I never thought I'd say this, and it really is hard to actually express these thoughts - and, I'm sure many will take issue. But in all honesty, I think UW has the advantage at all five positions.
Point - Derrick versus Jackson: Jackson is inconsistent, but he is able to break down defenses, get into the lane, and dish to open shooters. He is also capable of double-digit scoring himself, though he is streaky and inconsistent. As for Derrick, I'm actually pleased if he makes three baskets and scores six points. Sorry, but I find that sad.
Wings - Jake & Juan versus Gasser & Brust: Brust is somewhat inconsistent, but he can cause havoc when he's on. Jake can, too, but he's much less "on" and much more "off" than Brust. Gasser is a solid all-around player. Juan hustles and gets an occasional tip in or slam and he's become a solid rebounder, but Gasser is a terrific glue guy. Even if we shift in Mayo, I'd take Brust and Gasser before Todd.
The "4" - Jamil versus Decker: Decker has only shown glimpses of his star potential so far this year, and Jamil had a terrific half (20 points), but Decker always seems to contribute, while Jamil goes into his Houdini act and disappears far too often. Bottom line: if I had a choice of which one to play major minutes at the 4, I'd probably go with Decker.
Center - Davante/Chris versus Kaminsky: A month ago, I would have said this is a no-brainer with MU on the long end. But Kaminsky has looked very, very good - far better than I ever anticipated - and it's not just his 43-point shocker. He has looked GOOD, as he did last night against Virginia. Davante has been a mild disappointment so far, though it's not all his fault. We have trouble getting him the ball on the block. It would not surprise me one bit if Kaminsky outplays our center tandem on Saturday, and that, too me, is something I would not have thought possible even a few weeks ago.
Almost every other MU-UW game I can recall in the past 10-12 years, there was probably a 3-2 or 2-3 split between the two teams in terms of which players I would say are stronger among the top five. Right now, if I had to pick a starting line up among the top six/seven players on each team, I would probably go 5-0 in favor of UW.
I'm sure others don't see it that way, and it won't surprise me if my take raises the ire among some. But I just call it the way I see it, and at this point in the season, that's how I see it. I'm hoping that as the season progresses if I looked at the UW and MU line ups, I'd see things differently.