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Until Mike Bruesewitz returns later this month, you can expect Wisconsin to go really big up front right out of the gate this season. According to Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, sophomore forward/center Frank Kaminsky appears poised to start alongside seniors Ryan Evans and Jared Berggren.
A front line of 6'6", 6'10" and 6'11" would be huge. Is Bo Ryan looking ahead to the matchup with Florida? The Gators feature two quality big men in 6'10" Erik Murphy and 6'9" muscle-bound specimen Patric Young. However, Florida is going with a three-guard offense in all likelihood, so I doubt inserting Kaminsky is anything but the coaches trying to put their best foot forward.
Based on the lineups used in Monday's practice, Potrykus implied George Marshall also has a leg up on the point guard competition. The redshirt freshman will prepare to start next to shooting guard Ben Brust. That is a very short backcourt to go with the immense frontcourt.
Right now, I envision an eight-man rotation featuring the five starters plus Sam Dekker, Zach Bohannon and Traevon Jackson, fresh off his impressive Red/White Scrimmage performance.
Don't freak out that Dekker is not starting yet either. As I commented on yesterday, Dekker is working on a few issues that make Kaminsky the right choice at this point. Chief among them is probably his shot selection, followed by his ballhandling (although I'd be the first to admit I'm overreacting to his turnovers in the scrimmage).
Given the projected starting lineup, Dekker may see minutes at guard due to his playmaking potential. That is why fine-tuning his handle is so paramount. It would also seem unlikely after Gasser's injury that Zak Showalter will redshirt, since he's in line for spot minutes as the fourth true guard.
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