24 » VARSITY
JANUA RY 24, 2013
DAVID STLUKA
A
fter Minnesota's Rodney Williams
unleashed a 360-degree dunk
against North Dakota State, he solidified his high-wire act in the Big
Ten despite stumbling awkwardly
on the landing.
Even with his lofty status, Williams has been
challenged this season by Wisconsin's Jared
Berggren, who has had a handful of monster
dunks worthy of ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10.
There was Berggren's spin and takeoff from
the free throw line which resulted in a nasty
flush over Penn State's Sasa Borovnjak, an innocent bystander. That was sweet.
But it still paled by comparison to his throwdown at Indiana.
Taking a feed at the top of the key, Berggren
used a left-handed dribble to get past Cody
Zeller and then posterized Victor Oladipo with
a vicious right-hand slam.
When it was suggested to the 6-foot-10 Berggren that he may have caught some unsuspecting defenders by surprise with his athleticism
out on the floor and ability to elevate, he agreed.
"Yeah, I think that's fair to say,'' he said. "I
might have even surprised myself with a few of
those. I've had a couple where my teammates
have found me in good spots.
"I've been attacking the basket, I've found a
lane ― the defense was late to react ― and I've
been finishing strong. I might have surprised a
few people. Hopefully I have a couple more up
my sleeve.''
Berggren, a senior from Princeton, Minn.,
will get a chance Saturday to renew his friendly
rivalry with Williams, a senior from Minneapolis, when the Badgers face the Gophers at the
Kohl Center.
On many possessions, Berggren will be
matched against another old rival, Trevor
Mbakwe, a senior from St. Paul and one of the
more tenacious low-post defenders and scorers in the Big Ten.
"I know what they're capable of,'' Berggren
said of Williams and Mbakwe. "I've seen them
play and I've played a few years with them in
