Analysis of Wisconsins Big Ten Start with Mark Stewart

Madison, Wis. – With six minutes to play in the Kohl Center, Wisconsin saw well on the best way to the sixth victory in a row and continued his climb in the late season at the head of the conference. The problem was that the Vaders, who had forgotten the regulation, was 40 minutes long.

Oregon closes a 16: 2 run and did the water for the Badgers in overtime for a 77: 73 victory on Saturday afternoon with two weeks in the regular season. Instead of being at the doorstep, checking your own way to a big ten season championship.

The Badgers in the race in the race for a double decision in the Big Ten tournament of the next month brought the defeat against Oregon on Saturday, since Maryland and UCLA are connected to UW in profit column and the TieBreaker based on head-to-head Hold heads. Victories.

Have the ducks unveiled something that could prove to be problematic in the last season of the season? What things do the badger have to improve to avoid a loss at the end of the season? What would label would be a success label this season?

Badgerblitz.com spoke to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Beat Reporter Mark Stewart to maintain his perspective, where Wisconsin sits three weeks before the selection on Sunday.

Badgerblitz: This team had a big February, which brought itself to the mix for a big ten title, a double tanning in the Big Ten tournament and a high seed in Milwaukee for the NCAA tournament. We will see whether the loss on Saturday against Oregon will change that, but what are your snack bars of the way Wisconsin has played recently?

Mark Stewart: If you return to this team, where the team was last year and fell apart at this level of the season, I think they are in a pretty good place. This was her first loss in February. Oregon is a team that is probably a little better than its 8-8 record in the big ten. They look pretty hard. You look out of what I saw for a long time defensive. It is this season in which teams come together. I think these last two weeks of the Big Ten will see many of these things in which teams rise and achieve important winnings and sow to ensure that they come to the tournament. You don't want to lose at home, but I still feel pretty good in terms of this team.

I saw her on Saturday and just thought that someone would play a game. So they were built. It wasn't John TonjeThe day, but I thought someone else would do a piece. I still think that this group has that. They say that coaches do not like to lose, but a loss results or remotivated everyone. I don't think the loss was a lack of focus. Sometimes you meet a team that got it and Oregon was wearing the last eight minutes.

Badgerblitz: Has Oregon unveiled something that should be worrying for the rest of the season, or was it just a bad offensive day for Wisconsin that we saw sporadically this season?

Stewart: The whole thing about dealing with pressure will be interesting, but a team must have the components for it. Has the team a man like TJ Bamba, who can defend and has a big one in the mail to protect the rims like Oregon. Michigan is also a unique team with what you have with the two bigs. I thought about it. Was something obvious here or was it a question of correction?

Many sales were flukey situations. For people who saw the game when John Blackwell With 18 seconds, catching the left with 18 seconds that have an inbounds pass, he is likely to be fouled, goes into the free-wire line and the percentages say that he will do at least one. Then they are four points. He misses the ball, he goes out of the limits, Oregon gets the ball at his end and Shelstad hits the three.

If you looked at the Iowa game, there was a point when Shelstad had waved this long three pointer at the end of the gunfire. I thought as soon as Shelstad got the ball, this guy won't give up the ball. He injected it to his honor.

I don't see many of these flukey sales, especially those who had crowl. However, if Gard wanted some teaching points, he got many of them.

Badgerblitz: This month there were so many great individual appearances from the goal this month as crowl contributed in several areas, and the elevators from the bank of Carter Gilmore and Jack Janicki. Did there be a player who has impressed you or has recently surprised you with your game?

Stewart: Gilly James watching that it is fun. Many of his highlights were threesome and kisses into the crowd, but the last few games took some nice steps in the post and finished down there. He was one who jumps out.

Blackwell didn't have these huge games and Saturday was not a great day for him, but what I like about him is that he was very constant up to this point in the year. Max KlesmitThe shooting percentages were not what they were in the past, but he is one of these players. This year he is the one man from an offensive point of view, in which he did not have three or four consecutive games in which he shot the light. I still think that he comes what could be good news for UW.

Badgerblitz: Where is an area on the offensive and in an area in defense in which Wisconsin has to be a factor in March?

Stewart: They have done such great work from three -point range. When I look at Nolan winter He works in the mail and has played more games down there, but that could be an area in which UW can be more productive. Steven crowl We had a nice first half, but he was not as active or aggressive when Nate Bittle came back into play. We have one of the best crimes in the country, but you could probably get more off the mail if you need it.

Defensive is a good question. I do not know whether it is an area of ​​weakness, but only this coherent unit. That is the only thing I like defensively about them is that they can lean back and see how the parts move. When crowl appears and helps on a screen, look behind him and see Gilmore or Xavier Amos Help with his guy and shift quickly when crowl is withdrawn. There is this synergy that you have when you play well defensively. This is the key to the group because I don't believe that there is a big individual defender. This is not the case. You do it defensively as a group.

Badgerblitz: No matter what Wisconsin has achieved so far and how you have opposed the low expectations, some fans will not see this season as successful, without at least two wins in the NCAA tournament. Is this season a success in your eyes or do you have to do more so that Mark Stewart goes away to say that it was a successful year?

Stewart: You pushed the bar. I think at that time, people forgot that they were selected the 12th. It is more, this is the team that was classified twice this year as No. 11. I saw on a website that they were listed as No. 2 in the tournament. That feels a little high for me at the moment, but you can get it if you keep playing as you played.

If you came on the second weekend, it would be a really good year to consider what they lost and what the expectations were of the group. As soon as you arrive for the second weekend, everything can happen. You win this one game, you are a hot half or a big moment outside the Final Four.