 South Florida Bulls
#62 Valparaiso Crusaders
#63 Illinois Fighting Illini
#64 Arkansas Razorbacks
#65 Wichita State Shockers
#66 George Mason Patriots
#67 Virginia Cavaliers
#68 Villanova Wildcats
#69 Maryland Terrapins
#70 Marshall Thundering Herd
#71 Iona Gaels
#72 Northwestern Wildcats
#73 Oklahoms State Cowboys
#74 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
#75 USC Trojans
#76 UConn Huskies
#77 Harvard Crimson
#78 Xavier Musketeers
#79 Ole Miss Rebels
#80 Clemson Tigers
#81 Oregon State Beavers
#82 Texas A&M Aggies
#83 Providence Friars
#84 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#85 Oklahoma Sooners
#86 Lehigh Mountain Hawks
#87 Washington State Cougars
#88 Long Beach State 49ers
#89 Belmont Bruins
#90 Vanderbilt Commodores
#91 Dayton Flyers
#92 Houston Cougars
#93 UCF Knights
#94 Old Dominion Monarchs
#95 Oregon Ducks
#96 LSU Tigers
#97 South Carolina Gamecocks
#98 Seton Hall Pirates
#99 Georgia Bulldogs
#100 DePaul Blue Demons
#101 Boston College Eagles
#102 Penn State Nittany Lions
#103 Arizona State Sun Devils
#104 Virginia Tech Hokies
#105 Texas Tech Red Raiders
#106 Auburn Tigers
#107 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
#108 TCU Horned Frogs
#109 Mississippi State Bulldogs
#110 Utah Utes
#111 Nebraska Cornhuskers
David Kay is a senior featureย NBA Draft,ย NBA, andย college basketballย writer for the Sports Bank.ย He also heads up theย NBAย andย college basketballย material atย Walter Football.comย and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.ย David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu.ย He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and theย most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draftย on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter atย David_Kmiecik.
