BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — On the first offensive possession for Wisconsin's scout team, Andy Van Vliet nailed a 3-point jumper from left of the key; a perfect simulation of how Michigan will stretch the floor with its bigs.
Van Vliet, a 7-foot, 224-pound sophomore from Brasschaat, Belgium, was the ideal stunt double, too, for the Wolverine's Moritz "Moe" Wagner, a 6-11, 240-pound sophomore from Berlin, Germany.
Last Saturday, Wagner went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and scored a career-high 23 points in Michigan's 91-85 win over Nebraska at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Wagner, whose previous high was three triples, leads Michigan in 3-point shooting percentage (.479, 23-of-48) which has spawned a Kevin Pittsnogle comparison from his coach John Beilein.
Not that anybody from this generation, let alone Germany, would remember Pittsnogle, a 6-11, 250-pound face-up/stretch "4" on some of Beilein's better teams at West Virginia (2005-2006).
Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard took it another step by comparing Wagner's developing game to that of a former Badger, Frank the Tank, aka Frank Kaminsky, the 2015 Wooden Award winner.
Pittsnogle? Kaminsky? High praise, indeed, for Wagner (pronounced VOG-ner) who will be among the offensive threats that Wisconsin must account for Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.
"You notice his ability to put the ball on the floor, especially in that high-post area," said UW assistant Howard Moore, who compiled the scouting report on the Wolverines.
"I thought the Nebraska game was his best of the year. He was catching it and being assertive and attacking. Faking and reading the defense, he was floating to the open areas.
"That's the thing about Wagner and (D.J.) Wilson, they're not in love with the 3-point shot. They take it within the offense and their efficiency is pretty good because they're not taking a high volume."
DeVante Jaylen (D.J.) Wilson, a 6-10, 240-pound junior forward, is shooting 61 percent from 3-point range in Big Ten games on a limited sample size (11-of-18). Overall, he's 20-of-43 (.465).
Wilson is leading the team in rebounds (6.4) while averaging 10.8 points. He had a breakout game at Iowa with 28 points (4-of-8 triples) and 14 rebounds. Who knew?
Coming into this season, Wilson had averaged 2.3 points in 31 games. His late development had a lot to do with a knee injury that resulted in a medical redshirt during his freshman season.
"I'll be honest, I think this is the perfect personnel for what coach Beilein wants to do," Moore said. "Especially with Wilson and Wagner's emergence.
"When you can stretch the floor at all five positions, it really opens up the driving lanes for the Waltons and the Abdur-Rahkmans and Irvins to attack and get to the rim. With the threat of Wagner and Wilson on the perimeter, it opens up the floor for those guys to drive — and if they can't get to the rim — to kick for open threes."
Derrick Walton, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Zak Irvin make up the Michigan core. Irvin has 1,370 career points in 122 games, Walton has 1,103 in 107. Walton also has 376 career assists.
Only two guards in Michigan history — Gary Grant and Jalen Rose — have ever reached 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists. Walton has a chance to add his name to that short list.
This season, Irvin is leading the Wolverines in assists with 67, one more than Walton. At the same time, Irvin hasn't compromised his own offense. He has scored in double-figures in 16 of 18.
Irvin had a team-high 14 points in a 68-57 loss to the Badgers last season in Madison. It was the only meeting of the year between the schools. Duncan Robinson had 10 points off the bench.
The 6-8, 215-pound Robinson, a former Division III standout at Williams College, is another 3-point threat. He's shooting nearly 40 percent from the arc (31-of-78).
There are many similarities — in style of play — between Michigan and Wisconsin.
Consider: the Wolverines lead the nation with the fewest turnovers per game (9.10). They've had 10 or fewer in 14 of 18 games with a season low of four against SMU. That will be tested Tuesday against a UW team that has recorded at least eight steals in each of the last eight games.
Wisconsin is No. 24 in fewest turnovers per game (11.1).
"They're like us — they don't turn the ball over," Moore said. "They run their system. They know where their guys are going to be. They don't try to overdo things. They stay within themselves. They just trust their system and you see it because they don't break away from it very often, if not at all. There's comfort in that because you know where your shot is going to come from."
Consider: the Wolverines lead the nation in fewest fouls per game (14.2). They've had 14 or fewer fouls 10 times with a season low of eight against Mount St. Mary's.
Wisconsin is No. 13 (15.4).
"They don't foul," Moore said, "and you don't want to foul them."
Consider: the Wolverines are No. 4 nationally in free throw shooting percentage (.795). They average 16.5 free throws and have four players above 80 percent from the stripe.
By sharp contrast, Wisconsin is No. 247 (.669) out of 347. However, in last season's victory, the Badgers were 12-of-15 from the line opposed to just 4-of-7 for Michigan.
Lastly, consider: the Wolverines set a school-record with 19 triples in a 97-53 win over Central Arkansas earlier this season. They're averaging 9.4 per game, second in the Big Ten to Purdue (9.5).
Under Beilein (330 career games at Michigan), they have made 10 or more triples 95 times. In those games, the Wolverines are 74-21, including 5-3 this season.
"This is the proto-typical personnel for his system," Moore concluded.
