Wisconsin Basketball: Biggest Question for Each Badgers Starter in 2015

Apart from a lone loss to Duke, not much has hindered Wisconsin’s progress so far this season. However, if we were to nitpick at the 15-1 Badgers, a few question marks still linger.

Is Sam Dekker’s ankle finally healed? Can Nigel Hayes extend his breakout performances into conference play? And can Frank Kaminsky solidify himself as the best player in college basketball?

These are just some of the doubts that remain for Bo Ryan’s team, and here is detailed look at the issues each starter need to address heading into the second half of the season.

 All stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.

The senior guard has displayed tremendous poise and provided veteran leadership for the Badgers, but one of the few issues with Jackson this season has been the disparity in his offense between the halves.

Jackson is averaging 9.3 points per game this season, but he is scoring nearly twice the amount of points in the second half (6.2) in comparison to first half (3.1).

That is not necessarily a bad thing, however, as Jackson has had a knack for coming through during crunch time. And when you consider the fact that he is shooting a career-best 43.8 percent from the field, it probably proves he is just taking smarter shots.

There are a few other areas Jackson could improve as well, such as bringing up his three-point shooting percent and crashing the offensive boards more.

Jackson is a career 33.7 percent three-point shooter but is hitting just 30.3 percent of them this season. The 6’2” guard also grabbed 20 offensive rebounds last season but has only two so far this year.

The latter problems aren’t quite as concerning given the fact that Wisconsin has plenty of perimeter shooters and capable rebounders. But if Jackson can get off to better starts in games, perhaps he can open up the floor more for the likes of Dekker and Kaminsky.

There aren’t too many players in the country who are as deadly of a shooter as Wisconsin’s Josh Gasser.

Gasser is posting career highs with 44.7 percent shooting from downtown and 47.7 percent shooting from the field.

On top of that, out of his 72 shot attempts, 51 have come from distance, and he has made 23 of his field goals from there as well.

There isn’t much for Wisconsin to be worried about in Gasser’s game at this point, but it would be a plus to see him get to the line more often.

Last season, Gasser took an average of 3.6 shots per game at the free-throw line and made an average of 3.1 of them. This season, he’s getting to the line just 1.9 times per game.

If Gasser can attack the basket more frequently and efficiently, it could open up another dimension to his game. But if not, I’m sure Wisconsin wouldn’t mind him taking the outside shots.

The 6’7” sophomore forward wasn't kidding when he said he developed an outside-shooting touch during the offseason, as evident by his 37.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

While I’m sure that's an enlightening improvement to see for Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin fanbase, perhaps the most impressive part of Hayes' growth is his ability to attack the basket efficiently and crash the boards at a consistent rate.

Hayes is shooting 58.6 percent from the field and grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game so far this season, but more importantly, he has provided the Badgers with a reliable third option behind Dekker and Kaminsky.

There is not much to criticize about Hayes’ development so far this season, but he is the lone underclassman in the starting lineup, so the only concern for him would be if he can keep up the performances throughout conference play and the postseason.

The ankle injury Dekker suffered during a preseason practice appeared to hinder some parts of his game for a while this season, but despite that, Dekker has put up career highs in points per game (12.7), field-goal percentage (54.2) and three-point shooting percentage (39.1).

Those numbers are adequate by average standards, but for Dekker—whom people expected to make a huge leap after a well-hyped offseason—they leave a bit more to be desired.

For someone who grew two inches over the summer, Dekker is somehow rebounding less when compared to last year (4.5 RPG to 6.1 RPG). He deserves some benefit of the doubt as the ankle injury could have played a factor, but that is an area I assume most would like to see him improve as the season progresses.

The good news, though, is he has averaged 14.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in the seven games he has played since Dec. 10, so perhaps this is the healthy and capable Dekker that Wisconsin fans will get to see for the remainder of the season.

After watching Kaminsky play this season, I’m pretty sure the only thing he can’t do is wipe off the floor after he leaves his mark everywhere.

He is posting career highs in nearly every statistical category, and it’s hard to find another player who has a more dominant and complete game than the 7-foot senior.

Kaminsky scored in double figures in all but one of Wisconsin’s 16 games this season, and he has posted seven double-doubles along the way.

There is not much more the guy can do for his team, so the only question left for him as an individual is can he ultimately trump Duke’s Jahlil Okafor in the National Player of the Year race?

Just to make a case for Kaminsky, during their showdown on Dec. 3, Kaminsky outdueled Okafor with 17 points and nine rebounds while the latter posted 13 points and six boards.