Wisconsin Hockey 23-24: Hastily Making Wisconsin Hockey Great Again

[digitalbooya]

After 2 games? The football team will take time to acclimate to the new systems on O and D. They’ll be very good by week 6.

honestly, they’ll be at tOSU/Michigan/Ped State levels by year 3. I’m not sure how we can ask for anything more at this point. 1/2 recruiting cycle won’t result in a big change and no other coach in NCAA could have coached this team to victory today. They don’t have the horses on D yet.

When you sell the Fickell hire like you are going to be at Ohio State’s level, losing to a nobody like Washington State is catastrophic.

[Doogity]

Let's not overreact, we are 2 games into his tenure. Everyone should had known there would be some growing pains. This team was not very good the last few years and now we are changing how we are going to play. The talent on this team is not great the the strength and conditioning was a disaster. The new strength coach I believe has things headed in the right direction but it's going to take time. The lack of explosive playmakers that can make a guy miss this team does not have. Couple of the new guys have shown some promise but time will tell.

Let's give the staff a chance before we try to run them out of town because we had a hard on for PC or JL.

[Doogity]

This will conclude my posts about football on this hockey board!!

[digitalbooya]

Let's not overreact, we are 2 games into his tenure. Everyone should had known there would be some growing pains. This team was not very good the last few years and now we are changing how we are going to play. The talent on this team is not great the the strength and conditioning was a disaster. The new strength coach I believe has things headed in the right direction but it's going to take time. The lack of explosive playmakers that can make a guy miss this team does not have. Couple of the new guys have shown some promise but time will tell.

Let's give the staff a chance before we try to run them out of town because we had a hard on for PC or JL.

I didn’t say fire Fickell. Expectations are different now and he needs to deliver.

[solovsfett]

That's a very balanced outlook on the situation and I would tend to agree with you however they are picked to win the Big ten West and UW was selling a lot of cardinal and white Kool-Aid over the summer with all the transfers. It sure makes me think I have my expectations too high for the hockey program, however Hastings is a much more proven commodity than Fickell.

I think people were vastly underestimating the change in systems. The kids on the roster were not recruited to play these more up tempo schemes and it shows. Especially on D. They’re all a step too slow. Until they get a couple more recruiting classes on the field it will be entirely coaching kids up to learn the system and get to a point where it’s instinct.

as fast as Hastings I do expect more in year 1 than I do with Fickell as I think UW does have more pieces in hockey to win consistently.

[solovsfett]

When you sell the Fickell hire like you are going to be at Ohio State’s level, losing to a nobody like Washington State is catastrophic.

Anyone who thought Wisconsin is automatically at tOSU level based on a hire is insane. tOSU/Michigan/Ped State are where they are based on consistent high-level recruiting. Fickell walked into a team of farm boys with no speed whatsoever. And no real ability to play systems suited to the type of recruits Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, tOSU get. It will take 3 years of great recruiting to compete with those teams. And Fickell already has had a huge impact on recruiting.

EDIT: Buffalo and WSU will be bowl teams this year. They’re not nobodies.

[TJ77]

I think people were vastly underestimating the change in systems. The kids on the roster were not recruited to play these more up tempo schemes and it shows. Especially on D. They’re all a step too slow. Until they get a couple more recruiting classes on the field it will be entirely coaching kids up to learn the system and get to a point where it’s instinct.

I was thinking the same thing. Other than some just having some college experience, it's almost like having a team with 100 freshman. I don't expect much until year 3.

[digitalbooya]

Anyone who thought Wisconsin is automatically at tOSU level based on a hire is insane. tOSU/Michigan/Ped State are where they are based on consistent high-level recruiting. Fickell walked into a team of farm boys with no speed whatsoever. And no real ability to play systems suited to the type of recruits Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, tOSU get. It will take 3 years of great recruiting to compete with those teams. And Fickell already has had a huge impact on recruiting.

EDIT: Buffalo and WSU will be bowl teams this year. They’re not nobodies.

Beating a team like Washington St is something the teams below Ohio State and Michigan are expected to do.

It’s like if the hockey team loses to Bemidji and then saying they are not expected to be at Minnesota/Michigan level. Teams worse than them are expected to beat Bemidji and the expectation for Wisconsin should be to have a better team than them.

[solovsfett]

Beating a team like Washington St is something the teams below Ohio State and Michigan are expected to do.

It’s like if the hockey team loses to Bemidji and then saying they are not expected to be at Minnesota/Michigan level. Teams worse than them are expected to beat Bemidji and the expectation for Wisconsin should be to have a better team than them.

Washington State would kick the **** out of every big 10 team not named Michigan, tOSU and Ped State this year. They’re not ball state.

and Wisconsin has a roster filled with big lumbering slow players and players that aren’t as talented as the past because Christ’s recruiting dropped off drastically. Fickell can’t work miracles and turn lummoxes into 4 and 5-Star speedsters. And he has class. He’s not going to become Deion and push 60 kids out the door. He does things the right way.

Fickell, Tressel and Longo will turn it around but it will take 3 years. That’s how bad Wisconsin has been the last my 2-3 years especially. Chryst and Leonard left the cupboard almost empty. Certainly they have a bigger rebuild than Hastings does imo.

[digitalbooya]

Washington State would kick the **** out of every big 10 team not named Michigan, tOSU and Ped State this year. They’re not ball state.

and Wisconsin has a roster filled with big lumbering slow players and players that aren’t as talented as the past because Christ’s recruiting dropped off drastically. Fickell can’t work miracles and turn lummoxes into 4 and 5-Star speedsters. And he has class. He’s not going to become Deion and push 60 kids out the door. He does things the right way.

Fickell, Tressel and Longo will turn it around but it will take 3 years. That’s how bad Wisconsin has been the last my 2-3 years especially. Chryst and Leonard left the cupboard almost empty. Certainly they have a bigger rebuild than Hastings does imo.

Most of what you wrote is just excuse making bull****. One of the best running backs in the country. A quarterback that can actually pass the ball. Several good receivers. An offensive line that is ALWAYS good. Did you even look at the transfers that came in?

They are playing a close game against Georgia Southern. This is an embarassment.

[solovsfett]

Most of what you wrote is just excuse making bull****. One of the best running backs in the country. A quarterback that can actually pass the ball. Several good receivers. An offensive line that is ALWAYS good. Did you even look at the transfers that came in?

They are playing a close game against Georgia Southern. This is an embarassment.

Who said the o-line is good? Who? They’re terrible and they were terrible for at least 3 years now! They’re big, slow sloths that cannot adapt to an air-raid so consequently Longo has to bide his time until recruits come in.

Allen is good but with no o-line he’s as good as dinged up by game 5-6.

mordecai…we’ll on paper he’s good but who is SMU? They’re a unranked team. Who did he beat? Until Fickell gets 2-3 recruiting cycles of players ON the field we won’t see what he’s capable of.

thereceivers we’re touted by some but all played different schemes and are now adapting to yet another new scheme. That takes a hell of a lot of time to acclimate to.

this isn’t Granato in years 2-7. The closest comparison to me is Cristobal at Miami. Look at him in year 2, now 3-0 and in the top 25 and collecting 5-Star recruits for 2024 and 2025. That’s where Fickell will be in year 2.

[solovsfett]

I’m VERY disappointed to hear Chris McIntosh screwed over Mike Lucas by booting him off the broadcatsts of football and basketball. What a classless ******* move. Max favors jocks. This is a terrible look for him and he needs to remember what the word integrity means.

[srkbadger]

Anyone that thought the mediocre (at best) football team from last year was going to suddenly transition into a juggernaut because they got a shiny new coach is deluded. No one knows how Fickell will do in the long run, but he did get Cincinnati into the semis after a couple of years. I swear, the level of patience people have these days is essentially zero. We must have results right now! This is a project in dragging a program with a tradition of ground pound yesteryear football into the 21st century. It will not be done overnight (at this point 3 games into the season for God's sake). He really hasn't even had a full recruiting cycle. They are gonna take some beatings in the conference this year. Next year will be better, and the following year they are likely to be much more competitive. I know in this day and age that no one can tolerate anything but instant success, but the reality of the matter is that they were on a downhill slide. They are getting that reversed this year and building for the next few years. If after year 3 they are still struggling then it's time to sh*t the bed. I sure hope Hastings gets more than a few games to get the hockey team turned around, because that was a mess too. I agree with Solo in that I believe the hockey results will turn around faster than football. The rosters are smaller and significant changes can occur with the right 3-5 guys.

[solovsfett]

Anyone that thought the mediocre (at best) football team from last year was going to suddenly transition into a juggernaut because they got a shiny new coach is deluded. No one knows how Fickell will do in the long run, but he did get Cincinnati into the semis after a couple of years. I swear, the level of patience people have these days is essentially zero. We must have results right now! This is a project in dragging a program with a tradition of ground pound yesteryear football into the 21st century. It will not be done overnight (at this point 3 games into the season for God's sake). He really hasn't even had a full recruiting cycle. They are gonna take some beatings in the conference this year. Next year will be better, and the following year they are likely to be much more competitive. I know in this day and age that no one can tolerate anything but instant success, but the reality of the matter is that they were on a downhill slide. They are getting that reversed this year and building for the next few years. If after year 3 they are still struggling then it's time to sh*t the bed. I sure hope Hastings gets more than a few games to get the hockey team turned around, because that was a mess too. I agree with Solo in that I believe the hockey results will turn around faster than football. The rosters are smaller and significant changes can occur with the right 3-5 guys.

Amen! Agreed on all of this!

[digitalbooya]

Anyone that thought the mediocre (at best) football team from last year was going to suddenly transition into a juggernaut because they got a shiny new coach is deluded. No one knows how Fickell will do in the long run, but he did get Cincinnati into the semis after a couple of years. I swear, the level of patience people have these days is essentially zero. We must have results right now! This is a project in dragging a program with a tradition of ground pound yesteryear football into the 21st century. It will not be done overnight (at this point 3 games into the season for God's sake). He really hasn't even had a full recruiting cycle. They are gonna take some beatings in the conference this year. Next year will be better, and the following year they are likely to be much more competitive. I know in this day and age that no one can tolerate anything but instant success, but the reality of the matter is that they were on a downhill slide. They are getting that reversed this year and building for the next few years. If after year 3 they are still struggling then it's time to sh*t the bed. I sure hope Hastings gets more than a few games to get the hockey team turned around, because that was a mess too. I agree with Solo in that I believe the hockey results will turn around faster than football. The rosters are smaller and significant changes can occur with the right 3-5 guys.

This is full copium. Deion Sanders took a 1-11 team, cut the bad, and brought in players that actually fit his system in YEAR ONE.

The recruiting cycle bull**** argument is something that might have made sense 5, 10, 20+ years ago. With the the transfer portal now? NOPE. No excuse. Get with the times.

If you say that they only have “farm boys” as solo above noted, then it’s on Fickell for not going out and getting players that fit his system. If he’s too honorable, that’s on him for not being willing to go and make the team better.

I find it funny that people on this board (looks at Solo) have harped for YEARS about the hockey team and their expectations, but don’t apply the same logic to other sports. I expect the hockey team to be good. If they lose to Augustana or Bemidji, that will be a major disappointment. The team is loaded with talent. We literally stole 2/3 of Minnesota State’s top point getters and they were a top 12 team. That’s using the transfer portal to get the players to fit your system.