Yes, all of the attention this weekend is going to be focused on Columbus, Ohio and it should be, but some of our attention here at MTB needs to start turning to the Kohl Center as well, and that’s because the Badger basketball team started practice on Friday.
With three frontcourt starters from last season all departing, there are a lot of questions surrounding this team and what it will look like come opening night.
So, naturally, we assembled our best basketball minds to give you a look into their crystal balls and give us their starting fives….
Enjoy!
Jay Swenson:
G- Ben Brust
G- Traevon Jackson
G- Josh Gasser
F- Sam Dekker
F- Frank Kaminsky
I see Bo starting with a smaller line up as he likes to go with experience. The Badgers are loaded at guard, so he'll want to take advantage of that. It will be a different offense to watch, for sure.
While I see this as the opening game line-up don't be surprised to see one of the big guys (Brown or Dukan) crack the line-up once they gain some experience or if they are playing a bigger team.
Cole Brown:
G- Traevon Jackson
G- Josh Gasser
G- Ben Brust
F- Sam Dekker
F- Frank Kaminsky
Outside of Dekker and Gasser, this is really a crapshoot. The situation in the frontcourt brings a lot of uncertainty for UW. Although Kaminsky and Anderson seem to be the front-runners for starting big man at this point, freshmen Vitto Brown and/or Nigel Hayes could easily beat them out.
Wisconsin has an extraordinarily deep backcourt with past starters Josh Gasser (who makes a comeback from a brutal ACL injury), Ben Brust and Traevon Jackson all returning this season.
I'll agree with Jay and say that Bo goes with three guards based on experience. Dekker will have to play as an undersized 4 and Kaminsky's game experience will give him the edge over the other big men.
Andy Coppens:
G – Josh Gasser
G – Ben Brust
F – Sam Dekker
F – Vitto Brown
F – Frank Kaminsky
For me, the interesting question is whether the Badgers go with Kaminsky or a guy like Evan Anderson up front. Anderson showed improvement in the trip to Canada and I suspect his defensive skills could win out over Kaminsky's offensive ability in the starting lineup. Brown looked like a man amongst boys on the trip from a physical aspect and reality is someone has to start out of the freshman group. I think he, along with Bronson Koenig, will have the biggest impact.
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