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Mark Titus Is a Believer in the Badgers
Grantland's Mark Titus has the Badgers at No. 2 in his NCAA power rankings citing the excellent play of Sam Dekker, the arrival of Bronson Koenig, and of course Frank Kaminsky. Here a couple thoughts that stood out to me:
2. As of today, Frank Kaminsky is my national player of the year and it’s not close.
It's tough for me to say that the Player of the Year race isn't close, but I definitely would have Kaminsky winning with an edge. Kaminsky has an absolute presence that makes this Badgers team click. In their one conference loss, Kaminsky didn't even play. If you purely look at the stats, Duke standout Jahlil Okafor has a slight advantage in points per game and rebounds per game, but Kaminsky's ability to dish it out and spread the floor has convinced me he's the better overall player. Also, with a guy like Dekker, obviously Kaminsky is going to lose some rebounds in the stat sheet. I see Kaminsky continuing his hot streak and eventually walking away with the Player of the Year honors.
4. That said, there is no Koenig vs. Traevon Jackson debate. As long as he’s healthy, eligible, and isn’t dribbling off his foot every time down the court, Jackson is Wisconsin’s starting point guard.
I have to agree with Titus here. Koenig has really stepped up for Wisconsin. Nobody is saying he hasn't, but Jackson is still a leader of this basketball team -- and I believe that his presence will only elevate the performance of the whole team. Jackson is a core piece of that starting five and will bring out a Wisconsin team that we haven't seen in weeks. Not to mention that to be able to have Koenig coming off the bench will be huge for depth on this squad.
Other Links:
Recruiting:
Bredeson Receives Bama Offer | BadgerNation.com (Free)
Jones returns home to recruit Ross | BadgerBlitz.com ($)
Bryant looking at spring visit | BadgerBlitz.com ($)
Wisconsin Legacy Still High on Badgers | Badger247.com ($)
The Impact: Khalil Iverson | Badger247.com ($)
Iverson ready to develop at Wisconsin | BadgerNation.com (Free)
Football:
UW defensive coordinator Dave Aranda interviewed with Packers | JSOnline.com
Badgers football: Ticket prices to increase | EspnWisconsin.com
Badgers football: Two invited to NFL Combine| EspnWisconsin.com
Badgers football: Melvin Gordon's pro stock trends upward in Mel Kiper's latest mock draft | Madison.com
Men's basketball:
Free is good: Badgers adept at charity stripe discrepancy | FoxSportsWisconsin.com
Very big reasons why Kentucky should be very afraid of Wisconsin | FoxSports.com
Hockey:
The Drill: A slip-up on the ice| JSOnline.com