Badger Basketball is picking up

Just two weeks ago it appeared the Wisconsin men’s basketball team’s (5-3 Big Ten, 16-5 overall) season was headed for disaster. With three straight losses, including a rare stretch of back-to-back home losses the Badger’s streak of 12 consecutive NCAA tournament births was in jeopardy. Fast forward just sixteen days later and Wisconsin suddenly finds itself only a half game out of first place in the conference after an impressive four-game Big Ten winning streak.

“So much of the schedule is who you play, when you play, who you played before, how many days off you get,” head coach Bo Ryan said.

Indeed the fickle nature of college basketball scheduling can sometimes either emphasize the struggles of a team, causing a team to quickly pile up loses, or trigger a win streak in a similar stretch if a team is hot.

“Because of the popularity and media coverage of college basketball, no sport is as controlled as college basketball,” Ryan said.  “Some weeks you could be playing on Monday-Tuesday, or Tuesday-Thursday, Thursday-Sunday, or you could have nine days off.”

Right now the schedule is working for the Badgers, as a combination of hot shooting and improved defense has allowed Ryan’s group to pull out a string of quality conference wins, including impressive road wins over Purdue (4-3, 14-6) and Illinois (4-3, 15-5).

“Anytime you have an object that you are trying to put in a target, you will have some nights that are better than others,” Ryan said. “In basketball you have the defensive end, which can allow you to fight through slumps and give you a chance to win.”

Improved quality and consistency from All-American senior point guard Jordan Taylor has elevated the Badger’s play during the win streak. During conference play, Taylor has taken more control of the offense, which at different points has yielded mixed results. During the four-game winning streak, Taylor’s play has brought the team out of shooting slumps and has kept them in close games.

“Jordan is always going to find a way to make the team more successful; which is what all players will do. It’s just he’s better at it,” Ryan said.

The Badgers look to continue their streak this week against No. 17 Indiana (4-4, 16-4) who come in as a surprising contender for the Big Ten title after finishing in the conference’s bottom tier for two consecutive seasons. After posting wins against the likes of No. 1 Kentucky and No. 2 Ohio State, the first time in Indiana’s prestigious basketball history that the basketball team beat a No. 1 and a No. 2 team in the same season, many are projecting Indiana to make a run deep into March. The credit goes to Indiana head coach Tom Crean, who has been able to attract talent back to Indiana with the likes of freshmen forward sensation Cody Zeller (15.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Combining young talent with the veteran presence that has learned Crean’s system has gotten the Hoosiers back into college basketball’s elite programs.

“There’s a lot of the same players, they have the experience and have played in the toughest environments,” Ryan said. “90 percent of [Indiana] players have been there for a long time. Everyone in the conference expected them to be good this year.”

Finding a way to contain Zeller will be key for Wisconsin. In addition, limiting Indiana offensively as a team will be key, as the Hoosiers shoot 50 percent from the field, which is sixth in the nation. The Badgers are up for the challenge, as they lead the conference in opponent field goal percentage. Wisconsin has been especially stifling from behind the arc, as it is allowing opponents to only shoot 26 percent from three-point range.

“There are a lot of things that go into that. Like other teams we look at a scouting report and try to stay consistent with our roles,” Ryan said. “There’s no magic formula, just a lot of hard work from our players who try to limit our opponent’s looks.”

Let's hope the Badgers can return to the NCAA tournament and make some waves.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers out of NCAA Tournament

In the Badgers first two possessions Thursday night, what seemed like reason for optimism actually served as a grim foreshadowing of what was to come.

On each of UW's first two trips, Wisconsin worked the ball into the post and got good looks from senior forward Jon Leuer. He missed each, but usually going inside ensures some level of consistency.

Not on this night.

Wisconsin fell behind early and looked flustered throughout. It was a bad shooting night from its two top scorers until late in the second half, but Butler opened up a commanding lead and held on late to top UW 61-54 and end the Badgers' season.

The Bulldogs will face Florida Saturday night for a trip to the Final Four. 

Wisconsin caught fire late and trimmed what was a 20-point gap to just four with 1:38 remaining when junior guard Jordan Taylor hit a three. The junior finished the night with 22 points on 6-19 shooting (3-10 three-point attempts).

However, before the late-game frenzy, UW's offense was lethargic at best.  

Leuer frequently caught the ball in the post, but where the First Team All-Big Ten performer usually converts on a near-automatic basis, he found unfriendly results with Butler.

The Orono, Minn. native finished the game with an ugly 1-12 mark from the field (1-6 on three-point attempts) and three points.

"Overall, if you look at a shot chart, I like most of the shots we got," Ryan said. "At some point, you just have to make some of them."

Leuer certainly was not alone in his struggles, though.

In one stretch that spanned the final portion of the first half and beginning of the second half, Wisconsin went 10:05 without a field goal.

"We touched the ball in the post four out of five times [to start the second half] and came up with nothing," Ryan said.

Junior point guard Jordan Taylor—who struggled shooting in a 2-of-16 performance last Saturday against Kansas State—added carelessness with the basketball to shooting woes against Butler.

The point guard, despite his astounding numbers when it comes to protecting the ball—he entered the game leading the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.18—was credited with two turnovers in the first half and generally forced the issue on the offensive end.

"We made [poor] plays that are uncharacteristic of how we play," Leuer said. "We tried to force some things offensively … and just did some things [we] normally don't."

Butler capitalized nearly every time UW stumbled and led 33-24 at the half, largely because the Bulldogs outscored UW 15-1 in points off turnovers.

As uncharacteristic as the cough-ups were for Taylor, he also missed four free throws in the first half. Coming into the season, Taylor converted his free throws at an 85 percent clip.

The junior finished the night with 22 points on 6-19 shooting.

The Bulldogs got exceptional play from senior forward Matt Howard, who finished with 20 points. In addition to scoring, he grabbed 12 big rebounds (three offensive) and seemed to track down the ball whenever the situation required it. Howard scored inside and outside and aptly closed out on Wisconsin shooters like senior forward Keaton Nankivil, who scored nine points in his final game as a Badger.

"We just needed to put a few more minutes together here tonight so we could keep dancing," Ryan said. "Unfortunately, the music stopped playing."

As a team, UW shot just 30.4 percent from the field (17-56) and 24.1 percent from beyond the arc (7-29)

The Badgers exceeded expectations this whole this season. Needless to say, though, Thursday's performance fell short.

Let's hope that next year they can go farther.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers may have to go without Bruesewitz

Mike Bruesewitz took part in a limited practice Tuesday but the sophomore forward's availability for the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team's opening game in the NCAA tournament remains in question.

"He remains day-to-day, but its (sic) a positive step," the school announced via the official UW men's basketball Twitter page.

Bruesewitz sustained a sprained right knee in Friday's loss to Penn State in a Big Ten Conference tournament game.

The Badgers (23-8), who drew the fourth seed in the Southeast Region, will face 13th-seeded Belmont (30-4) on Thursday at 6:27 p.m., a game that will be televised by TruTV.

Let's hope Bucky is playing on Saturday.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

March Madness

The 2010-'11 men's basketball campaign has thus far stuck to the Bo Ryan script. Ryan took a team picked to finish in the middle of the Big Ten standings and wound up continuing his streak of now 10 seasons of top-four finishes top four in the conference.

Heading into the conference tournament in Indianapolis this weekend, the expectations are high for a Wisconsin team that carries the third seed in the tournament.

Despite coming into the postseason winning eight of the last 10, the Badgers know that regular season success does not guarantee  a tournament run. Take one look at the way the 2009-'10 campaign finished (second round loss to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament and second round loss to Cornell in the NCAA Tournament) and that fact should be fairly well established.

"Last year was a different year, a different team," freshman guard Josh Gasser said. "This is what we've worked toward, to win a Big Ten title and go to the Final Four."

Still, for every point of criticism that could be made against Ryan's program and its lack of a Final Four run, it is hard to argue with two conference tournament titles, four Big Ten championship game appearances and 12 NCAA Tournament victories, three more than the Wisconsin program had in the 96 years prior to hiring Ryan.

First team All-Big Ten selections Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer have combined for 37.1 points per game this season, second most in the Big Ten and sixth in the nation. Add in the fact that Taylor is currently on pace for an NCAA record with his 4.26 assist to turnover ratio, and it seems that the talent is certainly there for a postseason run.

As much as the blowout loss to Ohio State on Sunday brings back thoughts of the Cornell loss, it is difficult to compare last year's team with a Badger squad this season who is on pace to set NCAA records for free throw percentage (82.7 percent), turnovers per game (7.47) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.79), all while carrying the nation's second most efficient offense (1.19 points per possession) and ninth best scoring defense (59.1 points per game).

Simply put, the Wisconsin system is built for tournament play.

"It's what our system is predicated off of. Taking care of the ball and not giving the other team easy opportunities, easy run-outs and defensively just being sound," Leuer said. "Obviously you have to hit shots but if you play good defense and rebound, you're going to have a chance to win any game."

With a favorable matchup set for Friday (Wisconsin will face the winner of Thursday's Penn State-Indiana game), the stars are starting to align for what the Badgers hope is a long run into the postseason.

"We are going down there to win the thing," Leuer said. "We wanted to win the Big Ten regular season and obviously we didn't get a chance to do that but now we have a new opportunity in front of us."

It would be awesome if the Badgers could win the Big Ten Tournament.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers Looking Forward to Big Ten Tournament

Well, that certainly was not how Wisconsin men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan wanted his team to end the regular season.

The Badgers head to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament this weekend, fresh off a 28-point shellacking compliments of No. 1 Ohio State on Sunday. The Badgers were helpless against the scalding Ohio State shooters, most notably senior Jon Diebler, who scored 27 points and made all but one of his eight three-point shots.

“He’s on fire, he’s really comfortable. He hit 10 against Penn State [earlier in the week]. We did a hell of a job, we held him to seven,” Ryan joked in his press conference Monday.

All kidding aside, Diebler led the Buckeyes to the best single-game three-point shooting percentage in NCAA history Sunday (minimum of 10 attempts), going 14 for 15 as a team. Ryan attributed their nearly flawless play to the lack of pressure the Buckeyes felt. Purdue, second in the Big Ten and nipping at the Buckeyes’ heels for the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, were upset by Iowa the day before, giving the Buckeyes sole possession of the regular season conference championship.

“They were like, ‘Hey, there won’t be any tie.’ They let it all hang out,” Ryan said.

If it’s looking for redemption, Wisconsin has a chance at a rubber match against Ohio State in this weekend’s Big Ten Tournament. If the Badgers and Buckeyes each win their first two games, they will play each other on Sunday for a third time this season, with the Big Ten Tournament Championship on the line.

Perhaps more importantly, the Badgers could improve their seeding in the NCAA tournament, which begins the following Thursday. The Badgers are projected by ESPN to earn either a 3-seed or a 4-seed in the field of 68, depending on the selection committee’s opinion of the team.

Ryan, however, does not like to play the guessing game that goes with seeding the tournament.

“I gave up a long time ago trying to figure out how those things are done,” Ryan said. “So I don’t know, to speculate probably wouldn’t do any good.”

The Badgers do know they have the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, due to their 13-5 conference record.

Wisconsin’s first game of the tournament will be Friday night at Conseco Fieldhouse, and the Badgers will play the winner of the game between Penn State and Indiana. The Badgers have played extremely well against both teams, winning 13 of the last 14 against the Nittany Lions and eight straight against the Hoosiers.

Ryan also talked about the upperclassman leadership for the Badgers, especially junior point guard Jordan Taylor, who has had a phenomenal season.

Taylor, who averaged over 20 points per game in Big Ten games and led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, is one of 11 finalists for the Cousy Award, which is given annually to the best point guard in the country.

Ryan had nothing but praise for his standout point guard, believing he deserved his all-first team Big Ten honors.

“You would hope a guy like that would be unanimous, because I don’t know if any guy in the league did more for their team than he did,” Ryan said. “We’re looking at assists. We’re looking at defense; he should be on the all-defensive team. He’s just had that kind of season where he’s made things happen for his teammates and himself. He put us where we are. He’s earned it.”

Let's hope that the Badgers can start a roll now that it is tournament time.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers lose to Penn State

The Penn State men's basketball team moved closer to making its first NCAA tournament since 2001 by beating the Badgers Sunday, something the Nittany Lions haven't accomplished in 8 years.. Led by four starting seniors and with a tenacious defensive effort, the Nittany Lions outlasted Wisconsin 56-52, defeating their fourth-straight Big Ten foe at home.

It was all Badgers in the first half, who were exemplary both offensively and defensively. Penn State struggled to get anything going as Wisconsin shut down passing lanes, forced turnovers and suffocated shooters. Penn State senior guard Talor Battle shot a dismal 1-5 from the field while Wisconsin's interior defense held senior forward Jeff Brooks to just five points. The Nittany Lions shot 33 percent from the field, including a disappointing 2-7 from downtown.

"We couldn't get shots in; we couldn't get any rhythm," Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis said.

Wisconsin matched its stellar defense with a solid performance on the offensive end in the first half. Junior guard Jordan Taylor, a Bob Cousy Award finalist for the best point guard in the country and the nation's leader in assist to turnover ratio, scored 12 points and looked comfortable running Bo Ryan's swing offense.

"I thought we had some really good looks," Wisconsin head coach Ryan said. "It was one of those days."

Not only were they good looks, but they were also falling. The Badgers shot 54 percent in the first half and found the stroke from deep as well, knocking down 42 percent of their three-point attempts. Senior forward Jon Leuer, a Big Ten Player of the Year Candidate, was efficient from the post, shooting 5-7 from the field. Leuer finished with a team-high 18 points, while Taylor chipped in 16.

Wisconsin entered the Bryce Jordan Arena with a 12-1 record when leading at the break, but Saturday's game quickly became a tale of two halves.

"They got off to a hot start. They threw the first punch," said senior forward Andrew Jones, who grabbed 10 rebounds in the second half, . "I think that we reacted pretty well. As the game went on, we settled in."

Penn State did more than settle in; they dominated the second half. A switch flipped in the locker room. The Nittany Lions came out for the final twenty minutes inspired, aggressive and  focused.

Wisconsin couldn't hold Battle's talents in check the second half. When the Nittany Lions needed their senior star most, he delivered. Battle went 6-11 from the field in the second half and nailed three shots from beyond the arc, including a triple that gave Penn State its first lead of the game with 10:51 to go in the second half. Battle finished with 22 points.

An even larger factor in Penn State's comeback was the Nittany Lions' relentless defensive play. Brooks recorded game highs with two blocks and three steals, as Wisconsin shot 32 percent in the second half and a frustrating 3-13 from three-point range.

"We played well in the second half; we held them to 23 points," DeChellis said. "We challenged some shots and played with better energy."

The Badgers will have to forget about Penn State quickly as they prepare to face No. 12 Purdue at the Kohl Center Tuesday.

Let's hope that Bucky can turn it around.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cornell Crushes Badgers

For 11 seconds, Wisconsin and Cornell were tied in Sunday’s game. Then Big Red forward Ryan Wittman hit a quick jumper, making it 2-0 in favor of Cornell.
That was just the beginning of the rout Sunday as No. 12 seed Cornell knocked off No. 4 seed Wisconsin 87-69 at Veterans Memorial Arena. The win was just the second NCAA victory in school history for Cornell, which will face the Kentucky Wildcats in the Sweet 16.
After Wittman hit the first shot of the game for Cornell, the Ivy League champions put on a shooting clinic over the final 39 minutes and 49 seconds.
“When you play a team that can shoot like they did, obviously 69 points just wasn’t good enough,” junior forward Jon Leuer said. “They were on fire.”
For the first half, Cornell shot 59.3 percent overall and 50 percent from the 3-point range. After halftime, the Big Red were even better, connecting on 63 percent of their attempts and 57.1 from long distance.
Wittman was particularly impressive, shooting 10-for-15 on the day and 3-of-5 beyond the arc. The senior from Eden Prairie, Minn., finished with 24 points, two assists and two steals.
Additionally, it was a game of milestones for Wittman, who broke his own school record for points in a season with 586 and became just the fifth player in Ivy League history to score 2,000 career points.

Hopefully it was a good learning experience for next year. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers to play Wofford in NCAA Tournament

The luck of the draw makes or breaks teams in the NCAA tournament.
Wofford, for instance, appears to have received a bad break by drawing the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team as a first-round opponent Friday afternoon in Jacksonville, Fla.
"That's too bad," said Mark Byington, who is an assistant coach for College of Charleston, Wofford's Southern Conference rival, "because Wofford plays better against athleticism that they can turn against" their opponent.
Ask anybody who knows both teams and they believe that the fourth-seeded Badgers (23-8) and the 13th-seeded Terriers (26-8) of Spartanburg, S.C., are defensive-oriented teams that excel in half-court games.
"I expect the game to be in the 60s or low 50s because both teams are so good defensively," said Byington, whose team split its season series with the Terriers. "Every basket that is not out of your offense - maybe it comes from a hustle play or a tip-in - will be valuable."
UW and Wofford are similar statistically. Wofford has made 44.1 percent of its shots overall while Wisconsin has made 44.4 percent. Also, both teams are allowing their opponents to shoot 41.8 percent overall.
The Terriers, who enter the tournament on a 13-game winning streak, are shooting 34.9 percent from 3-point range and have scored 600 points on 573 3-point attempts. The Badgers are shooting 36.1 percent from beyond the arc and have scored 711 points on 656 attempts.

I personally believe the Badgers will handle Wofford with no problem. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!

Badgers Beat Penn State in Overtime

For most of the afternoon Sunday, Wisconsin’s shots weren’t falling, while Penn State could not miss.
Over the final 15 minutes, however, the Badgers turned the tables on the Nittany Lions as they rallied back to escape with a 79-71 overtime victory at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin’s win, its sixth in conference play this season, extended the Badgers’ mark to 51-0 at home against unranked Big Ten opponents in the Bo Ryan era.
“We just kept sticking to our stuff; we knew some shots would fall,” senior guard Jason Bohannon said. “It didn’t look like it at times, but there were stretches where we got hot — Jordan (Taylor) certainly did toward the end of the game and that really propelled us to the victory.”
It took an incredible effort from both senior guard Trevon Hughes and sophomore guard Jordan Taylor to keep the Badgers undefeated at home in 2009-10. Hughes’ 22 points were a team-high while Taylor added 20 points, all in the second half.

It sure is great to see Bucky Badger battle back and win in overtime. I think when it comes time for the NCAA Basketball tournament the Badgers are going to be a bracket buster. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers off to the Big Dance

The No. 12 seeded Wisconsin men's basketball team will take on No. 5 seed Florida State in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 20 in Boise, Idaho. The Badgers vs. Seminoles game is scheduled to tip-off at approximately 9 p.m. (central) or 30 minutes after the Xavier vs. Portland State game which tips at 6:25 p.m. (central).
The winner of UW’s first-round game will meet the winner of the game between No. 4 Xavier and No. 13 Portland State on Sunday at either 1:20 or 3:50 p.m. (central). Lets hope the Badgers can win a game or two and make things interesting. In fact I might half to think about going to get some Badger Basketball Tickets if they make it happen. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers Beat Michigan

The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team added an important game to its postseason résumé yesterday afternoon in a 60-55 home win against the Michigan Wolverines.
Going into the game, the Badgers were just one game ahead of the Wolverines (8-8 Big Ten, 18-11 overall) in the Big Ten standings with a record of 8-7 in conference play and 17-10 overall. With their win over Michigan, Wisconsin pulled into a tie with Penn State, whom they have swept this year, for the number four spot in the conference.
Despite getting the big win, the Badgers are not thinking about the postseason but solely concentrating on their next opponent, who happens to be Minnesota. If the Badgers can win their final 2 games of the regular season I believe they will secure a bid to the NCAA tournament. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BUCKY WINS AGAIN

After going on a six-game losing streak, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team has finally battled their way back to .500 in the Big Ten with a win over Iowa last night, 69-52.
While the Hawkeyes were able to shoot 50 percent from the floor, the Wisconsin defense held Iowa to just 38 total shots while forcing 14 turnovers. They also scored 29 points off those turnovers — an average of about two points per turnover. The Badgers only had six turnovers on the night.

It feels like the Badgers may be starting to peak at the right time. Let's hope they can keep it going when it comes to tournament time. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers Basketball Season Tainted by Defeat

For the second straight season the UW men’s basketball team exited the NCAA Tournament prematurely after losing to a lower-seeded team. But all that this team accomplished this season was not lost in the disappointed and depressed UW locker room at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.
From game-winning shots, to bank shots, to Big Ten titles, here’s a look back on the winningest season in Wisconsin basketball history:
Questions from the start
The obvious question before the season was how the Badgers were going to replace departed seniors Alando Tucker, Kammron Taylor and Jason Chappell, who accounted for 52 percent of the team’s scoring the year before. The question no one was expecting to answer early in the year was: Will senior Michael Flowers play?
Flowers, UW’s top returning defender, took a mysterious leave of absence at the beginning of the season and there was no indication whether or not he would return to the team. But he returned just as mysteriously as he left, appearing at practice before the team’s season opener against IPFW. He came off the bench in UW’s first seven games before returning to the starting lineup permanently against Marquette on Dec. 8.
Hughes hot early
No one really knew who the team’s leading scorer would be entering this season, but sophomore Trevon Hughes tried to be the answer to that question in the season opener against IPFW Nov. 11, scoring 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting.
He followed that up with 21 points against Savannah State, 15 against Florida A&M and 18 against Colorado, and was named tournament MVP in the America’s Youth Classic hosted by UW in November.
Duked by the Blue Devils
Badger fans saw the first indication that Hughes was not going to be an instant star when Wisconsin traveled to Duke and suffered a 82-58 loss. The sophomore still managed 12 points but made only 4-of-13 shots and turned the ball over three times in 26 minutes of play.
It was a wake-up call for a team that cruised to a 5-0 start before the trip to Durham.
Shot of the year
After a setback at home to Marquette Dec. 8 and three more wins, UW traveled to Texas to finish off the non-conference schedule. The unranked Badgers were going up against the No. 9 Longhorns and, to make matters worse, they lost Hughes to an ankle injury the night before the game.
Little did they know that this Saturday matinée was going to be the defining game in a season no one was expecting. Trailing by three in the final minute, Marcus Landry hit a turnaround jumper on the baseline to cut the deficit to one. After A.J. Abrams made 1-of-2 free throws, Flowers came off a Brian Butch screen and hit a 3-pointer that jumpstarted an unlikely, record-breaking season.
Did he call it?
If Flowers jumpstarted the season, then Butch probably saved it—at least from a Big Ten title standpoint. Just days after falling to Purdue for the second time on the year, UW traveled to Indiana Feb. 13 needing a win badly to salvage its chances at a conference title.
Down 66-65 with 12 seconds left, Butch found himself with the ball after UW inbounded it. He briefly looked to pass and then threw up a deep three from the left wing that kissed off the glass and fell in. When Jamarcus Ellis’ three at the buzzer fell short, the Badgers found themselves right back in the middle of the Big Ten race and Indiana found itself in the middle of a recruiting scandal that cost head coach Kelvin Sampson his job, and the Hoosiers its season. Butch might not have called “glass” but his shot sent two teams in two different directions.
Senior night and so much more
The Indiana win turned out to be the first of five in a row as Wisconsin played its last game of the season in the Kohl Center against Penn State on Senior Night Feb. 5. With Ohio State’s upset over Purdue the night before, the Badgers knew that a win over the Nittany Lions meant at least a share of the Big Ten title.
They showed absolutely no signs of jitters and crushed Penn State 77-41 as the students rushed the court to celebrate UW’s first conference title since 2003. All four seniors were hoisted on the shoulders of the mob and the Badgers made it an outright title just three days later, beating Northwestern 65-52 in Evanston, Ill.
An up-and-down finish
Wisconsin took its seven-game win streak to Indianapolis and made it a 10-game streak as it won the Big Ten Tournament. The weekend included a 12-point comeback against Michigan State in the semi-finals before topping Illinois in the championship.
Expecting to be rewarded with a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin was stuck with a No. 3 seed and knew that it would face either USC’s O.J. Mayo or Kansas State’s Michael Beasley in the second round. It turned out to be Beasley, but in one of the team’s best performances of the year, the Badgers dispatched the Wildcats easily with a 72-55 win.
With Davidson upsetting Georgetown a day later, it looked like UW’s road to the Final Four got a little bit easier, but in the most surprising loss of the season Davidson outscored Wisconsin 37-20 in the second half en-route to a 73-56 win. It was the first time the Badgers were outplayed that badly since the Duke loss in the November. The loss was disappointing but the reality is that the 2007-’08 Badgers won 31-games, a school record, a Big Ten title and a Big Ten Tournament title.

Badgers to face Cinderella

Some have coined Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup between Davidson and Wisconsin, “David(son) vs. Goliath,” but the UW men’s basketball team has spent the week preparing for a team that hardly resembles a small, weak team that on paper has no chance to slay the Badgers.
Davidson might be a small school—its enrollment barely exceeds 1,700—but it is an academic powerhouse and this year its basketball team is anything but a Cinderella.
“We realize that (Davidson) is a good team,” senior forward Brian Butch said. “You know, people look at the seeds and make a big deal about it. But for us, they’ve beaten two great teams to get where they’re at now.”
The Wildcats’ wins over Gonzaga and Georgetown last weekend were two of the biggest wins of the season for Davidson, a main reason why its 22-game win streak entering the tournament only resulted in a No. 10 seed. I sure hope that Bucky can advance to the Elite 8. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers Advance to Sweet 16

Freshmen forwards Michael Beasley and Bill Walker might be playing in the NBA next season, but the No. 3-seed Wisconsin Badgers taught the two young stars and the rest of the Kansas State Wildcats a lesson in team defense as UW defeated KSU 72-55 Saturday afternoon at the Qwest Center.
The win advanced the Badgers (31-4) to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005 and also broke a school record for most victories in a season.
Several pundits in the national media predicted the No. 11-seed Wildcats (21-12) would upset Wisconsin, but the Badgers held Kansas State to its lowest scoring output of the season.
Wisconsin will play 10th seeded Davidson at 6:10 pm on Friday in Detroit. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!

Badgers Focus on Task At Hand

To the outside world, it's likely the Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team is viewed as another one of those so-called midmajor outfits.
So, why do guys like Joe Krabbenhoft look at the Titans as a major challenge?
"They're very talented, and they're here for a reason," the University of Wisconsin junior swingman said on Wednesday as the third-seeded Badgers (29-4) prepare for today's NCAA first-round Midwest Region game against No. 14 seed Fullerton (24-8).
"They're loaded with about three or four players who can play. Obviously, we're not looking past them. Just by looking at a sheet, looking at the numbers, they belong. There's no doubt about that." The Badgers obviously remember last year when they were knocked out out the NCAA Tournament prematurely. If they do not make to at least the sweet sixteen their critics will once again call the team overrated. I think with the experience that the team has from last year will help them advance in the NCAA Tournament. If the Badgers do win tonight they will play again on Saturday. I am contemplating a trip to Omaha for the weekend, if I decide to go I will need a couple of Badger tickets. I hope after the game tonight I am checking out prices on the Internet. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bucky goes to Omaha as a #3 seed.

Here is a riddle, what do Rodney Dangerfield and the Wisconsin Badger Basketball team have in common? Neither one of them get any respect. What does Bucky have to do to earn some? They were ranked 8th in the country and they won their conference and their conference tournament. I think that there is some obvious favoritism going on when it comes to the seeding.
The second question is whether or not to follow Bucky to Omaha. I don't know about you but I have never been to Omaha so I am not sure what to expect. The only thing I know about Omaha is it the place where they have the mail order steaks. (UMMM STEAK). But besides that I don't know a thing about it. Maybe I will does some Internet research tonight and report my findings tomorrow. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big Ten Tournament Time

Now that the Badgers have accomplished their first goal in winning the regular season Big Ten crown the next goal is on the horizon, which is of course the Big Ten Tournament. In fact I myself am contemplating a road trip this weekend to Indianapolis. I have been there before and the downtown is awesome to party, and a five hour drive from Madison doesn't sound too bad. The next question is what to do about tickets for the game. I was checking out prices online and they seem pretty reasonable. And if anyone does make it to Indy and would like a big piece of charred meat, St. Elmo's is highly recommended.

Bucky Claims The Big Ten Championship

Needing a win to claim sole possession of the Big Ten’s regular season title, the Badgers handed the Wildcats a 65-52 loss to eliminate the possibility of sharing the title with Indiana and Purdue.
“When someone says, ‘Who was the Big Ten champs this year?’ they won’t say Wisconsin, Indiana and Purdue; they’ll just say Wisconsin,” junior Marcus Landry said. “For us to have that we had to come out there, contribute and play our hearts out.”
The Badgers had claimed partial possession with a win over Penn State last Wednesday, but the weekend win sealed it up.
“To win it outright is nice because then it eliminates some of the conversation about this part of the season,” Badger coach Bo Ryan said.

I am looking forward to the Big Ten Tournament this weekend in Indianapolis. I hope the Badgers can pull it off and possibly have a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. GO BUCKY!!!!

Looking Forward To The Badger Spartan Matchup

I sure am looking forward to watching the Badger Basketball game on ESPN 2 tonight. It would be impossible for me to express how happy I am that the game is not on the F***ING Big Ten Network. I know I have discussed this before but the amount or irritation that network causes me is indescribable. At least once the NCAA Tournament starts it will be on CBS in HD the way it should be. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!