Hey guys, badger fan interloper here to try and fill in some of the knowledge gaps about UW.
First off, we had an all-America player in Ethan Happ that graduated. He was a big man who led the team in scoring, rebounds, steals, and assists. So, yeah, it's weird without him.
The positives about that, though, are that Happ was a sub-50% FT shooter (and he went to the line a lot - "Hack-a-Happ" was a thing), he couldn't/didn't shoot from outside the paint, and defenses could key on him. The last couple of games, the Badgers have had 6 players in double figure scoring and the FT shooting is over 80% so far. Everyone on the floor at all times is capable of both posting up and hitting a 3. So, different.
You may hear the announcers mention Micah Potter - he's a big who transferred from Ohio St. last year, but cannot play until 2nd semester. Without Potter, the Badgers are a bit thin in terms of serviceable front court players, and thus susceptible to foul trouble. Reuvers is the one true big in the rotation right now. If he gets in foul trouble, UW goes fairly small. He's also probably the player most likely to garner all-conference consideration on the team - he's good.
The rest of the players are mostly just kinda average who have specific things they do well. I'll only mention Brad Davison because he turned his ankle in the last game, and we'll see if he's good to go - he's the team leader, just a tough guy who'll be sprawled on the floor multiple times per game.
We do play man defense, always, and have for a quarter century. I wonder if the teams you've played have zoned you at all? Just curious.
