Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers' 5 Biggest Concerns in B1G Play

A win over Nebraska has Wisconsin once again feeling good about the team's chances this season, but the squad is still far from perfect.

Thursday's 70-55 victory moved the Badgers to 16-2 on the year, including 4-1 in the Big Ten. When healthy, this group is one of the most talented in the country, and it is a legitimate contender to not only bring home a conference title but possibly a national championship as well.

Still, a loss to Rutgers and questionable performances in other games have created a little more uncertainty than there was expected to be in Madison.

This is still an elite team that should be favored in just about every remaining game of the regular season. However, here is a look at some concerns based on the play over the past few weeks.

The most immediate concern for Wisconsin has to deal with the injury to Traevon Jackson, who will miss about six weeks with a broken foot.

Unlike many teams, the Badgers offense isn't based on dribble penetration by a single player who racks up assists. The motion offense limited Jackson to just 2.9 assists per game before getting injured. 

Despite this fact, the senior gave the squad a calming presence on the floor while generally making the right decision whenever he had the ball in his hands.

Bronson Koenig did a good job filling in for the injured Jackson against Nebraska, scoring 11 points with four rebounds, an assist and just one turnover.

Still, the sophomore lacks experience and is being forced into a potentially uncomfortable situation. If he struggles while trying to fill Jackson's shoes, Wisconsin could be in trouble.

The loss at Rutgers was mildly understandable, as Traevon Jackson was injured late while Frank Kaminsky sat out the game with concussion symptoms. Missing one of the best players in the nation and another senior starter is going to set any squad back.

However, the absence of these two players highlighted a major lack of depth for the Badgers.

Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes are obviously great scorers who can make up for the loss of Kaminsky, but the rest of the players struggle to hold up their end of the bargain on a squad that usually only went eight deep when healthy.

Even the win over Purdue featured zero bench points, while the Nebraska victory saw only Duje Dukan get on the scoreboard from the bench.

There is enough talent in the starting lineup to win games on its own, but any more injuries or some poor outings by the stars and the Badgers could be in rough shape.

Bo Ryan's squad is built on its outside shooting, with every player 1 through 5 capable of stepping out and hitting a three-pointer.

In games like the one against the Cornhuskers, where Wisconsin hit 11 of 21 shots from behind the arc, this is a perfectly fine strategy. The wins over Penn State and Northwestern also saw the team hit more than 40 percent from deep.

Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way.

The loss to Rutgers featured just a 5-of-21 mark from distance. The Badgers hit only three of their 14 attempts from deep in the narrow win over Purdue.

On the plus side, this team is not as reliant on the three-point shot as past Wisconsin teams because the frontcourt does a great job getting the ball into the paint and finishing inside.

Still, you can almost be certain any losses this team suffers for the rest of the year will be due to some poor shooting from deep.

One of the biggest question marks as the team tries to compete with the best in the nation is whether it will be able to match up against those with more athleticism.

Obviously, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes can make plays on their own, but the Badgers saw in an earlier loss to Duke that there are simply opponents on a different level in this area. Last year's Final Four loss to Kentucky also had a similar issue.

So far in the Big Ten season, athletic players like Kadeem Jack and Terran Petteway have had big showings against Wisconsin, while quicker guards like Myles Mack and D.J. Newbill also light up the scoreboard.

Most of these players had little help around them, but it should still be disconcerting that these men were able to top 20 points so easily.

With plenty of elite scorers still to come in the Big Ten season, Wisconsin has to figure out a way to solidify the on-ball defense.

The Badgers are currently tied for first place in the Big Ten with a 4-1 record. However, an argument can be made that the five games were against the five worst teams in the conference.

KenPom.com rates Wisconsin's conference schedule to this point as by far the weakest in the Big Ten, while only Michigan rates lower any of the five squads already played.

The next game against Iowa will represent a much tougher challenge, while battles against Maryland, Ohio State and Michigan State loom later in the year. The Big Ten might not be loaded with Final Four contenders, but there is a deep list full of opponents capable of winning any game.

Wisconsin better be ready to continually improve if it wants to remain on top of the standings.

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