Steven Crowl's Play Adds More Dimensions to Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. – Filling out the Big Ten postseason awards is going to cause headaches and sleeplessness for voters in one month’s time.
While many years it’s cut and dry who is and is not deserving of the postseason all-conference awards, the league has proven to be brimming with talent, especially when it comes to the rim protectors. Illinois’s Kofi Cockburn, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell are the frontcourt front runners in the conference, but players like Minnesota’s Jamison Battle and Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson could make a case they deserve top billing.
Wisconsin’s Steven Crowl doesn’t have the numbers, yet, to warrant the title of "Best Big" in the conference, but the 7-foot sophomore is playing at a level that is drawing more attention from opponents.
After chipping in 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field in Wisconsin’s 66-60 win over Minnesota Sunday, Crowl has upped his average to 10.3 points over the last seven games while shooting 60.9 percent from the floor.
Crowl has scored in double figures in three of the last four games and has tallied at least nine points in seven straight contests for the first-place Badgers (17-3, 8-2 Big Ten), which stayed at No.11 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll ahead of Wednesday’s road game at fellow first place Illinois (8 p.m./BTN)
“He’s been playing great down the stretch,” junior forward Tyler Wahl said. “We ask a lot of him … He’s exceeding expectations, doing a great job both offensively and defensively.”
After Crowl’s play Sunday, the Badgers improved to 9-0 when he reaches double figures. That includes a career-high 21 points against Illinois State, 15 against Marquette and 12 in Big Ten wins against Iowa and Nebraska. His 9.1 points per game is fourth on the team and represents a big leap from last season when Crowl averaged 0.7 points in 12 appearances, which includes not scoring at all in seven conference games.
“Confidence is a big thing,” head coach Greg Gard said last week. “He found some things he’s really good at. I still like to see him get more aggressive. I still like to see him do more, specifically offensively. We’ve talked about that and shown some things on film where he could have taken more advantage of things in the low post. That comes with a guy coming with, really, the first lap around the track and playing so much.”
Gard’s words evidently didn’t fall on deaf ears. When Wahl was forced to bench with foul trouble late in the second half against the Gophers, Crowl scored a pair of baskets by hunting his shot. The first was hitting a left-handed hookshot just below the foul line. The next was splashing a 3-pointer from the top of the key to push UW’s lead to nine.
Shooting 28.6 percent (10-for-35) from the perimeter through the first 14 games of the season, Crowl has hit 40 percent (6-for-15) of his 3-pointers over Wisconsin’s last seven games.
Wisconsin outscored Minnesota by 13 in the 31 minutes when Crowl was on the floor, aided as well by his four rebounds and two assists, as well as helping hold Minnesota’s Eric Curry (eight points) to just two shots in the second half.
“It’s been big just learning from every game, trying to improve on every game, learn from how guys guard, what other guys do against me and how they play me,” Crowl said. “That’s helped me build my confidence and stay confident even when the shots aren’t falling.”
Crowl’s growth will be tested by Cockburn, who has been the key piece on both ends of the floor for 18th-ranked Illinois. The junior is averaging 21.1 points on 58.9 percent shooting while averaging 11.6 rebounds. He’s shooting 67.0 percent from the line but gets there a lot, having attempted 109 of Illinois’ 361 free throws.
When Cockburn had to miss two games last week with a concussion, Illinois allowed Maryland to shoot 56 percent in a 15-point road defeat and scraped out 56 points in a one-point home win over Michigan State. Cockburn returned Saturday and finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in a 59-56 win at Northwestern. Cockburn was 10-for-17 from the field while the rest of the team was 12-for-34.
When Illinois swept last year’s season series against Wisconsin for the first time since 2005, Cockburn manhandled UW’s senior frontcourt to averaged 21 points and 10.5 rebounds. In the victory in Champaign, Cockburn has as many rebounds (10) as Wisconsin did in the first half.
“You just got to be physical,” Crowl said, as Cockburn’s play off ball screens and getting downhill leads to his success. “I’ve said that 1000 times, just trying to be physical with everyone, no matter who is it. No matter if it’s a big man from Purdue or anyone. Just trying to be physical as I can, use all the tools that I have, get low, and try my best.”
The schedule in the second half is no picnic for the Badgers, who are in the middle of playing five games in 13 days. UW has a split of five home and road games remaining and the travel venues include a rematch with Michigan State (one road win since 2004), Indiana and Jackson-Davis, Minnesota, and Rutgers, where the Badgers are 1-3 in conference play. UW also hosts No.4 Purdue, currently the highest-ranked team in the conference, in March.
It's a daunting task against teams with some talented forwards, but Crowl’s teammates believe their top post player is up for the task.
“When you see a couple shots go in, when you block a couple of there shots, when you get a couple tough physical rebounds, you realize that you are force to be reckoned with down there, too,” senior Brad Davison said. “Not only do you have to guard them, but they have to guard you. His confidence level has been great. His ability to not only score in the paint but knock down a three ball is going to be huge for us going down the stretch. We love what we’re seeing from him.”
“That’s why you come to Wisconsin is you want to be the best, that means you’re going to play against the best. A lot of great opportunities for him.”
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