Wisconsin's lack of length proves crucial in loss to Illinois

The Wisconsin Badgers aren't underachieving in 2009. They're simply not as balanced as they used to be. Saturday's 64-57 loss at Illinois showed why.
 
Coach Bo Ryan brought his team into Champaign on the heels of a three-game losing streak. Naturally, this contest meant a great deal more to UW than it did to the home team... and Bruce Weber's boys wanted to win in the worst way.
 
Wisconsin just doesn't have the kinds of extended skids that cause a team to miss the NCAA Tournament and finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten. A loss to the Illini, however, would have brought the Badgers closer to all the danger zones they had hoped to avoid. This game in Assembly Hall represented a barometer of Wisconsin basketball in all respects--effort, execution, talent, and poise. The way the visitors handled the occasion would say a lot about the program that has so consistently achieved over the past decade.

After 40 minutes, one can safely say that while the Badgers are long on effort, they're simply short on potency. Moreover, they're just plain short.
 
It's becoming apparent that Wisconsin has not been able to replace the size or power of Brian Butch and Greg Stiemsma, who graduated last year. Against Illinois, the Badgers warred on the boards and competed admirably to the final horn, but they couldn't score the ball due to a lack of both height and length, qualities that Butch and Stiemsma provided.
 
The story of this game was apparent after roughly 10 minutes of action: Illinois could shoot over the top of Wisconsin's defense, but the Badgers couldn't do the same at the other end. The Illini possessed a fair amount of size in their backcourt, but size--if not accompanied by a good wingspan and solid instincts--means little on the hardwood. Length, however, can bother an opponent because it can neutralize many offensive strengths. The value of length emerged throughout a trying afternoon for the young men from Madison.
 
On offense, Illinois' big guards, especially Demetri McCamey, could shoot over smaller defenders. McCamey was able to see the rim clearly and release relatively clean shot attempts. By hitting 6-of-10 shots from the field and nailing 11-of-13 free throw attempts, McCamey became Illinois' biggest offensive threat.

On defense, McCamey remained the most important player on the floor. The guard's long arms--which enabled him to play a few inches taller than his 6-3 frame--constantly, bothered Wisconsin's guards, as did the tenacious defense of McCamey's backcourt mates, Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham. The Badgers' perimeter shooters could not create anything off the dribble, enabling the Illini to lock them down on a consistent basis.
 
For most of the contest, Wisconsin aimlessly passed the ball around the perimeter, trying in vain to find an opening in the Illinois defense. A number of Badger possessions ended with a 35-second shot clock violation, the result of a UW guard holding the ball while being guarded by a longer Illinois defender. The inability to get high-quality looks at the basket caused Wisconsin to hit only 36 percent of its shots. Unable to call on Butch or Stiemsma, a flustered Bo Ryan found his team dwarfed at every position on the floor. The matchups just didn't add up, and when that's the case, even the most inspired effort might not get the job done.
 
Make no mistake: Wisconsin fought the Illini tooth and nail, guarding bigger people with maximum intensity and playing the endgame phase of this contest to near perfection. Down by 10 with only 1:24 left, the Badgers proceeded to cause 3 Illinois turnovers in those final 84 seconds. A steal with roughly 21 seconds left gave UW a chance to cut a 62-57 lead to two, but UW sniper Jason Bohannon missed a wide-open three with 18 seconds remaining, and an Illini rebound shut the door on what was a gallant comeback attempt.
 
Wisconsin didn't lose because of a lack of grit; the Badgers got beaten because they simply don't have the complementary pieces that can enable them to win with different styles of play and various lineup combinations. Future years might bring back the length and power that would make Badger basketball a juggernaut once again. In 2009, it just has to be accepted that in almost every conference game, Wisconsin will have the kinds of weaknesses other Big Ten teams can finally exploit.
 
The good people of Madison shouldn't be too down on their club. In many ways, it's remarkable that the Badgers have been able to stay a step ahead of the Big Ten for so many years. For one season, it simply seems that the law of averages has caught up with a program that still ranks as an A-grade overachiever.

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