Live Game Blog: Penn St. vs. UW

Badgers fresh off big road win at Michigan, while PSU held off Northwestern at home. Penn State 12-2 on the season, best start in 13 years.

19:20: Cornley opens scoring with long 2. Nankivil answers to tie game at 2.

18:45: Hughes on give and go backdoor cut.

18:18: Landry pivots and hits from short corner. Jones answers with solid interior feed for Penn St. 6-4.

17:40: Battle ties game with another long J for PSU. Lions getting good looks early at the basket.

17:08: Perimeter foul called on Penn State.

17:00: J-Bo for 3 on a rattler.

16:38: Cornley on baseline hook.

16:17: Leuer loves the elbow. Hits contested shot. Instant offense from #30! 11-8 UW.

15:45: Cornley hits third basket. Lack of helpside D. 11-10.

15:33: J-Bo draws another perimeter foul. Timeout Penn St. Jarmusz and Gully enter game for UW.

14:59: Jordan Taylor makes first appearance. Let's hope he builds on Wednesday's strong performance in limited minutes.

13:55: Brooks gives Penn State the lead. Lack of offense on the floor for Bucky, and defense looks shaky, too.

12:25: Rob Wilson in the game, great hustle on offensive glass saves possession.

12:07: Krabby stops bleeding with driving runner. Bucky regains lead, 13-12. Ends 4-minute FG drought.

11:44: TV timeout. Penn State fails to take advantage of UW's dry spell. Let's see if Wisconsin can create some separation during the next stretch.

11:29: Landry draws foul underneath on Cornley, 4th on PSU. Hits both. 15-12.

10:54: Morrisey hits contested 2 over J-Bo as shot clock expires. 15-14.

10:30: Another Penn State foul, this one as Krabby battles for position in the paint. Badgers with only one foul.

10:08: I spoke too soon. Landry whistled for foul on what looked like a clean block. Cornley getting the better of matchup so far, hits both FT's. PSU 16-15.

9:33: Hughes misses from 3, needs to get in on action.

8:32: Landry turnaround J over Cornley. Bucky regains lead in see-saw battle.

7:31: TV timeout. Bucky still struggling on offense, and it starts with the PG position. Hughes settled for a contested jump shot on last possession and has yet to take the lid off the basket. Defense has tightened up and played decent helpside, yielding the current 1-point lead.

7:18: Landry on another turnaround, taking advantage of his height over Cornley.

6:52: Ott draws foul on drive. Nankivil whistled for 1st.

6:11: Cornley with half hook over Leuer. 19-18 WI.

5:39: Krabby on excellent baseline drive. Pringle answers with quick 2 on the other end.

4:58: Landry from 3! Great half on offensive end. Cornley answers in the paint once more. 24-22 Bucky.

4:23: Cornley called for 2nd foul, stays in game with 12 points.

3:34: Landry on fadeaway. Badger red hot!

3:01: Floater by Pringle. UW's transition D poor.

2:43: J-Bo on baseline drive. 28-24 UW.

2:05: Taylor draws foul on drive to the basket. Timeout on the floor. Bucky needs a strong finish to an up and down half. Landry has shouldered the offensive load so far, and Krabby has scored the critical baskets when the team needed them most, but the guards have been MIA. Taylor misses first, drills second. 29-24.

1:39: David Jackson scores off of offensive RB.

1:04: Brooks bails out J-Bo with foul on drive to basket as shot clock winds down. Hits one, plus the bonus. 31-26.

:34.6: Wisconsin timeout. 4-second differential on shot and game clocks. UW should wind clock down and try to find a way to get the ball in Landry's hands once more.

:04.4: J-Bo for three as shot clock expires. 34-26.

HALFTIME. Penn State hitting half of shots from the field, UW slightly below. Look for BO to stress better helpside defense at halftime and ball pressure on the perimeter as post entries to Corney have come to easy despite Landry's fronts. On offense, as I said before, Hughes needs to contribute, first by taking the ball to the basket and kicking out if the shot isn't there. That said, a lackluster half still yields a 8-point lead against a 12-2 team.

Landry leads UW with 13, Cornley with 12. Penn State yet to hit a 3, and Bucky has made 3-6. This, along with a +3 turnover differential (5-2), the reason for the halftime lead. Both teams officially shooting 48% from field. Taylor Battle, BT's leading scorer, has only 2 points. Hughes has made a difference here.

SECOND HALF.

19:20: Hughes corrals offensive RB, draws foul.

19:02: Cringle converts in transition after Krabby misses bunny on other end. 34-28.

18:20: Krabby misses a 2nd open layup off of excellent spin move.

17:49: Make that a third Krabbenhoff miss. UW still scoreless.

17:38: Jackson draws foul with poor transition defense to blame once more. Hits first, misses second. UW up five.

16:57: Loose ball foul called on Jones. UW fortunate as they get beat back on defense once more. Taylor in for Hughes.

16:38: J-Bo makes aggressive move to basket, draws foul. Hits both. 36-29. UW still looking for a FG.

16:23: Cornley hits deep 2. Game leader with 14.

16:05: Leuer takes lid off basket on excellent drive to hoop, scores on floater. 38-31.

15:51: Timeout on the floor. UW has weathered early second half storm thanks to J-Bo and Leuer. Time to extend this lead to double digits. I'm confident the offense will be there, so they need to get back on D and play strong helpside in the post.

15:05: Cornley hits two, draws 2nd foul on Hughes. Converts 3-point play. 38-34.

14:45: Krabby GETS ROLL ON one end, while Pringle answers on the other. 40-36.

13:56: J-Bo with a transition layup, pass from Krabby. Cringle answers once more.

13:28: Landry with bunny from right block. 44-38.

13:00: J-Bo forces jump ball on RB, possession arrow to Bucky. PSU showing 1-3-1 zone.

11:54: Landry on turnaround from left elbow. Restores halftime lead. 46-38.

10:42: Timeout on the floor. Penn State has challenged, but simply cannot close the gap. Outside of Cornley and Cringle, they have failed to hit open and contested jump shots. UW provided an opener during the first 10 minutes of this half, and now must close the door for good.

10:31: Pringle hits tough shot to close gap to 6.

9:53: UW with several looks at the basket, battles for RB to keep possession.

9:34: Krabby uses the glass from 5 feet away. Back to eight.

9:14: Pringle answers yet again from 3. Down to five.

8:53: landry misses from 3, Hughes called for reach-in on RB, his third.

8:36: Battle for 3, lead down to 2. Hughes failed to get hands up.

7:47: Penn State takes lead on another Pringle 3. Timeout Bucky. 11-2 PSU run. Score: 49-48.

7:22: Hughes answers bell (FINALLY) with a 3.

6:53: Pringle hits a ridiculous 3 to restore Penn State lead. 21 points for PSU guard.

6:30: Taylor draws foul on drive to the basket. Makes 1-2 from line to tie game. 52 all.

5:44: Pringle draws three shot foul on Taylor. Freshman mistake. Hits 2-3. 54-52 PSU. J-Bo replaces Taylor.

4:51: Landry with hugh post-up basket. Ties game at 54. Hughes needs to work within offense, especially with only the short strokes of the clock remaining in this nail-biter.

3:59: Timeout on the floor after both teams fail to convert. Hughes takes a tough shot in the paint, once again not an ideal decision. Leuer and/ or Landry should touch the ball every possession from here on out. Penn State has never won at the Kohl, but they have a prime opportunity today. Time for Bucky to tighten up on D and convert with solid looks at the basket during the remaining handful of offensive possessions.

3:36: Bucky grabs RB after a series of PSU misses on contested J's, including a Morrisey three from long-range.

3:22: Timeout UW. Bo to draw up go-ahead basket.

3:02: Hughes for 3 with shot clock winding down. Forget all of my criticism this far. ;) 57-54.

1:55: Penn State foul on Cornley as he battles with Krabby for loose ball with 1 second on shot block. The bulldog converts both for double-double (10 points, 10 boards).

1:42: Cornley converts layup, draws foul on Landry. Epic battle today between these two forwards. Hits FT for 3-point play. 59-57.

1:18: Pingle fouls Hughes on perimeter. Bo playing offense-defense with Bohannan and Taylor. Hughes hits both for 4-point lead. 61-57. UW 12-14 from FT line.

1:12: Timeout Penn State. DeChellis still seeking first win versus UW in six seasons. He'll need some late magic to reverse this equation.

0:59: Pringle drills contested 3 to make it a 1-point game. Career-high 27. Taylor burned by going for steal on pass off of screen. 61-60.

0:53.9: Timeout WI.

0:38.9: Landry backs in and scores off glass. 21 for senior F. 63-60.

0:13.1: Battle draws foul on dribble drive from left on Krabby. Misses first, hits second. 2-point Wisconsin lead. Timeout PSU.

0:07.8: Landry scores on dunk, draws foul. Hughes broke press perfectly as backcourt trap failed to arrive. Misses FT.

FINAL. UW 65 PSU 61. Bucky survives a close shave. Penn State showed they have some weapons, and Bucky played with poise down the stretch. Landry tied a career-high with 23. Wisconsin is now 31-1 when he scores in double figures. There is no question that the team goes as the senior forward does. His long absences against Marquette and Texas illustrate this point. Krabby was solid as always, and J-Bo played well on the perimeter. Hughes was largely absent on offense most of the game, but came up big late. Leuer simply looks to score every time he catches the ball. I look for him to play a bigger role as the season progresses. Taylor played important minutes, even late in the game, earning more as January yields to February and March. In the end, Bucky takes care of business and is 2-0 in the league with Northwestern on deck at the Kohl.

Live Game Blog: UW @ Michigan

The BT opener on the road against a ranked opponent.

19:42: Michigan wins tipoff and scores on easy layup.

19:24: Landry follows with contested layup and converts the three-point play. Bucky 3-2. Leuer enters game early.

Michigan in a zone press.

18:32: Leuer carves it up with a jumper from the elbow. 5-2.

17:29: Landry books it on a long three. 8-2.

17:05: Michigan answers. 8-5.

Badgers look sloppy on the perimeter as Michigan is pressing the ball and the passing lane. No TO's yet, though.

16:23: Another layup for Michigan. Leuer answers with a quick J. 11-7.

First timeout: Michigan's size underneath will be an issue. Looks like a recurring them for this season. Bo really needs to develop his current bigs and make this a recruting priority moving forward. Who would think the team would miss Brian Butch this desperately?

Landry off to a great start. UW 29-1 when he scores in double figures.

15:47: Simms converts 2 FT's. 11-9.

15:20: Landry with 8 after beautiful inside feed from Leuer. 13-9.

14:38: J-Bo with clearout layup. 15-9.

14:18: Gullickson, Jarmutz, and Wilson in the game.

13:58: Leuer creates a shot from the elbow over Simms. Leuer and Landry perfect from the field. 17-9.

13:26: Rob Wilson gets in the action with a mismatch in the post. Converts 3-point play. 20-9. Taylor enters the game. The future is before us.

12:58: Novak hits second 3. 20-12.

12:43: Jarmutz answers with a layup. 22-12. Bucky has missed only once from the field.

12:07: Wilson draws foul with dribble drive. Hits both. 24-12. I really like his aggressiveness.

11:46: Gully called for blocking foul. Timeout. Bucky looks crisp after 8-day layoff and disappointing loss at home to Texas. Michigan seems clueless as how to defend the swing. This game will inevitably tighten, but solid start nonetheless. Michigan hits one at the line. 24-13.

First UW turnover as Wilson travels. Questionable call.

9:43: Landry still perfect from field. Turnaround J. Lucas answers for MI. 26-15.

8:53: Michigan's Lee for 3. 26-18. Nankivil slow to close out.

8:36: J-Bo called for charge. Questionable call once more.

8:24: Landry called for second foul. This is where Bucky was hurt last week.

8:13: Perry drills three. 26-21.

7:42: Krabby takes it to the hole to stop bleeding. 28-21. Michigan has tightened up defense and Bucky has lost fluidity on offense. The defense needs to do a better job of chasing on screens and closing out perimeter shooters. 3's have helped Michigan back into game.

7:23: Timeout.

6:57: Hughes from long distance. 31-21.

Bucky playing too fast for my liking on offense.

5:06: Leuer good on baseline drive after missing from 3 on last possession. Leuer simply looks to score every time he has the ball in his hands. He is a true triple threat. 33-21. Michigan timeout. Leuer the leading bench scorer in the BT.

4:52: Michigan in the bonus after Lucas drives and draws second foul on Leuer. Badger offense on the bench in foul trouble. Lucas hits one from the line.

3:42: Novak hits wide open three. 33-25.

3:13: Krabby with solid drive to hoop to stop bleeding once more. Timeout. He'll shoot two when we come back.

I used this analogy last week when the team suffered from foul trouble. This is a penalty killing unit for the rest of the half. Milk the clock, get solid looks at the basket and FT's, and play solid on D without compounding the foul problem and we go into the half with a lead.

Krabby hits both. 35-25.

2:08: Krabby sinks three from left corner. The shotput is ugly, but hey, we'll take it. Mcihigan answers with Harris layup. 38-29.

1:34: Hughes hits two FT's after drawing perimeter foul.

1:20: Foul on Gullickson, his 2nd. Lucas-Perry hits 2. 40-31.

33.6: Bo calls timeout to draw up one last look at the basket. Bucky still hitting 2/3 of shots. Should be up by more, but fouls have hurt.

05: Jordan Taylor converts. Badgers head into half with 11 point lead. 42-31.

HALFTIME

Novak has 11 for MI, 3-4 behind the arc. 9 for Lucas-Perry. Badgers have contained Harrris and Simms so far.

19:11: J-Bo with a jumper from the right elbow. Novak answers with 3. 44-34.

18:28: Novak scores bunny on reboud of Lucas-Perry miss. Nankivil answers with elbow jumper off of Krabby's dribble-pen.

17:36: Simms from 3. 46-39.

17:10: Landry whistled for 3rd foul, this one backing in. Stays in game.

16:46: Nice dribble dribve to basket by Hughes, followed by a steal and a layup by #3. 50-39.

15:51: Simms from short corner. Hughes answers from 3. 7 straight for junior PG. 53-41.

14:32: Hughes draws permiter foul. Timeout. Novak is single-handedly keeping MI in game with 16 points. He's a froshie, and that's already a career-high. I'd shift Krabby over to him. The looks are coming way too easy.

14:00: Hughes en fuego, hits another 3. Largest lead of game, 56-41.

13:44: Harris draws foul on Krabby, his 1st. Harris hits 1-2.

13:30: Landry hits underneath on spin move. 58-42.

12:28: Simms scores transition layup. 58-44. Timeout. I would sit Landry here for a few minutes and ask Leuer to shoulder his scoring load. Hughes needs to touch the ball each time down anyway given that he scored 10 straight this half. Bucky still looks crisp on offense. Still hitting 66% of shots last I saw.

12:15: Novak fouls Landry on post entry.

12:03: J-Bo on curl. 60-44.

11:26: Jordan Taylor in the game and looks great on perimeter D. Dives on floor for loose ball, too. TV timeout. I predict that UW is 10 points away from a huge road win to begin conference play. 70 takes it.

11:15: Landry dunks as Bucky breaks the press. Still playing with 3 fouls.

10:16: I spoke too soon as Landry is whistled for his 4th on drive to basket.

9:30: Novak from corner as Jarmutz late to close. 62-47.

9:01: Krabby called for illegal screen. 4 fouls on team. This feels like a critical juncture as MI must make a run now.

8:10: Leuer turns the ball over and Michigan scores in transition. Gibson misses 3-point chance. 62-49.

Bucky struggling offensively as MI has tightened pressure.

7:03: Hughes draws perimeter foul. Timeout. Bo should come back with the starters minus Landry and Nankivil, adding Leuer and Wilson. Need a bucket here.

6:25: Poor clock management by Bucky. Hughes launches desperation 3 and fouls Harris on rebound.

6:09: Krabby fouls Harris once more. MI in bonus. Harris hits both. 62-51.

5:52: Great cross-court pass by Jamutz for air-em bunny by Wilson. 64-51.

4:53: Simms corrals 1st RB of day and draws foul on Hughes. Makes 1-2. 64-52.

Timeout: Great helpside D by Bucky as Michigan fails to covert. Poor play on offense offset by cushion and hard work on other end of the court. MI has not lost at home this season, but this record is in severe jeopardy.

3:57: Novaks hits one, misses bonus. 64-53.

3:15: Harris should have been called for a charge, hits lay-in. Landry answers with open bunny.

2:43: Offensive foul on Harris. make-up call.

2:40: Hughes breaks press all by himself, draws foul. Great PG play today, Taylor in his limited minutes included. Timeout.

2:27: Leuer with dunk on excellent feed by J-Bo.

2:04: Lucas-Perry draws foul on drive. Hits 2. Landry fouls out. 16 points for the senior F. 68-57.

Jarmutz shows ability to handle the ball under pressure. He is a quiet contributor each and every game.

1:37: J-Bo at the line, misses front end of bonus.

1:14: J-Bo fouled once more, hits one, 69-57.

0:59: MI's Merritt scores easily on dribble-drive. Timeout. Bucky up 10.

0:53.8: MI shows FC press. Krabby fouled as he is trapped. The bulldog hits 2 to seal the win. Warm up the bus.

0:43.1: Krabby forces TO, Hughes fouled in process. Double bonus. Hughes misses first, drills second. 72-59.

029.7: Simms scores easily on layup with limited contest from Jarmutz. 72-61.

0:23.6: Leuer fouled in backcourt, hits front end.

GAME OVER: Bucky wins 73-61.

Analysis: Solid win and great play on both ends of floor. UW showing it may indeed possess the offense necessary to compete with the top tier of the BT. Looks like Michigan and Minnesota are both overrated and likely .500 teams in the league. Both are ranked and lost at home today. Purdue looked shaky last evening, and Illinois showed moxie and perhaps will knock on the door of the upper echelon of the league once more. MSU is the clear favorite, with Bucky and the Boilers battling for #2. The January 11th match-up in W. Lafayette will be an early indication of the league's pecking order. First, Bucky must take care of business at the Kohl against perennial bottom feeders Penn St. and Northwestern.

Yes, Indiana Will Go 0-18 (Big Ten Mens' BB Predictions)

I sat down last night and predicted every game on the Big Ten Mens' Basketball Schedule. Here is what I think the final regular season standings will look like on March 8th (The Ws and Ls in the parenthetical indicate each team's predicted wins and losses):


1. Michigan St.: 16-2 (LWWWWWWWWWWWLWWWWW)

2. Purdue: 14-4 (WWWWWLLWWWWWWWLWWL)

2. Wisconsin: 14-4 (LWWLWWWWWWWWWWLWLW)

4. Michigan: 12-6 (WWWWWWLWLLWLWWWWLL)

4. Minnesota: 12-6 (WWWWLLWWWLLWWLWLWW)

6. Ohio St.: 8-10 (WLLWLLLWWLWLLWWLLW)

7. Illinois: 6-12 (LLWLLWLLWLLLWWLWLL)

7. Northwestern: 6-12 (LLLLWLLWLLWLWLWWLL)

7. Penn St.: 6-12 (WLLLLWWWLLLLLLLWWL)

10. Iowa: 5-13 (LWLLLLLLLWWLLLLLWW)

11. Indiana: 0-18 (LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL)


Notes: I believe Indiana will lose all 18 games -- yes, they are that bad (see losses at home to Northeastern and Lipscomb). I predict Wisconsin will lose @MSU, @Purdue, @Minnesota and @Michigan. I predict that this is the year that MSU lives up to the preseason hype and wins the Big Ten. Now that the Spartans have Goran Suton back, I believe that they are a better team than Purdue.

For comparison purposes, here is what Ken Pomroy predicts for the final regular season standings:

1. Purdue: 13-5
1. Illinois: 13-5
3. Ohio St.: 11-7
3. Northwestern: 11-7
5. Michigan: 10-8
6. Michigan St.: 9-9
6. Minnesota: 9-9
6. Iowa: 9-9
9. Wisconsin: 8-10
10. Penn St: 7-11
11. Indiana: 1-17

Let's home that Pomroy is way off. However, last year he did predict that Wisconsin would win the Big Ten regular season title, which was against the grain at the start of the regular season