Wisconsin 66 Bradley 43

[Big Mike]

Reynolds:

http://www.pjstar.com/bradleyhoops/x301774511/Live-blog-Bradley-vs-Wisconsin

Wessler: live blog...

http://blogs.pjstar.com/pressrow/2011/11/25/live-blog-bradley-vs-wisconsin/

[Beninator]

WE need to get JP back in the groove....2 bad games in a row, 1 asst in the first half is also a worry! On the bright side.....that was the closest score at halftime this year by any team playing the Badgers and the most pts scored for the game according to the BTN announcers. Also want to say the announcers did a good job giving BU some props and they really liked TB....he just didn't get enough help tonight! On to the next game....Nevada!

How about a crazy idea since we don't have any depth..... Sticks and JP on the floor at the same time. I realize we couldn't do this for very long though... Very much agree with you about the announcers from the Big Ten Network.

[Da Coach]

Game story from BradleyBraves.com

http://www.bradleybraves.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=205338405

[amckillip]

Overall, we played better than I thought we would going into this game. Shayok is starting to show some flashes of what he can and will be. I still hate our offensive schemes. One assist in the first half is inexcusable! I love to watch Wisconsin execute their offense but not against us.

This is what frustrates me... I still don't see any offense, I know some people keep telling me otherwise, I just can't see it. It looks like a JL offense - the weave, just a few passes, then an ISO for TB or DSE.

[amettrick]

Maybe I'm just feeling overly optimistic tonight, but I saw some things I liked in this game. Obviously there were a ton of mistakes and some sloppy play, but I love how hard these guys are playing. They don't give up and that's a good thing.

Shayok showed some flashes of his ability for the first time. If he could ever keep a handle on the ball it would be really nice. I think by his junior year he'll be one of the top guys in the Valley.

TB showed that he could easily have played for a BCS school.

I like the defensive intensity. They made errors but it wasn't for a lack of effort.

[real fan]

Overall, we played better than I thought we would going into this game. Shayok is starting to show some flashes of what he can and will be. I still hate our offensive schemes. One assist in the first half is inexcusable! I love to watch Wisconsin execute their offense but not against us.

It is hard to get assists or run an offense that has such poor outside shooting, opposing teams are packing their defense inside which makes it harder for us to drive and also harder to dish off to an inside player for an easy basket, until someone steps up and can consistently hit a 3 pointer we are in trouble against teams that can score, players have to be able to make outside shots in order to soften up the defense to get inside shots, we had a lot of good shots tonight but did not make them, Wisconsin is the same team they have had for years and will not beat a good offensive club .

[Bravesfan]

Overall, we played better than I thought we would going into this game. Shayok is starting to show some flashes of what he can and will be. I still hate our offensive schemes. One assist in the first half is inexcusable! I love to watch Wisconsin execute their offense but not against us.

Our offensive schemes aside, we still blew too many easy shots. We played very good defense and held Wisconsin to under 70 points. We did not make too many stupid fouls, and was even with them in that department the whole game. We played with great effort and heart as we usually do. And although we rushed shots early in the first half, we calmed down to the point where we actually cut the lead to 4 late in the first half and had a chance to cut the lead to 2 or 1 before a small spurt at the end of the half gave Wisconsin their 8 point halftime lead.

But despite some criticsm of Ford's offensive schemes, we still gave ourselves plenty of opportunities for easy shots, and we just plained missed them. So I would say Ford's offensive schemes are not the biggest problem here. We just simply can't shoot well enough to win games. I don't know if Geno needs to devote 3 hours a day solely to shooting and free throw drills, but maybe that's what needs to be done with this team until he can recruit better shooters.

Perhaps in the future Bradley should look into recruiting more pure shooters instead of just athletic types that may or may not develop into better shooters. This is not an indictment on the previous coaching staff, but maybe what is needed is a fundamental change in recruiting philosophy. Whether or not Wisconsin's and Butler's players for example are more athletic than ours is up for debate. But we do know these are two programs that sure spend more time recruiting pure shooters, and that can more than make up for a lack of athletic ability in a heartbeat. I'm not saying that even the best programs can't have an off year or two. But I do know that programs like those two can reload and be back up to high standards in a year or so in the worst of times. This is the type of philosophy we need to aim for, but unfortunately for the next year or two Geno may have his hands tied. That's why I don't believe the offensive schemes he is running is really the major problem here because we had plenty of open shots and making even just half of them at least keeps this game competitive down to the wire.

Btw, kudos to the Bradley fans who were really into the game, especially when Bradley made their run late in the first half. Wisconsin fans, who are very vocal at home, weren't into this game as much as otherwise expected since they pretty much expected this would be an easy victory for them. Hopefully the next time we play them, we don't make it as easy for them as they would like.

[bigjimmy]

Wisconsin is a very good team so not surprised by the outcome. I don't mind putting up quick shots as long as we're under control and not just putting them up off balance, which we have been doing during the last 2 games. When you're having a hard time making three's and making FT's you can't be forcing shots up hoping to make them. I thought our defensive effort was pretty good but Wisconsin just operates their offense at a high level. Hopefully our offense will run more smoothly and efficiently Saturday night.

[Bravesfan]

I need someone to explain our offense to me, because I really cannot see any method to the madness. We do the weave a few times a game, and we do the Pick and roll to Prosser so obviously that I'm shocked it ever works. There is literally nothing that seems to differentiate our scheme from something a JV high school squad would run when they have some fast players. Granted, I might be missing the key piece, so please let me know what I am missing. (no sarcasm intended, genuine request for clarification)

I know I was hard on you earlier this week Gwright, but you do have some good points. Watching them tonight it's obvious that maybe the uptempo offense Geno is running will not work until he gets his players in here. Plus he needs good shooters to finish plays.

This offense will not work for a rebuilding team against a top 10 caliber team that is known for tenacious defense. How many times, especially in the second half did Wisconsin work the shot clock down to almost zero to set up a high percentage shot? Quite a few, and that's the beauty of this team. The same type of offense most likely was used by Harvard in their upset over #20 Florida St. earlier in the day as well, albeit with an even better defensive effort. I think Geno might want to think about slowing things down a bit until he gets the players he needs that can run this offense. Good coaches can throw out a variety of offensive sets and taylor it to the type of teams they have and the types of opponents they play. And I know Geno is a very good coach or he wouldn't have been able to win the MAC regular season championship two years in a row.

That said though, I thought Bradley slowed things up a bit late in the first half as they were more patient with their shooting as they made their run and got the Bradley crowd into the game. But even when they were running their more uptempo offense, Bradley just missed too many easy shots, plain and simple. That's why I still believe that Geno's offensive schemes aren't the major problem here. It's just we can't make easy shots, and I'm not talking about open looks there were contested due to Wisconsin's defense. I'm talking about quite a few short, easy uncontested shots that were just plain missed. And we had plenty of opportunities for easy points in the paint, which makes me believe that Geno's offensive system is working somewhat and is not a complete failure. But we have most players who can't make a three point shot, and we are missing too many 5 foot jump shots and bunny layups. I don't care what offensive schemes Geno runs. We won't win too many games this year if we can't make shots, which is why maybe he needs to stress more shooting drills in practice. Should he have to do this at this level? No, but if it needs to be done, it needs to be done.

So I don't know what else can be done other than for him to have the players work on shooting in their spare time, get the team better at running the offense, and finding the right player combinations to make offense work. Whether it's WL or DS running the point, finding the right player is the key, and that will go a long way into lowering the number of silly turnovers we had tonight, which up until tonight's game wasn't as big an issue as it was tonight. I think the best thing for this team is that they get to play again tomorrow. A win against Nevada gives us a 4-2 record which ain't too shabby, all things considered.

[Bravesfan]

Wisconsin is a very good team so not surprised by the outcome. I don't mind putting up quick shots as long as we're under control and not just putting them up off balance, which we have been doing during the last 2 games. When you're having a hard time making three's and making FT's you can't be forcing shots up hoping to make them. I thought our defensive effort was pretty good but Wisconsin just operates their offense at a high level. Hopefully our offense will run more smoothly and efficiently Saturday night.

Right. Which is why maybe Geno needs to focus a bit more on a half court offense, especially against good opponents like this. But again, even with the uptempo offense we ran, we still blew too many easy baskets. I don't know if we win the game, but if we made half of those layups and five foot jumpers, we probably at least keep this game in single digits for most of the night.

[Big Mike]

Chicago Tribune:http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,1414104.story

Box score:https://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf8/8...DB_OEM_ID=3400

Wessler: Effort first execution will follow...

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x301774917/Wessler-Effort-first-execution-will-follow

Reynolds: Key run boost #11 Wisconsin over Bradley....

http://www.pjstar.com/bradleyhoops/x301774511/Live-blog-Bradley-vs-Wisconsin

[Big Mike]

Reynolds blog: another tough match-up for the Braves...

http://blogs.pjstar.com/pressrow/2011/11/25/another-tough-matchup-for-braves/

[Beninator]

I know I was hard on you earlier this week Gwright, but you do have some good points. Watching them tonight it's obvious that maybe the uptempo offense Geno is running will not work until he gets his players in here. Plus he needs good shooters to finish plays.

This offense will not work for a rebuilding team against a top 10 caliber team that is known for tenacious defense. How many times, especially in the second half did Wisconsin work the shot clock down to almost zero to set up a high percentage shot? Quite a few, and that's the beauty of this team. The same type of offense most likely was used by Harvard in their upset over #20 Florida St. earlier in the day as well, albeit with an even better defensive effort. I think Geno might want to think about slowing things down a bit until he gets the players he needs that can run this offense. Good coaches can throw out a variety of offensive sets and taylor it to the type of teams they have and the types of opponents they play. And I know Geno is a very good coach or he wouldn't have been able to win the MAC regular season championship two years in a row.

That said though, I thought Bradley slowed things up a bit late in the first half as they were more patient with their shooting as they made their run and got the Bradley crowd into the game. But even when they were running their more uptempo offense, Bradley just missed too many easy shots, plain and simple. That's why I still believe that Geno's offensive schemes aren't the major problem here. It's just we can't make easy shots, and I'm not talking about open looks there were contested due to Wisconsin's defense. I'm talking about quite a few short, easy uncontested shots that were just plain missed. And we had plenty of opportunities for easy points in the paint, which makes me believe that Geno's offensive system is working somewhat and is not a complete failure. But we have most players who can't make a three point shot, and we are missing too many 5 foot jump shots and bunny layups. I don't care what offensive schemes Geno runs. We won't win too many games this year if we can't make shots, which is why maybe he needs to stress more shooting drills in practice. Should he have to do this at this level? No, but if it needs to be done, it needs to be done.

So I don't know what else can be done other than for him to have the players work on shooting in their spare time, get the team better at running the offense, and finding the right player combinations to make offense work. Whether it's WL or DS running the point, finding the right player is the key, and that will go a long way into lowering the number of silly turnovers we had tonight, which up until tonight's game wasn't as big an issue as it was tonight. I think the best thing for this team is that they get to play again tomorrow. A win against Nevada gives us a 4-2 record which ain't too shabby, all things considered.

Bravesfan, I highlighted this post as to a degree I think your answer to my post and this answer to Gwright are a bit contradictory.

First point:
I am not questioning the effort from this team. It is clearly there and that is a tribute to Geno and the staff. I am questioning their offensive schemes and the coaching. The first portion of your post that I highlighted is something I very much agree with. To date, it isn't Geno's fault that he doesn't have the players for his system, but it is his fault to continue to run an uptempo offense when the players that we have do not match the style Geno wants to utilize. I made this analogy earlier in the season, but this team reminds me of the Stan Albeck teams after Hersey Hawkins.

Second point: Missed shots...
We don't play well against tall teams. (Wofford and now Wisconsin) While uncontested, I think that we rushed a lot of our shots because we were influenced by the height of the opposition in both games. Wisconsin's defense sagged towards the basket so while JP missed his shots, his shots were pretty well contested and to a degree rushed all night. I also do not like our situational shot selection in this offense. How many times in the first five games are we throwing up shots in which if they are missed, there is absolutely nobody in place to rebound? Quite a few and there hasn't been any real changes to correct this. This team sorely needs a better basketball IQ in this area as our players are not good enough to shoot in these type of situations.

What else can be done:
As I have said a few times, this is Geno's "pass year". IMHO, he needs to experiment with the players he has and very much needs to work on half court sets and put people in the best situation to succeed. (move Walt Lemon away from point guard for starters) We will be unable to run any type of press so while we talk about an uptempo game, sooner or later things will slow down to half court situations.

[lefty]

I know D1 ball is different than high school, but I know Donivine can shoot. I've seen him do it. DSE can shoot, too, but I'd prefer to see him drive. He can get past most defenders, just not tonight against Jordan Taylor.

I'm guessing if DS was burning the nets in practice he would be playing.He probably has a hard time getting shots off

[BradleyJD]

I'm guessing if DS was burning the nets in practice he would be playing.He probably has a hard time getting shots off

I would think the same thing. I haven't seen much from DS when he does get on the floor. I think Coach Ford would play him if it would get BU anything. I think you may see DS get more time as he gets more in tune with the game at the college level.