Madison News - Griz not deep, but ready

[Proud Griz Man]

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UW men's basketball: Montana's not deep, but it's ready for any challenge

JIM POLZIN | Wisconsin State Journal | [email protected] | 608-252-6473 | @JimPolzinWSJ madison.com | No Comments Posted | Posted: Tuesday, March 13, 2012


Preparing for its first opponent in the NCAA tournament will be anything but simple for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team. Here’s how Montana assistant coach Freddie Owens describes the red-hot Grizzlies (25-6), who will play the Badgers (24-9) on Thursday afternoon in Albuquerque, N.M.

“We can play fast; we can play slow. We can play the halfcourt; we can get out in transition,” said Owens, who played for the Badgers from 2000-2004. “We can guard you in zone, 2-3, 1-3-1, we can full-court press you, we can guard you in man. Our team is really good at making adjustments and adapting to the game.” The Grizzlies have won 14 consecutive games — the longest streak in the 68-team NCAA tournament field — since an 80-64 loss at Weber State on Jan. 14. What stands out to UW associate head coach Greg Gard about Montana is its balance. The Grizzlies aren’t deep — their bench played just nine minutes in a Big Sky Conference tournament championship win over Weber State last week — but each of their starters is capable of high-scoring games.

Will Cherry, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, leads the way with 16.0 points per game. He also averages 2.6 steals per game and was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. “Everybody we’ve talked to compliments how well he reacts away from the ball and closes passing lanes and angles fast,” said Gard, who is in charge of UW’s scouting report on the Grizzlies. “You’ve got to be careful around him (and use) ball fakes and things like that, because he will jump passing lanes. He’ll definitely take advantage of opportunities if you make a mistake around him.”

Kareem Jamar, a 6-5 sophomore swingman, averages 13.8 points per game and had 23 points and seven assists in the Big Sky championship game. Mathias Ward, a 6-7 junior forward, adds 11.1 points per game and had 23 points and eight rebounds in the league title game. Art Steward, a 6-4 senior forward, is averaging 9.2 points per game, while Derek Selvig, a 7-0 senior center, is averaging 9.2 points and a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game. “One through five can really score the ball in many different ways,” Owens said of Montana’s starters. “What you’ll see is a great team effort defensively where guys are helping each other. And then on the offensive end, where guys are playing together, we pass up good shots for great shots and guys constantly making plays for each other.” Owens isn’t the only familiar face to Gard and Co. The Badgers recruited Selvig, the only Montana native on the Grizzlies’ roster. “People out west call him the ‘7-foot guard,’ and that’s how he’s kind of morphed his game,” Gard said. “He’s a good player.”

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[Proud Griz Man]

:mrgreen:

How far will the Badgers advance in the NCAA tourney?

Montana will stun them in first round 14%
Vanderbilt is too tough in second round 31%
Harvard will outsmart them in second round 3%
Sweet 16 34%
Elite Eight 6%
Bo will finally get his Final Four 6%
They'll reach the championship game 1%
Badgers will win first title since 1941 5%
Total Votes: 4123
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[Proud Griz Man]

:thumb:

QUESTION #1: Bo, I mean, this might be off, you know, the game a little bit, but with Freddie Owens being an assistant coach, can you just take us back to your memories of him, you know, in particular out in Spokane that year?

Bo Ryan: Well, a lot happened before Spokane. Freddie's also the one that broke the 50-some game win streak, his bucket at Michigan State in 2002. But Freddie's more known for his defense, really a tough defensive player, played guys a lot bigger than him. That expression, it's not the size of the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog, and Freddie, he'd be the poster guy for that saying. Tough. Played hard.

He interviewed for the position that Lamont Paris is in right now, and Freddie just didn't have the years of experience yet. He needs to keep doing that. But I’m sure he's going to move up on a lot of radar screens on assistant coaching jobs. In fact, Freddie might be heading after a head job here pretty soon.

Hard worker, always did what we asked. Probably changed his hairstyle more so than most players that I've ever had. Unfortunately, one time I accused him of having his hair so tight it affected the way he was thinking on the basketball court. I didn't tell him he had to change his hair. The next day, he looked differently. We still laugh about it. But just a guy that bought in. ‘Okay, what do I need to do?’

And he did it for three years, and now he's working his way in the coaching profession. I'm really happy for him, and I'm not surprised. I actually made a mental note of ‘Montana, now this could be a team that we could end up playing.’ I did say that about some other teams, but it always sounds better if you say, ‘Oh, yeah, I did.’ But I did say this is a team that we could be playing.

QUESTION #2: Bo, did you encourage [Freddie Owens] to go to coaching at all? Did you have a discussion with him . . .

RYAN: Yeah, yeah, we talked about it. And I think his heart and his mind are in the right place for the profession. He's a guy that had to work extremely hard to get his degree. Now when I say that, first of all, student athlete, you've got to work hard anyhow to get your degree, but Freddie was challenged, accepted the challenge, and got it done. I'm proud for him and his family.

 

[wbtfg]

"Not deep, but ready"

Coincidentally that is the headline of my match.com profile.

 

[VictorG]

"Not deep, but ready"

Coincidentally that is the headline of my match.com profile.

That's OK, we don't judge people here on physical limitations.....

 

[wbtfg]

"Not deep, but ready"

Coincidentally that is the headline of my match.com profile.

That's OK, we don't judge people here on physical limitations.....

I was thinking more of my intellectual limitations.......











I guess physical would also be appropriate.

 

[EverettGriz]

Here's the lowdown on the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team's opening opponent in the NCAA tournament:

The Montana Grizzlies are 25-6 and have won 14 consecutive games. In fact, they haven't lost in about two months since an 80-64 defeat at Weber State on Jan. 14.

Montana is the No. 55 overall seed in the 68-team field (UW is No. 14). The Grizzlies are 73rd in the RPI and went 1-1 against RPI Top 50 teams during the season. Their best win was over Long Beach State, 73-71 on Nov. 26 on Montana's home court in Missoula, Mont.

This will be the Grizzlies' first game away from home since Feb. 11, when they won at Sacramento State.

The Grizzlies are averaging 70.6 points per game and allowing 61.7. Their field goal percentage is 46.5, while their opponents' is 40.4.

Montana beat Weber State 85-66 in the Big Sky Conference tournament title game to book its spot in the NCAA tournament. The Grizzlies went 12-of-33 from 3-point range.

Montana's bench played a total of nine minutes in the win over Weber State, but the Grizzlies have a solid starting five. Four of those players played 38 minutes or more in the title game.

Leading the way is Will Cherry, a 6-foot-1 junior guard. He's averaging 16.0 points per game and shoots 45.4 percent from the field. He was also named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 2.6 steals per game.

Next is Kareem Jamar, a 6-5 sophomore swingman. He's averaging 13.8 points per game and shooting 47.8 percent. He had 23 points and seven assists in the Big Sky title game.

Mathias Ward, a 6-7 junior forward, is averaging 11.1 points per game and shooting 54.5 percent. He had 23 points and eight rebounds in the Big Sky title game.

Art Steward, a 6-4 senior forward, is averaging 9.2 points per game and shooting 52.5 percent.

Derek Selvig, a 7-0 senior center, is the only Montana native on the roster. He's averaging 9.2 points and a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game.

UW is 2-0 all-time vs. Montana. The teams' most recent meeting came on Nov. 30, 1997, when the Dick Bennett-led Badgers beat the Grizzlies 78-61 for the consolation championship of the Big Island Invitational in Hilo, Hawaii.

The Grizzlies are making their ninth appearance in the NCAA tournament. They advanced to the Sweet 16 under none other than Jud Heathcoate, who went on to coach at Michigan State.



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[VictorG]

"Not deep, but ready"

Coincidentally that is the headline of my match.com profile.

That's OK, we don't judge people here on physical limitations.....

I was thinking more of my intellectual limitations.......











I guess physical would also be appropriate.

:mrgreen: :thumb: :thumb: