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The WISCONSIN BADGERS kick off CBS Sports NCAA Basketball coverage on Dec 6th vs. Marquette. Game time is 11:30 CST.  

 

And here is CBS's outlook for the Badgers in the BIGTEN:

 

Projected Order of Finish

1. Wisconsin

Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker rightfully are going to get a lot of the love, but I'm telling you, watch out for Nigel Hayes. He'll wind up being more than just a role player. Expect Hayes to contribute in myriad ways and to be a big reason why Wisconsin is playing for a No. 1 seed come March. The Badgers have rarely been this elevated in October. Everybody loves Wisconsin this year in part because the team brings back almost everyone from that Final Four team. Frank The Tank is a cult icon up there, and he should continue to be a matchup nightmare. No big in hoops has as much outside and inside to his game like Kaminsky. Meanwhile, Dekker looks like a Marine now (have you seen how he redefined his body -- and grew?). Bo Ryan's club is stacked because it has valuable pieces on both sides of the ball. No team is perfect, but Wisconsin looks as well-rounded as about any other team in hoops. Expect a top-five team in offensive efficiency and a top-20 one on defense. There are three roadies outside of Big Ten play (Marquette, Milwaukee and Cal), plus the Battle 4 Atlantic, which is always loaded.

 

Make sure you click on how Dekker looks and scroll down and read the tweets. 

Last edited by ammo
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Probably the biggedt challenge this team will face is whst to do with and how to handle these sky-high expectations. We all know how Bucky has handled pre-season accolades in the past. They go into unprecedented funks and fall out of any rankings, only to rebuild from within. last year the Badgers were top 5 and then proceeded to lose 5 straight and tumble down the lists. In the grand scheme of things, it's how you're playing in Msrch that matters, but it sure seems time for them to do what they're expected to do.

How will they play when they're the hunted in the Big Ten?

I think you are right MC

 

Whether it's the football or the basketball program it seems to me that Wisconsin simply does not handle success very well. 

 

Still, if Kaminsky plays at the level he did last year and Dekker makes the leap from potential to performance (i.e. the anti Brian Butch) this team is very capable of not only winning the Big Ten but also has a realistic shot at a NC.  They have all the pieces in place to do so but I do worry about the expectations. 

 

I'm also very intrigued with what Wojo is building at Marquette.  He landed a top 10 recruiting class to go along with a couple of high profile players like Deonte Burton and Sandy Cohen.  In a couple of years the Warriors could be legit.  

Last edited by Tschmack

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