Wisconsin Basketball: UW’s lack of frontcourt depth could be Achilles’ heel
Madison, Wis. – Wisconsin Badgers head coach Gard returns frontcourt stalwarts Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl from last year’s team, creating a solid foundation in the low-post to build around.
However, graduate transfer Chris Vogt is gone, as is Ben Carlson, who provided minutes off the bench—leaving some serious question marks regarding the depth of UW’s frontcourt.
Last season, UW finished 3rd in the Big Ten in defensive rebounding percentage, according to KenPom, the highest finish of the Greg Gard era, thanks in large part to Johnny Davis being a freak of nature on the boards.
It is, however, worth noting that the Badgers lost three of their top four leaders in defensive rebounding percentage from last season’s team (Davis, Vogt, and Carlson). Say what you want about Wisconsin’s bench production in 2021-22, but Vogt and Carlson provided energy/helped immensely on the boards and will definitely be missed in that regard.
Plus, UW swung and missed in the transfer portal, searching for frontcourt reinforcements, leaving Wahl and inexperienced returning players like Carter Gilmore, Chris Hodges, and Markus Ilver to fill in the gaps behind Big Steve.
Will the Badgers get manhandled on the boards?
The issue with that is obvious, lack of size. Of the bench players mentioned, none exceed 6-foot-8. UW plans to combat its lack of a true big man off the bench by utilizing its defensive versatility and playing smaller lineups.
“I’ve talked about positionless basketball, and obviously, it started offensively, and then there’s been a defensive counter to it,” coach Gard explained. “It’s a chess match back and forth. Looking back at the guys we’ve had, the best of them haven’t always been the biggest,” Gard continued. “The ultimate piece is you have to stick your face in there and battle. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog. We want guys who can compete and be consistent and wear people out.”
Coach Gard’s defensive rotations will change based on matchups, but there’s no arguing that a true center would have helped this team immensely. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more post-dominant conference than the Big Ten. So, it’s fair to question whether or not UW can hold its own on the boards and provide enough rim protection to challenge for a conference title.
According to KenPom, over Wisconsin’s last five games, Wahl accounted for 77% of the minutes played at the “4”, and Crowl played 59% of the minutes at the “5”. I envision Big Steve seeing an uptick in minutes, meaning UW needs someone to provide just enough quality minutes and not be a liability while they’re getting a breather.
Depth is important, but on an average night, there won’t be of ton of minutes available in the low post.
I try not to overreact to anything that comes from an exhibition game. Still, the Badgers were out-rebounded by division three UW-Eau Claire this past weekend – potentially foreshadowing the struggles to come. Johnny Davis will be missed for many reasons, but his rebounding prowess might top the list.
How does Wisconsin handle rotations? Can UW tread water long enough when players like Wahl and Crowl are in foul trouble? Will the Badgers get manhandled on the boards? Only time will tell – but a tough non-conference slate consisting of Stanford, Dayton, Wake Forest, and Marquette should provide answers in short order.
I fear Wisconsin’s failure to acquire a seven-footer during the offseason will be their Achilles heel in 2022-23.
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