Badger Bits: Gasser wants to fill void at point guard

Jordan Taylor's departure leaves a major void at the Badgers' point guard position. It's not easy to replace the man who ranks second all-time in assists for UW and scored over 1,500 points, but head coach Bo Ryan faces that very task this upcoming season. So who will lead the charge at the point following the Taylor era?

If it's up to junior Josh Gasser, he wants to be the man. "Personally, I want to play it," Gasser told FOXSportsWisconsin.com a couple weeks ago. "I think I'm a good distributor. But at the same time, I want to be on the floor to help our team."

In his first two seasons at Wisconsin Gasser has primarily played shooting guard, but he's no stranger to running the point. Gasser played point guard from third grade up until his senior year in high school and at times during the final stretch of last year's regular season. In a few games — such as the Feb. 19 home showdown with Penn State — Gasser filled in adequately while Taylor rested on the bench.

In Gasser, the Badgers would have a point guard who plays tough defense (he was named to 2012 Big Ten All-Defensive Team), generally takes care of the basketball and selflessly runs the offense.

Another likely candidate for the position could be redshirt freshman George Marshall, who is known for his athleticism. Marshall and Gasser very well may split time running the offense, but Gasser will most likely be the starter (at least early in the season) because of his experience and solid fundamentals.

Wednesday's Links:

A Wisconsin State Journal article says how a college football playoff may be in the best interest of the sport but adds more complications as well.

BTN's Tom Dienhart talks with Badgers' offensive coordinator Matt Canada about how the offense will look next season. Dienhart also continues ranking the importance of every Big Ten game this season.

Wisconsin is ridiculously good in NCAA Football 13. It's safe to say its 99 overall rating basically makes it unstoppable in this year's edition. The Badgers also own five of the top rated B1G players in the game.

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Most of us are already familiar with Sam Dekker and what he could do for the Badgers next season, but see what other "diaper dandies" could make some noise in the Big Ten as well.

One website calculates that Camp Randall provides Wisconsin with the second-best home-field advantage in the country.