Strengths: Leuer is a bit of a unique prospect in that he entered the high school ranks as a point guard, but thanks to a dramatic growth spurt, he was forced to move to the front court. Luckily for him, Leuer was able to keep maintain a lot of his perimeter skills. He can shoot the ball with range and he has a very good handle for a player of his size -- he won't blow by defenders, but he can take advantage of mismatches or out-of-position defenses. Leuer also has a decent finesse post game, scoring on turnarounds and jump hooks. He doesn't have the strength or the counter moves to be a low-post threat in the NBA, but -- like his perimeter game -- he can score when he has a favorable matchup. Weaknesses: For Leuer, the limitations are seemingly all physical. He's not terribly strong, especially his lower body, and that makes it difficult for him to establish position. He won't be backing down starting power forwards in the NBA. He's not exactly a 'banger' on the glass either, also he does a solid job fundamentally boxing out and generally seems to work hard on the glass. That lack of strength will also cause Leuer problems defensively. One of the knocks that you will see written about Leuer is that he is not athletic or explosive, which is not true. His max vert of 36.5" is higher than Terrence Jennings and Kawhi Leonard. But Leuer doesn't play explosively. He lacks the strength and the assertiveness -- and the confidence? -- to take advantage of the physical tools he does have.
Comparisons:
Best Case Scenario: Matt Bonner. Very similar type build as Leuer and not a great athlete, but a smart player who know his role. Loves to pop out of the screen and role and knock down open looks from 3, something the ‘Wisconsin Wonder’ can kill teams with, and at his size will get a shot off over just about anyone. Brian Cook and Pat Gerrity are two other names that pop out.
Worst Case Scenario: Brian Scalabrine? Scalabrine is a pretty legit shooter who has hit over 40% over his NBA 3-point looks in a few of his NBA seasons, but never had the ability to do much more than shoot. Leuer is taller and more talented all-around, but he’s a role guy nonetheless who might get bench splinters with the wrong NBA fit. Kirk Haston, a first round flame out from Indiana, is another name that has been tossed around quite a bit.
Outlook: More than anything, Leuer is a guy that needs to find the right fit in the NBA. The things he does well, he does very well. He can shoot the ball very well for a guy that measures out at 6'11.5" in shoes. He is a capable ball-handler on the perimeter. He will excel in pick-and-pop situations or as a four that keeps the floor spread for a high-scoring post player. Leuer is also a capable scorer on the block is he has a favorable matchup. The problem is that he doesn't have the strength or play with the athleticism (he has a 36.5" max vert) needed to be an NBA front court starter. If Leuer canfind a team that needs someone in his role, he might be able to carve out an NBA career. If not, Europe or the D-League is likely in his future.
Draft Range: Early-Mid 2nd Round, Picks 31-45
And the experts say...
Chad Ford: "Leuer, on the other hand, is a better athlete than we give him credit for. ... But when you watch him play, he doesn't really utilize that athleticism in his game the way other big athletes do. So while Leuer may be a good athlete, if it doesn't translate to his game, what's the point? A few years ago we all got excited about Luke Jackson's off-the-charts combine testing. How did that turn out?"
Draft Express: "Leuer's 26.7 points per 40 minutes pace adjusted ranks in the top five amongst all prospects in our database, flashing an inside-outside game that makes him an incredibly effective collegiate big man. Upon first look at Leuer, it would be easy to write him off as a prospect due to his below average athleticism, slender frame, and a lack of a true position to defend. That being said, he possesses an excellent basketball IQ to go along with some offensive skills that are in high demand, skills that he should be able to translate to the NBA reasonably well."
Swish Scout: "Fundamental big man who’s a dangerous perimeter shooter and excels off the catch and shoot by flaring off the screen and roll in the high post. Will struggle against NBA defenders and playing in the paint because of limited physical play as more of a finesse big, but should make it as a role player in the league."
Arizona was in control for much of the early portion of Saturday's Pac-10 tilt with the Golden Bears. They took a six point lead into halftime and pushed it to nine midway through the second half. But Cal wasn't going anywhere, as they used an 11-0 run to turn a 59-51 deficit into a 62-59 lead. The Bears eventually would take a 75-70 lead with less than a minute left. That is when the Momo Jones show starter.
Jones found Kevin Parrom for a three with 33 seconds left that cut Cal's lead to two, and after a Brandon Smith free throw, Jones scored an and-one with 16 seconds remaining that forced overtime. At the end of the first overtime, Allen Crabbe scored four straight points that tied the game at 87 and forced a second extra frame. In the second overtime, Jones was once again the hero, hitting a three with six seconds left that tied the game at 98 and forced a third extra frame.
Then, in the third overtime, Jones scored on a layup with 1:06 left that put Arizona up for good 104-103. Kevin Parrom, who had a career-high 25 points to support the career-high 27 that Jones had, hit three free throws down the stretch to seal it. Cal had a chance to tie the game, but Arizona fouled them with two seconds left up three points.
It must be noted: Harvard 83, Penn 82
In one of the best games in recent Ivy League history, Penn came back from 18 points down in the second half to force two overtimes against league heavyweight Harvard. In the second OT, Harvard was down by three points with 90 ticks left on the clock, but they got three consecutive stops and a bucket from Oliver McNally that eventually won the game.
Player of the Week: Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer, Wisconsin
The Badgers strung together two really nice wins this week, knocking off Purdue at home to pull into a tie in second place in the Big Ten standings before blowing out Michigan State at home by 26 points. And while I wish I could pick one of these two to name the player of the week, they were both that impressive.
Taylor was better against Michigan State, lighting up Kalin Lucas to the tune of 30 points on 9-13 shooting while also handing out six assists and turning the ball over just once. Jon Leuer had a respectable 20 points and six boards in the blowout of the Spartans, but he was better against Purdue, finishing with 24 points and 13 boards while outplaying Purdue star JaJuan Johnson. Taylor had 15 points, seven boards, and five assists against Purdue.
Leuer and Taylor have both been terrific all season long. They will need to be on Saturday, as Ohio State visits Madison.
The all-they-were-good-too team:
G: Andrew Goudelock, Charleston: Goudelock averaged 27.0 ppg as the Cougars blew out both Wofford and Furman, taking over sole possession of first place in the SoCon.
G: Kendall Marshall, UNC: The performance of note was Marshall going for nine points and 16 assists (a UNC record for ACC play) with just three turnovers in 36 minutes against Florida State. Larry who? Harrison Barnes also deserves a mention, as he averaged 21.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg for the week.
F: Chandler Parsons, Florida: Parsons has been a different player since conference play began, and this week he played two of his best games of the season. In wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky, Parsons averaged 17.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, and 3.5 apg.
F: Ryan Pearson, George Mason: Pearson was one of the biggest reasons that the Patriots swept Hofstra and Old Dominion and have moved into a tie in first place in the CAA. He averaged 18.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg.
C: Mason Plumlee, Duke: Plumlee had his two best games of the season since Kyrie Irving was injured, finishing with 12 points and 11 boards in 36 minutes against Jordan Williams of Maryland and then going for 16 points and 12 boards against NC State. Plumlee had four steals and three blocks for the week while shooting 13-15 from the floor.
Bench: Ben Hanbrough, Notre Dame (24.5 ppg, 4.0 apg in a 2-0 week); Marshon Brooks, Providence (43 points, 10 boards in loss to Georgetown); Anthony Hill, Milwaukee (29 points, 15 boards vs. Green Bay); Scootie Randall (20.5 ppg in a 2-0 week, including 27 points, seven boards vs. Rhode Island); Alex Young, IUPUI (27.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg in 2-0 week including 31 points, nine boards in a win over Oakland); Anthony Nelson, Niagara (10 points, 10 boards, 14 assists vs. Marist); Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk State (37 points, 19 boards, six blocks vs. Coppin State)
Team of the Week: North Carolina Tar Heels
UNC had an eventful week. It started off with a road trip Boston College in a snow storm that resulted in the Heels beating the Eagles 106-74. Harrison Barnes was on fire for the second straight game, scoring 26 points on 9-15 shooting, Reggie Bullock hit four threes in the span of three minutes, and, most importantly, the Heels got their best game out of their point guard rotation, as Larry Drew and Kendall Marshall combined for seven points and 15 assists while turning the ball over just three times.
Then on Friday, Drew quit. He up and left the team without warning, putting the Heels in what appeared to be a tough spot. Marshall was forced to play a career-high 36 minutes, and made quite a few folks down in Chapel Hill forget about Drew. He had 16 assists (a record for UNC players in ACC play) and just three turnovers while helping UNC score 89 points against the nation's second best defensive team.
North Carolina blew out their third straight opponent and, at least for now, appears to have become Duke's only legitimate contender for the ACC regular season title. We will know by Wednesday, when UNC will play their first game against the Dukies.
Who else had a good week:
Florida: After beating both Vanderbilt and Kentucky this week, the Gators have moved a game ahead of Tennessee in the SEC East and two games ahead of the rest of the division. For a team whose biggest question mark is the decision making of their back court players, the Gators have proven to be a very good team in the clutch, winning a lot of close games against good teams. They've won 10 of 12 since their loss to Jacksonville, including a four point win at Xavier, a six point OT win at Tennessee, a five point win at Auburn, a double overtime win at Georgia, and this week's four point win against Vanderbilt and two point win at Florida.
Wisconsin: The Badgers may not be able to win away from the Kohl Center (honestly, who can this season), but they certainly are proving their dominance at home. After beating Purdue on Tuesday night, the Badgers pounded Michigan State on Sunday. With Jordan Taylor playing like an all-american and Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil proving to be the matchup nightmare we all knew they would be, the Badgers look like a team you don't want to play in March.
Villanova: The Wildcats bounced back from losing three of four to sweep Marquette and West Virginia this week. Those wins became all the more important when Pitt's Ashton Gibbs sprained his mcl, which will force him out of the lineup for the next two weeks. Villanova is one of three teams sitting two games back of the Panthers in the Big East standings, and the Wildcats get Pitt on Saturday.
Oregon: The Ducks, who have the talent of a team that would struggle in the WAC, are currently sitting at 5-6 in the Pac-10 after sweep the Washington schools at home this week. Joevan Catron has developed into one of the best post players in the conference, and Dana Altman has to be in the conversation when you talk about the best coaching jobs this season.
Alabama: Believe it or not, the Crimson Tide sit all alone atop the SEC standings at the midway point of conference play. They are 7-1 after winning at Tennessee in overtime on Saturday and beating Mississippi State at home on Wednesday. As we wrote on Saturday, the most interesting part about Alabama's start to the season is that they are far from a lock to earn an at-large bid, and could very well be kept home from the tournament should they win the SEC regular season title.
Syracuse: The Orange bounced back from a four game losing streak -- and managed to play off the rumor and innuendo surrounding their program -- by going into Hartford and knocking off UConn. The Orange followed that up with a win over South Florida in Florida.
Charleston: The Cougars took control off the SoCon's southern division by routing both of the other contenders. Charleston beat Wofford by 28 points -- outscoring them 45-15 in the second half -- before knocking off Furman by 19. The Cougars also took sole possession of first place in the SoCon thanks to a loss by northern division leader Chattanooga.
George Mason: The Patriots knocked off both Hofstra and Old Dominion this week, and in convincing fashion. They beat the Pride by 19 points and took out the Monarchs at home by 17. Mason has now won nine straight games to move into a first place tie with VCU, who lost at Northeastern on Wednesday.
UCLA: The Bruins knocked off both St. John's and USC this week, meaning that they have now won seven of their last eight games and moved all alone into second place in the Pac-10 thanks to Washington's tough week.
Coastal Carolina: The Chanticleers took a full two game lead in the Big South thanks to a win over Liberty. CCU has now swept the Flames, and have won 20 straight games since losing to Georgetown in the Charleston Classic.
Princeton: The Tigers jumped into first place in the Ivy League this week after sweeping Harvard and Dartmouth. Princeton sits a game in front of both the Crimson and Penn in the Ivy League standings. The last two games of the Tiger's season? At Harvard and at Penn.
The favorite in the Big Ten is pretty easy to identify right now. Ohio State is playing as well as anyone in the country -- in fact, they overtook Duke as the No. 1 team in Kenpom's rankings. Offensively, this group is terrific. Their offense is based around the play of Jared Sullinger, the freshman big man that is on the short list for first team all-american. He's a bully on the block that plays with the strength and the savvy of a veteran. Its not just Sullinger, however. David Lighty, William Buford, and Jon Diebler are all capable of going off for 25 points if the situation calls for it. Dallas Lauderdale blocks shots, Aaron Craft has proven to be a solid point guard as a freshman, and DeShaun Thomas is instant offense coming off of the bench. The thing that is so impressive about this team, however, is that every player understands and has bought into their role. The Buckeyes are going to be a tough team to beat.
Player of the Year: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
The a Player of the Year thus far is probably Sullinger, but seeing as I just talked about the Buckeyes, let's mix it up a bit, eh? Northwestern's John Shurna has been terrific this season. He's averaging 23.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 3.4 apg. (Those numbers would be better if he didn't miss half of Northwestern's last game against Mt. St. Mary's with an ankle injury.) He's shooting 61.1% from the field and an absurd 62.3% from three, taking more than five per game. He's a huge reason that the Wildcats have gotten off to this 9-1 start. The problem? Northwestern still hasn't beaten anybody. This is a program that has never made the NCAA Tournament, and with guys like Michael Thompson and Drew Crawford around Shurna, this may be the year. We will get a real feel for the legitness (I know that's not a word, but it should be) of Northwestern after their first three Big Ten games -- at Purdue, home for Michigan State, at Illinois.
F: John Shurna, Northwestern: 23.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.4 apg
C: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue: 19.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg
Biggest Surprise: Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota had a bit of hype coming into the season, but not enough to warrant much consideration nationally for the top 25. Boy, did we miss on that. The Gophers blew through the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and, at one point in the season, climbed all the way into the top ten. The biggest reason has been the addition of Trevor Mbakwe, a strong, athletic power forward that is a perfect complement to Ralph Sampson and Colton Iverson, as he is averaging 13.3 ppg and 9.8 rpg on the season. Minnesota hit a rough patch in December, dropping a home game to Virginia, as they dealt with their starting point guard Al Nolen, their best perimeter defender and distributor, sitting out. With Nolen in the lineup, and guys like Blake Hoffarber and Rodney Williams having good seasons on the wing, this team can compete with anyone in the conference.
Biggest Disappointment: Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans are currently 8-4 on the season. Not a great start, especially by a team that was considered Duke's biggest challenger in the preseason. MSU has a bad habit of starting a season out slowly, and all of their four losses have come to teams currently ranked in the top 13 nationally. The bigger issue, however, is how the Spartans have looked in those losses. They are not playing like typical Tom Izzo clubs. Their defense is not where it needs to be and they aren't competing on the glass like we've come to expect out of Sparty. I have complete faith that Izzo will turn this thing around. There is just too much talent on that roster not too.
Teams to keep an eye on:
Illinois: There is talent up and down this lineup, led by Demetri McCamey, who is arguably the best back court player in this league. But Illinois has been, well, Illinois -- they settle for too many jumpers and are too soft on the interior.
Wisconsin: Jon Leuer has been unbelievable early in the season, Jordan Taylor's filled Trevon Hughes' shoes, and Bo Ryan is still coaching this team. The Badgers will always be in the discussion with him at the helm.
Purdue: The Boilermakers have arguably the best 1-2 punch in the conference in JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore. They defend as well as anyone in the country. If they continue to get solid performances out of their role players, this team will make a lot of noise this winter.
Teams to forget about:
Indiana: Tom Crean has been cleaning up on the recruiting trail, landing seemingly every high-major talent in the state of Indiana. The problem with that? He is getting commitments from kids in the class of 2014, while his team is losing games at home to Penn State this season. Cean needs results, not recruits.
Penn State: I love Talor Battle. Jeff Brooks has been good this season as well. But a team that can lose at home to Maine is not a team that can compete with the big dogs in the Big Ten.
Michigan: John Beilein always has teams that are difficult to play against because of the system that he runs. The problem is that this season, he just doesn't have the talent level to be effective with that system. To make matters worse, his best player -- Darius Morris -- was benched at the start of Tuesday's game against Purdue.
Its no secret that the Big Ten has dealt with a number of serious injuries this season. Purdue's Lewis Jackson broke his foot. So did Northwestern's Kevin Coble. Indiana's Maurice Creek fractured a knee cap. Wisconsin's Jon Leuer broke his wrist. Evan Turner has returned after breaking two bones in his back.
Last night during the Ohio State-Purdue broadcast, ESPN put up a graphic highlighting the major injuries in the conference this season, and I got to thinking: how good would this team be?
My conclusion?
They may actually win the Big Ten.
Having Turner in the line-up is enough to put a team into consideration. Now think about Turner playing with a scorer like Creek and versatile big men that can spread the floor like Leuer and Coble.
Scary right?
I'll add Jerry Wainwright, who qualifies because he tore his MCL and fractured his tibia on Wednesday of last week, as the coach and wait for Blake Hoffarber and Dallas Lauderdale to go down, and we got us a national title contender.
Side note: for those that didn't see it, Robbie Hummel dislocated a finger last night. Be warned - the video is a bit graphic if you don't like to see fingers bending in awkward directions.
We're a little late on this, but we figured it was an important enough news story that it deserved its own post.
For the second time this season, Wisconsin knocked off a top ten team at the Kohl Center. Jordan Taylor scored 23 points, Jason Bohannon added 20 points, and Trevon Hughes made a number of big shots as the Badgers pulled away in the second half.
One notable name you don't see there?
Jon Leuer.
Jon Leuer fractured a bone in his wrist in Saturday's game against Purdue. (photo credit: B/R)
Leuer has arguably been Wisconsin's most valuable player in the first half of the season, but he had by far his worst game of the season, scoring just 4 points on 2-15 shooting in 38 minutes.
Well, now we know why. Leuer fractured a bone in his left wrist and will be undergoing surgery tomorrow. No timetable has been set for his return. It is believed that the injury was suffered early in the first half when Leuer hit the floor hard going after an offensive rebound, using his left arm to break his fall.
Leuer was one of the most improved players in the Big Ten. This season, he is the Badgers second leading scorer (15.4 ppg, and was the leading scorer before the Purdue game), leading rebounder (6.8 rpg), and best shot blocker (1.8 bpg), Wisconsin.
But perhaps more importantly, he is by far the Badger's best big man. He is the only player over 6'8" that plays significant minutes, and has developed a pretty good game in the post. His most effective weapon offensively is his ability to play on the perimeter. Leuer is, essentially, the center for the Badgers, as he routinely guards the biggest player on an opposing team. But Leuer is one of those kids that hit his growth spurt late, meaning he played guard growing up. He still has the handle and the jump shot, making him a matchup problem on the offensive end.
Without Leuer in the line-up, Bo Ryan is going to have a choice to make. If he wants to go big, his options are two seldom-used freshman - 6'10" Jared Berggren and 6'7" Mike Bruesewitz. While I expect those two to see a boost in minutes, I'd also expect Ryan to use Ryan Evans and Tim Jarmusz at the same time as Keaton Nankivil quite a bit.
Whatever he decides to do, the one thing that is clear is that Wisconsin, which has climbed into the top 15 or 20 teams in the country, will have a tough stretch coming up.
The good news?
With the win over Purdue in addition to wins against Duke, Arizona, Maryland, and Marquette, the Badgers should be a tournament team assuming they can get Leuer healthy by the end of the Big Ten.
Not sure if there is any similarity between the injuries, but Mason Plumlee of Duke was out for less than four weeks after breaking his wrist in November. That said, Plumlee's injury didn't require surgery.
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