Ky McKeon
As is the usual for this website (don’t call it a blog), I am late writing up a recap of a game I attended in person. So it goes.
The inaugural Brew City Battle featured Stanford and Wisconsin, two teams not exactly known for their uptempo or offensive nature (but more on that later). The event itself was something Badger head coach Greg Gard has ben trying to make happen for about a decade. A basketball game on a baseball diamond - a pretty cool concept.
The layout of the venue was indeed pretty dope, and such a strange sight for these eyes to see. On the Brewer infield was a regulation-sized basketball court complete with bleachers on one side and press tables and court side chairs surrounding the floor.
The crowd was all Wisconsin. I honestly didn’t see one Stanford fan the entire evening. Badger fans showed up in solid numbers and put down what I can only assume was a copious amount of beer.
A couple of interesting dynamics popped up as a result of this setup:
Temperature. It was hovering just above freezing outside in Milwaukee, and that trickled down into the field. While the press box was nice and cozy, the field level was probably a good 10-15 degrees cooler. I have it on good authority from my wife she was very cold in the stands.
Acoustics. The PA announcer almost sounded muffled in the cavernous environment, very much unlike a normal basketball arena. And fans away from the courtside seats likely had trouble hearing everything that was said. The horns and buzzers were softer as well. When Badger fans got “loud'“ at key moments, it was still sort of like a dull roar.
Depth perception. It’s been said shooting in giant football stadiums is difficult for players - well, how about a baseball stadium where the stands aren’t parallel to the court and the backdrop is very much unlike any player has experienced. It’s no surprise Stanford and Wisconsin combined to shoot 6/36 from 3 and 39/106 overall. (Though the 4th graders at half-time did hit a couple bombs in their scrimmage.)
The game itself was a slog — but, to be fair, that would have been the case in any environment between these two teams. Neither looks to score at a high rate in transition and both are physical, blue-collar type of teams.
Wisconsin was the better team throughout the contest. Gard’s offense was getting much easier looks than Stanford coach Jerod Haase’s sorry excuse for one. Badger forward Tyler Wahl looks to be the next breakout star in Madison, and his point guard, Chucky Hepburn, has clearly taking a step forward in his sophomore season.
The Badgers entered halftime with a 32-20 lead. Stanford was 0/9 from downtown, Wisconsin was 3/11 — and one of those makes was banked in. Stanford’s 12 turnovers was the most egregious stat, as Wisconsin isn’t exactly known as a defense that forces a high rate of miscues.
The second half was more of the same, though Stanford did show a little more fight, cutting the lead to five with just under 8 to play. Tree forward Brandon Angel had a great game, and he looks like he could enjoy a breakout season. The same cannot be said, however, about his “star” teammate Harrison Ingram.
Ingram did nothing on Friday. He finished with six points on 2/8 shooting. This is the second game I’ve watched Stanford play this year - which is already too many - and it’s the second game where I have totally forgotten he even exists, let alone that he was a 5-star recruit. Many outlets tagged Ingram to be a top 100 player in the sport this season — that just isn’t the case so far. Stanford’s best player in the early going has been Davidson transfer Michael Jones. If Ingram continues his invisible play, Stanford won’t even sniff the NCAA Tournament.
Elsewhere, as expected big man Maxime Raynaud didn’t have near the impact he had against Pacific. Wisconsin has a ton of size, and he was largely held at bay. For the Badgers, outside of Wahl and Hepburn, it was encouraging to see Jordan Davis produce at an efficient level. In addition to his banked triple, Davis poured in 11 more points to rank second on the team in scoring.
The final score was 60-50 in favor of Wisconsin. As alluded to above, the Badgers are clearly the better team, and Stanford has much to work on.
As for the Brew City Battle overall, I loved it. We need more unique events like this in college basketball (just maybe not on an aircraft carrier outdoors). Kudos to Intersport, the Brewers, and Milwaukee for putting on a great event.