Ners was right!!!

[brewcity77]

Wow...seriously, how good is this team? Once we got the big lead, I felt good, because they aren't built to come back, but I got nervous when they cut it to 3. Just felt too familiar. Still, these guys just wouldn't lose. We have to avoid the letdown Tuesday, but man, we're really good. This was the first true litmus test, and we passed with flying colors. Honestly, we should be top ten by Monday.

We just went from dark horse Big East contender to dark horse title contender. That's how big a win at Wisconsin is. The past two years, OSU lost there and Duke lost there. Both got #1 seeds. We just won there. How big is that?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!! I'm stoked!

[AZWarrior]

Bwaahahahahaaaaa!!   

[leglegle]

Sitting with a bunch of Badger Fans. This is a sweet sweet victory!

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Plus .... Look at the minutes from deep in the bench. This team is stacked!

[nyg]

More impressive with:

1) Starting point guard did not play
2) Crowder had two points
3) Otule was terrible
4) Three freshmen on the court on numerous occasions.

Well played, never thought.

[mileskishnish72]

I am getting psyched. Starting to beLIEVE! Yes I thought Wis could beat us on Madison. I really like the fact that we've won with a lot of scoring yet won two close ones scoring about 60.
Pumped for the JimmyV 'cuz I'll be there in Blue and Gold!

[Hards Alumni]

I feel wrong about this.

I was the one who called it ahead of him 

[NersEllenson]

Sitting with a bunch of Badger Fans. This is a sweet sweet victory!

ENJOY!!  There is nothing more satisfying than beating Bucky at the Kohl...nothing...sex included (at least in my book)!

F*ck Bucky.  Now if UW football loses tonight on another hail mary...that would be epic.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

More impressive with:

1) Starting point guard did not play
2) Crowder had two points
3) Otule was terrible
4) Three freshmen on the court on numerous occasions.

Well played, never thought.

Otule terrible? Are you nuts? He was working his one eyed ass off on the boards. I don't know how many boards he got but he kept about a dozen or more alive. Idiotic statement.

[Hards Alumni]

Otule terrible? Are you nuts? He was working his one eyed ass off on the boards. I don't know how many boards he got but he kept about a dozen or more alive. Idiotic statement.

+1

[brewcity77]

ENJOY!!  There is nothing more satisfying than beating Bucky at the Kohl...nothing...sex included (at least in my book)!

F*ck Bucky.  Now if UW football loses tonight on another hail mary...that would be epic.

*bows down*

I've never been happier to be wrong. Honestly, that was the best defensive performance I think I've ever seen from a Buzz Williams team. Coming into this game, I saw us as a dark horse Big East contender, a top-3 type team. Now I think we can compete for...well, anything that's there to be contested for. We can blow the doors off a quality Ole Miss side, we can win the slow-down game with the best slow-down team in the country.

This might be the biggest win of Buzz Williams' career outside of Syracuse in the tourney.

[Hoopaloop]

Tremendous win, without Cadougan also.  Didn't care for how we let them back in the game, but we managed to answer with some clutch DJO shots and Mayo's high banking kiss (what a shot that was).

Go Michigan State, make this a complete kick in the dick for Bucky today.

[ATWizJr]

Otule terrible? Are you nuts? He was working his one eyed ass off on the boards. I don't know how many boards he got but he kept about a dozen or more alive. Idiotic statement.

otule 2 boards  vander 8   gardner 7  MU 41    UW 27

[WellsstreetWanderer]

taking long shots results in long rebounds, Chris played his ass off on D

[AZWarrior]

Tremendous win, without Cadougan also.  Didn't care for how we let them back in the game, but we managed to answer with some clutch DJO shots and Mayo's high banking kiss (what a shot that was).

Go Michigan State, make this a complete kick in the dick for Bucky today.

Mayo's high banking kiss (what a shot that was) - Gets my vote for the SOTG (Shot Of The Game).  it was a great shot, and it was absolute clutch.   

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

Any video of Mayo's shot?

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

Highlights on SportsCenter in a few minutes

[AZWarrior]

Highlights on SportsCenter in a few minutes

From Sportscenter:  "Davante Gardner cleans up nicely".  Ouch....

[PGsHeroes32]

Otule terrible? Are you nuts? He was working his one eyed ass off on the boards. I don't know how many boards he got but he kept about a dozen or more alive. Idiotic statement.

What the hell game did you watch. He was AWFUL.

[GGGG]

Kudos to Ners!  He was out there early and often with the prediction.

[Silkk the Shaka]

What the hell game did you watch. He was AWFUL.

What game did YOU watch??? Why do you think the boards were cleared for our wings to snag rebounds?  You're the kind of guy that looks at a box score where Blue scores 3 points with 9 boards, 7 assists and 4 steals and says he sucked because he only scored 3.  Just dumb.

[denverMU]

There were a few of us out there...

MU wil beat Wisconsin today.  Period.  The collective paranoia that exists about our ability to beat Wisconsin is disappointing.  MU is VERY good this year.  By far the most talented team Buzz has had to take into a game against UW.  He beat UW with the Big 3, and they were very competitive at the Kohl with the midget team in 2009.

Why is our fanbase so pessimistic?  You think other fanbases at schools who are ranked in Top 15 think they don't stand a chance against an opponent on the road??

Yes, it will be tough to win at the Kohl - but the mood around here over the last week has been largely doom and gloom about our chances.  We are a very good team people..and present a great number of challenges to Wisconsin as well!!


You are absolutely correct.  If it weren't for that big picture of Jae "and One" Crowder staring me in the face I think we were on a UW site.  I don't know why we are even going to play the game?  Why don't we save the gas money and forefit right now/.

And "Pollyannish expectations", where did you pick that one up, Lit 101?  Most of the posts on here are about how great UW is How about how great MU is?  We will win today! 


Now, hopefully there will be more!

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

What game did YOU watch??? Why do you think the boards were cleared for our wings to snag rebounds?  You're the kind of guy that looks at a box score where Blue scores 3 points with 9 boards, 7 assists and 4 steals and says he sucked because he only scored 3.  Just dumb.

If
Thank you. Statistics do not tell the story of our bigs, especially against a team like Wisconsin. Otule and Gardner are completely outmanned in almost every game. Any ball they can keep alive when it's basically our 1 against their 2 or 3 gives our guards a chance to get in there and grab rebounds and/or loose balls. That's their job and Chris did it very well vs. Wisconsin. He's a much more aggressive version of Ousmane Barro. I like him a lot.

[Dr. Blackheart]

If
Thank you. Statistics do not tell the story of our bigs, especially against a team like Wisconsin. Otule and Gardner are completely outmanned in almost every game. Any ball they can keep alive when it's basically our 1 against their 2 or 3 gives our guards a chance to get in there and grab rebounds and/or loose balls. That's their job and Chris did it very well vs. Wisconsin. He's a much more aggressive version of Ousmane Barro. I like him a lot.

+1.  Otule is a space eater and really anchors the defensive end.  Can anyone name a game in the past two seasons where a big went off on us?  Berggeren went off at UNC, and was 1-4 yesterday inside the arc.  MU won the points in the paint 32-16 yesterday, and for Otule, the 16 is an important stat.  Bucky had its lowest offensively efficient game in 2.5 years. What we miss in the stats with Chris in Buzz's philosophy are the creases he creates with wedges for drivers, cutters and rebounders on offense and the opposite on defense.

Also, MU's drivers need to be more aware of Chris's blindside on dishes--which cause his TO's. Junior is so much better at setting him up in a position to receive, and it showed yesterday.

That said, we bemoan the fact that Crean could not recuit a big...and Buzz has two to interchange.  Huge difference having low posts talent--on offense and defense.

[brewcity77]

Thank you. Statistics do not tell the story of our bigs, especially against a team like Wisconsin. Otule and Gardner are completely outmanned in almost every game. Any ball they can keep alive when it's basically our 1 against their 2 or 3 gives our guards a chance to get in there and grab rebounds and/or loose balls. That's their job and Chris did it very well vs. Wisconsin. He's a much more aggressive version of Ousmane Barro. I like him a lot.

+1

Otule usually won't score a lot, and also won't show up in the box score, but much of what he does goes unsung. I don't know how many rebounds Crowder and Blue get that are kept away from opposing bigs by Otule. I can't count how many shots he alters simply by making his presence felt -- shots that don't fall, but aren't blocks and never end up gaining any recognition in the morning paper.

Kyle O'Quinn for Norfolk State -- against Marquette, he's put up 7.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg, against the rest of the country, 13.6 and 11.3. Last year, Wisconsin killed us on the offensive glass, this year we out-rebounded them 16-8 on the offensive end. Just as important, Berggren didn't have a single offensive rebound.

I still think Otule is the most important player on this team, even though the box score will never reflect it.