The University of Wisconsin men's basketball team might have tipped who is a part of its eightman rotation. Or, at least, the version of that rotation that it could deploy in its closed, neutral-site scrimmage against Northern Iowa on Saturday.
The Badgers ended their fifth and final practice open to media Tuesday with 5-on-5 work, which they've done a lot over the last several practices in which media was allowed to be present. The two teams -- one of eight players and one of nine players -- looked as close to a first and second team as Wisconsin has shown throughout the preseason.
The team in white jerseys, which looked more like the first team, featured guards Kamari McGee, Max Klesmit, John Blackwell, John Tonje and Jack Janicki with forwards Xavier Amos, Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl.
The team in red jerseys, which could be the scout team, featured guards Camren Hunter, Daniel Freitag, Isaac Gard and Aidan Konop as well as forwards Carter Gilmore, Chris Hodges, Markus Ilver and Riccardo Greppi.
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Freitag and Greppi eventually switched to white jerseys to join the group featuring several of the likely top options for Wisconsin in the returning Klesmit, Blackwell and Crowl. When Greppi switched to white, Janicki changed his jersey to red and joined the other team for an extended run.
That could be a factor, too, as players like Hunter and Janicki -- by joining the team in red jerseys -- had an opportunity to stay on the floor for a lengthened period.
What's even more interesting was the starters of the group wearing white jerseys: McGee and Winter started at the positions of question -- the point guard and power forward -- with Tonje, Blackwell and Crowl filling the other three spots.
In the 5-on-5 session, Klesmit started off to the side, but upon subbing in, was a part of several interesting lineups. One lineup even featured him, Tonje and Blackwell sharing the floor together without a traditional point guard.
Winter and Amos seem firmly locked in a rotation at the power forward spot, while Greppi came on the floor to replace Crowl after a long run on the floor for the Badgers' graduate 7-footer. Wisconsin men's basketball, even if it didn't fully expose its rotation, flashed some of the versatility it may have as it begins to play opponents.
Here's what stood out from Tuesday's practice.
Steven Crowl remains way ahead of center depth
When the Badgers were split into three teams (a team in black jerseys added on) earlier in Tuesday's practice, the three teams' centers were Crowl, Greppi and Hodges. Before the Badgers scrimmaged at the end, they ran a free-flowing 5-on-5 drill that started with the point guard taking the ball from just past the midcourt line for something of an extended halfcourt game.
The key objective was to feed the post and it was abundantly clear: When Crowl is on the floor, that is a lot easier. Klesmit alluded to that fact following the Badgers' Red-White Scrimmage Sunday. His roster didn't feature Crowl, and perhaps they could have fed the paint better to avoid the 32-16 paint points discrepancy they experienced. But, he added, Crowl makes things easier.
After a post feed early in the drill, Crowl found Blackwell in the opposite corner for a three plus a foul, which prompted Blackwell to give a high-five to the referee who granted him a call after he yelled "FOUL!"
Crowl, of course, could score, but what was most notable was how much easier defenses were able to trap the other bigs. Crowl made quick decisions, created space and his team got the most open shots because of it.
Jack Janicki continues to impress as he inches toward potential playing time
When a player was struggling with a post entry feed early in practice, Wisconsin coach Greg Gard called out to the opposite wing for some help. Gard called out Janicki by name and asked him to be the guard on the right wing who feeds the post.
It was a small ask in the heat of practice, but it's consistent with a lot of what Janicki has shown throughout the five practices made open to the media plus Wisconsin's Red-White scrimmage -- the redshirt freshman preferred walk-on seems to always make the right play.
Janicki has shown a really solid feel for the game when he's on the floor and even some capability of making reads around ball screens. He's also proven to be a solid outside shooter. He made some strong passes at the Red-White Scrimmage and even checked in for McGee at one point that featured Klesmit, Janicki and Blackwell sharing the floor. It is telling enough that he's getting experience with players who expect to be that involved this season.
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