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PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
RYAN ALLEN, UWM: The 6-foot-3 senior guard is having an outstanding season on both ends of the floor. In last week's victory over Wright State, Allen played stellar defense on high-scoring Wright State guard Julius Mays before Allen turned an ankle and had to leave the game with just under 13 minutes left. Allen set a defensive tone early in that game when he came up with a steal and dunked on the other end to give UWM a 6-0 lead. Two nights later, it wasn't determined that he would be able to play against Detroit until just before game time, but he ended up playing 25 minutes and finished with 12 points, three assists and three rebounds and took three charges.
DAVANTE GARDNER, MARQUETTE: He continued to impress in the low post for the Golden Eagles. Gardner scored 17 points in 18 minutes in Monday's victory over Louisville, grabbing six rebounds in the process. He was too much for Louisville to handle inside, and he showed off a number moves in converting 3 three-point plays in the second half. He is averaging 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds and is shooting 58.0% in Big East play.
"Throw him the ball. Our guys are cutting because they know he'll give it to them," said coach Buzz Williams. "And then he's like, 'Should I shoot with my right or left, or over my left shoulder or right shoulder? Pivot or don't pivot? How many and-ones can I get today?' I've never seen a guy like that. He can't out-jump me, he can't our-run me, and he's not in better condition than me. He says 2% of the words I say on a daily basis. No, I've never seen a guy like that."
JOSH GASSER,WISCONSIN: The sophomore guard, who generally contributes in multiple areas, displayed more assertiveness on offense in victories over Purdue and Nebraska. Gasser entered the Purdue game Thursday having scored a combined 22 points in the previous four games (on 6-for-17 shooting). He made 3 of 5 shots and 3 of 4 free-throw attempts and finished with 10 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 67-62 victory over the Boilermakers. Then Sunday in a ragged 50-45 victory over visiting Nebraska, Gasser contributed 12 points, five rebounds and an assist. He made 4 of 8 shots and all three of his free-throw attempts. Although he made only a combined 2 of 6 three-pointers in the victories, he made 5 of 7 shots inside the arc. Gasser wasn't afraid to drive or post up and that assertiveness paid off.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
BREAKFAST IS ON ME: So what do you do on a Sunday night after returning home from a tough Big Ten road loss? If you're UW junior forward Mike Bruesewitz, you round up your teammates and head to Perkins for a late-night breakfast.
"It always does the body some good," Bruesewitz said.
Bruesewitz, gregarious and easy-going after a victory or a loss, cultivates the image of a happy-go-lucky college student who struggles to find his serious side. Yet he is an intuitive player who understood after UW's 18-point loss to Michigan that the players needed time away.
"Just trying to keep the team together and keep guys together, make sure nobody was straying off by themselves," he said when asked the reason for the late-night run. "Because when times get kind of tough, guys can fall apart. That's the opposite of what you want. You want to come together."
The night of idle chatter and good food worked. Four days after the loss in Ann Arbor, UW surprised Purdue. But did Bruesewitz pick up the tab?
"I didn't because a few guys ordered a few more things than I would have," he said, grinning. "But we had per diem that day so everybody got taken care of."
MINUTE MAN: Because UWM was on its way to a 20-point victory over Wright State, point guard Kaylon Williams had the rare luxury of watching the final several minutes from the bench. Williams ranks fourth in the Horizon League in minutes played (34.2) but logged just 29 minutes against Wright State. Coach Rob Jeter tries to lighten the load on Williams in practice whenever possible.
"We're getting to that part of the season where it's a lot of games, bodies are starting to hurt and if we have an opportunity to rest guys, it's important," said Jeter. "So (against Wright State) we were able to give him 29 minutes. If he plays 40 minutes he can handle it and then we'll try to manage his practice time. They're young."
DAY OF REST: After winning all three games on their three-game home stand, the Golden Eagles players will get a day away from basketball Tuesday and Williams thinks that will be a good thing for them for any number of reasons, including they won't have to see the coach for a day.
"We need to take a breath," said Williams. "We need to sleep. They get to go to school (Tuesday), which will be good for them to see some kids instead of look at me all the time. I need a day away from them. Yeah, I think it's good."
BY THE NUMBERS
23 Steals by UW junior forward Jared Berggren, a team high.
15 When Davante Gardner grabbed 15 rebounds against St. John's, he became the first MU player to have at least 15 rebounds in a game since Lazar Hayward had 17 against DePaul on Jan. 24, 2009.
39.2% UWM continues to lead the Horizon League in defensive field-goal percentage.
GAME OF THE WEEK
UWM (13-6, 6-1) at Cleveland State (15-4, 5-2), 1 p.m. Sunday
TV: Sports 32. Radio: AM-1130.
First place in the Horizon League could be on the line in this game. The Vikings saw their three-game winning streak snapped when they lost at Valparaiso, 72-66, Sunday. Before that, they won at Butler, 76-69. "We were able to get a split on this trip and that's not a bad thing," said coach Gary Waters. "If we were able to sweep these two games, that would have been special. Now, we have to go home where we have to take care of business (this) weekend." Cleveland State is led by the senior guard trio of D'Aundray Brown (11.8 points per game), Trevon Harmon (11.6) and Jeremy Montgomery (10.6).
WEEK AHEAD
Wednesday
Wisconsin vs. Northwestern (12-5, 2-3), 8 p.m. TV: BTN. Radio: AM-620.
Friday
UWM at Youngstown State (9-8, 4-3), 6 p.m. TV: None. Radio: AM-1130.
Saturday
Marquette at Providence (12-7, 1-5), 3 p.m. TV: Sports 32. Radio: AM-540.
Sunday
Wisconsin at Illinois (15-3, 4-1), 1 p.m. TV: BTN. Radio: AM-620.
Tom Enlund and Jeff Potrykus
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