Badgers Be Jammin'

The Badgers will make their second appearance at the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Island this weekend.

With no slight to LBS or SIU-E, the Badgers will get their first real tests of the season. Up first for the Badgers are the Iona Gaels from the MAAC. Iona finished 12-20 last year and return 2 starters. The Gaels are young, particularly at the guards, but the guards do have talent and this team should not be overlooked.

If Wisconsin wins Friday night, they would face either San Diego — a team that returns everyone after advancing to the second round of last year's NCAA tournament with an upset win over UConn — or Valparaiso, a team that hung with the Badgers at the Kohl Center last year and if not for some mistakes down the stretch, could have won the game. I contend that the Badgers' win over Valpo was the turning point in the season last year, not the win at Texas.
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And should Wisconsin win in the semis, UW could face Connecticut — ranked second in the nation and considered a serious national title contender — or Miami (Fla.) — ranked in the top 25 and featuring star senior guard Jack McClinton — in the tournament final.

To compare, in 2005 the Badgers beat Norfolk State, Eastern Kentucky and Old Dominion to claim the Paradise title.

My first round picks:

UW (-16.5) over Iona 60-50
Miami (-6) over S. Miss 72-62
UConn (-16) over LaSalle 75-57
San Diego (-6) over Valpo 55-45

My semifinal picks (11/23 8 am):

UConn (-5) over Miami 72-69
UW (-4) over San Diego 58-56

Note: I expect two close, hard-fought games today. I'm going with my heart over my head with the UW pick. San Diego is a formidable opponent.

My final pick (11/24 4 pm)

UConn (-4.5) over UW 70-60

I hope I am wrong, but I believe that UConn has too much firepower for the Badgers. I hope this game is not a repeat of the Duke loss last year where the game was over at the half. This is a game against top-quality competition, so win or lose the Badgers will come away a better team.