Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Varsity - October 24, 2013

Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.

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R THE VOICE BY MATT LEPAY // VOICE OF THE BADGERS Badgers' fresh faces expect same old success 18 eady or not ― and I would guess most of you are more than ready ― another season of Wisconsin basketball is about to begin. This Saturday, while the football team enjoys its second bye of the month, the men's basketball team will have its annual Red/White Scrimmage. Tip time at the Kohl Center is 5 p.m., and admission is one of my favorite words ― free. (Media motto: "If it's free, it's for me. I'll take three.") Once again, it figures to be an interesting season for Bo Ryan's group. While an August trip to Canada allowed the team to get a jump start on the season, Saturday's run will mark the first opportunity for most fans to get an up-close look at the Badgers, including the six new faces in the program. There are minutes to be had in the frontcourt, and everyone is eager to see the next step in Frank Kaminsky's growth, as well as the development of rookies Nigel Hayes and Vitto Brown. How much this first-year class will contribute right away remains to be seen, but based on some very early observations, both mine and others, this will be an enjoyable bunch to watch and get to know. Let me put it another way ― Ryan and his staff did not go out and recruit a class of wallflowers. At last week's Steak Fry, assistant director of athletic communications Patrick Herb was quizzing seniors Ben Brust and Zach Bohannon on the newbies. When they told the crowd that Brown can carry a tune, // VARSITY October 24, 2013 the entire team urged him to give a little sample. Young Vitto obliged, and yes, he can sing. Actually, the man stole the show. Herb accurately pointed out that "women's hearts are melting." Yeah, I know that has nothing to do with understanding what Ryan wants done on the floor, but it was a fun moment at a preseason function. It is hard to believe that this is the 13th year for Bo Ryan as the Badgers' head coach. Time flies when your team is winning most of its games, right? For the good times to continue, it is a good guess that Ryan and his staff will be counting on veterans such as Ben Brust, Traevon Jackson and the return of Josh Gasser to help lead the way. There is also no doubt that defenses will be dialed in to sophomore Sam Dekker. As impressive as he was last year, keep in mind he averaged just a bit more than 22 minutes of playing time per game. I would imagine there is a decent chance his workload will increase this season. Next Wednesday, the Badgers host UW-Platteville and then the regular season begins. In what is an aggressive non-conference schedule, the Badgers will jump right into the deep end of the pool. They open with St. John's in Sioux Falls, S.D. Four days later, Wisconsin has its home opener with Florida. So much for easing into the season. Most believe the Big Ten will again be a very strong conference. Perhaps the best in the nation. The good news is the Badgers have been good enough for long enough that they have earned nationwide respect. When in doubt, many just assume they will be very good ― again. Late Saturday afternoon is your chance to get a sneak peak at what this year's Badgers have to offer.

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