Make your Warrior-Bucky predictions

[thegratefulwarrior]

i think this game is going to be a typical mu-uw grinder . . . i think uw will dictate tempo, but i don't think that's as bad of a thing as normal (aside from it being absolutely brutal to watch!) seeing as we don't have the pace this year that we've had in the past. however, to me, this game comes down to how we match up against three of their guys-- berggren, evans, and dekker.

berggren is a really bad match up for us because if either chris or davante is in the game they have to follow him out to honor his three point shot . . . i think one of our weaker areas is defending the high pick and roll. the big needs to hedge and quickly recover instead of continuing to pressure the ball aimlessly.

i think jamil draws evans, which i anticipate will be the most telling matchup of the game. I'm still waiting for jamil to turn it on . . . i understand that he is in a transitional role and that he is maybe not naturally a physically dominant player, but if he doesn't bring it saturday, i think evans will have his way and that could be trouble. need jamil to get nasty and assert himself on the glass . . . he cannot disappear if we want to win.

finally, the frosh dekker is having a pretty nice little season so far . . . always hard to judge how a frosh will play in a big rivalry game, but knowing how bucky always seems to save their best for mu, i would anticipate him being a big piece to their puzzle. not sure who draws him if, for instance, evans is in the game too . . . maybe trent guards him . . . maybe juan . . . maybe vander. ill admit, i haven't seen him play all that much since hs, but with any frosh i would challenge him by being physical and we absolutely cannot give him open looks. come to think of it, juan seems like a good fit to guard him.

in the backcourt, i think we have an advantage, albeit only a slight one given the way our guards, save vander, have played so far. i would love to see some full court pressure after made baskets . . . have d wilson hound marshall and jackson from baseline to baseline.

also, mu has GOT to do two things. first, they have to get over their tendency to give up open three point looks . . . if you give brust et al those we could be in for a long day. and second, we cannot get killed on the boards and give up second chance points . . . i think it was 2010, IIRC, that bucky absolutely murdered us on the boards and escaped with a four to five point win at the BC because of all the second chance points.

all in all, i expect great energy at the BC as two bitter rivals are desperate for a win. gotta go with my boys in a close one, MU 67 - UW 62, with vander having himself a game.

thoughts?

GO WARRIORS!

[Goose85]

Agree that we need to defend the 3 point shot. Also need to keep Berggren and Dekker from having monster games.

Key to the game - Jamil Wilson. He needs to step up and have a huge game.

MU wins 71 - 63.

[warriorfan4life]

I will go Marquette 65, Wisconsin 62, in a slow paced 60 possession game. With all of the talk of Berggren giving us trouble, I think we start to define our season by pounding it to Davante and he goes for 20 and 10 Saturday.

[IWB]

When it comes to Berggren, I would not be surprised to see Buzz go with a smaller lineup, with Junior, Van, Trent, Juan and Jamil - put Jamil on Berggren - Not for long stretches, but to change it up. People are concerned about Chris and Davante going out to defend the three, eliminate that as much as possible - Don't have to play position by position either - put our 5 (Chris/Davante) on their 4 (Bruesewitz) and our 4 (Jamil/Juan) on their 5 (Berrgren). Will Bruesewitz be a bit much for Chris and Davante? Possibly, but if it keeps them from running out to defend Berggren. Bruiser is 8-25 from three, so while that isn't bad, it isn't as good as Berggren.

Overall I think MU wins this one, but it will be rough, and UW will control the speed - 62-57. Vander will be the player of the game with 24 pts.

[MUfan12]

Their shooters and our poor rebounding worries me. I think UW wins 68-61.

[WindyCityGoldenEagle]

Buzz 62 Grinch 60

Locket starts to get his shot to fall and ends up being high man with 16.

[Nukem2]

Buzz 62 Grinch 60

Locket starts to get his shot to fall and ends up being high man with 16.

Yes, I too suspect Lockett comes out of his shell in this game. The nine days also helps his broken facial bones.

[MUBB713]

Badgers 28 MU 24. Fans leave with after 12 min tv timeout in second half due to boredom. MU stops trying and loses.

No, but really I think MU wins 71-63. Will play well in front of the sellout crowd. Should be a fun one and I'm sure the players are excited. I know I am.

[Nukem2]

This game could be a lot like the Butler game. Andrew Smith - Berggren / Marshall & Jones - Evans & Bruesewitz / Clarke & Dunham - Brust & Dekker. Smith plays high like Berggren with 3 point range and can pass and rebound. Need to watch those cutters getting passes from high; otherwise we could see a lay-up line again. Posters are predicting a low scoring game. I see this one getting into the 70s. Hopefully, we can overcome the 9 day layoff and not come out with a slow start.

[TedBaxter]

66-62 Wisconsin.