Magical Finish Caps Off Big Week For Badgers

Wisconsin was two last second shots away from a winless week at the Kohl Center. But what was oh so close to the last nail in the Badgers’ coffin ended up becoming a home stand that just may mark the defining moment in a Big Ten title run. Two game-tying three-point shots in the final seconds and two overtime wins later, Wisconsin is very much alive in a crazy Big Ten championship race.

Before I go any further, let me comment on the rushing of the court Saturday. Yes, I did say in my column on Friday that a storming was unjustified in the case of UW, but circumstances do indeed play a part. A game-tying half court shot at the buzzer is one of those circumstances. So this time, the Grateful Red gets a free pass (but please don’t blow it next week when Ohio State visits).

As crazy as the final seconds were, Saturday’s game was a classic from start to finish. After the Badgers jumped out to a 23-14 lead midway through the first half, neither team led by more than 6 the rest of the way. Wisconsin couldn’t find a way to slow down Michigan’s backcourt duo of Burke and Hardaway yet somehow found itself within a possession in the game’s final seconds. After 40 minutes, 8 ties, 11 lead changes, and a half court shot, the Badgers were even with the No. 3 team in the country.

Michigan 60, Wisconsin 60. Overtime.

This is what the 2012-2013 edition of Wisconsin basketball is all about. UW committed 14 turnovers, allowed Michigan’s star guards to combine for 37 points, and gave up 32 points in the paint. Looking at the statistics alone, the Badgers had no business taking down a team as talented and efficient as Michigan, even in the friendly confines of the Kohl Center. Somehow they found a way to do what looked to be all but impossible on paper.

“We are just going to find a way to get it done,” senior forward Jared Berggren said. “It doesn’t matter what people perceive our talent level to be.”

While this year has certainly taken it to a new level, scrappiness has been a hallmark of the Badger program since Dick Bennett turned UW into a legitimate Big Ten contender back in the late 1990s. As they have for the past fifteen years, Wisconsin keeps itself within striking distance by playing tough defense no matter how poorly they are shooting the ball. Some may say that UW’s defensive statistics are simply a result of their slow-paced offense. Those people haven’t watched this team play.

Michigan entered play on Saturday leading the Big Ten in practically every offensive statistic. Only Wisconsin turned the ball over fewer times than the Wolverines (that is no longer the case after a +7 margin for Michigan in Madison) and Michigan’s 50.3% field goal percentage was tops in the conference as well. Even though Hardaway and Burke caught fire in the 2^nd half, UW held the Wolverines to just 39% shooting for the game.

At times, Wisconsin is tough to watch. I am always going to be a fan of “Wisconsin basketball” but I totally understand those who would rather watch paint dry than be stuck with two hours of slow-paced, low scoring basketball. But whether you like it or not, the Badgers have a system that works and when things click like they did on Saturday, it is fun to watch.

More importantly, at least from a fan’s perspective, this Wisconsin team simply does not quit. Time and time again they have found themselves with their backs against the wall in the final moments, finding a way to get the job done seemingly every time. Even in a season that began with the loss of its starting point guard and continued with the fairly prolonged absence of an emotional leader, UW heads into the home stretch very much alive for a conference title and well within reach of a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“It feels good. I’m just so proud of these guys,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “This is a group that just finds different ways {to get the job done}.”

All of those who thought this would be the year Ryan failed to keep the Badgers inside the Big Ten’s top 4 are starting to retract their statements at a rapid clip.

“We’ve got a bunch of dudes who are gritty, tough, and play the game the right way…” senior forward Mike Bruesewitz said. “I’ll play with these guys anywhere.”

There is still plenty of basketball to be played before we even reach the postseason. As they have shown time and time again, this Badgers team could easily go out and lay an egg against Northwestern, Purdue, Nebraska, or even Penn State. At the same time, they could just as easily take down the likes of Minnesota, Ohio State, or Michigan State, the combination of all three likely being enough to bring a Big Ten title to Madison for the first time since 2008.

Are more ups and downs inevitable? Yes. But if going through 7:00 scoreless droughts is what it takes to experience highs like Saturday afternoon, I know I for one am fine with that deal.

Badgers Release 2012-2013 Schedule

Although much of the college sports world will be focused on opening night in college football, Big Ten men’s basketball made headlines Thursday with the release of its 2012-2013 schedule. With conference matchups now set, the complete season schedule for Wisconsin is known.

Following a much improved non-conference slate highlighted by matchups with Florida, California, Creighton, Virginia, and Marquette, UW will begin the Big Ten slate at home on January 3rd, 2013 against Penn State, a team the Badgers swept in their 2012 season series.

“Its nice to have that first game at home,” UW junior guard Josh Gasser said. “But looking at the Big Ten schedule, there are no easy wins.”

The Badgers’ conference schedule is clearly highlighted by a January 15^th road date at Assembly Hall against national No. 1 Indiana. After winning both matchups last season (regular season in Madison and Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis), Wisconsin has now taken 10 straight from the Hoosiers dating back to 2007.

“We didn’t play {at Assembly Hall} last year but its definitely one of the toughest environments to play in,” Gasser said. “Its going to be even tougher this year because they are one of the top teams in the country.”

Some of the marquee home dates include a January 22^nd game against Michigan State (the first game after students return from the winter break) and a President’s Day weekend matchup with Ohio State. Last season, UW faced the Spartans on January 3^rd, with most students still home for the holidays and most of Badger nation still in a daze from the previous night’s Rose Bowl loss.

“Our students are pretty good at coming to games but it’s a lot tougher over break,” Gasser added. “It’s a good thing to have those big games when the students are around.”

With the conference now composed of 12 members, UW will face four schools just once during the 2013 season: Indiana, Northwestern, Michigan, and Purdue. The matchups with Michigan and Purdue will be in Madison, with a February 20^th date in Evanston complementing the aforementioned trip to Bloomington earlier in the year.

The Badgers will close out the regular season just as they started conference play, visiting the Bryce-Jordan Center for a date with Penn State on March 10^th.

The Big Ten Tournament, moving this year to Chicago’s United Center, will begin Thursday, March 14^th and run through Selection Sunday, March 17th.

Although national expectations are once again down for this UW program, the Badgers have yet to finish outside the top 4 in the conference standings during Bo Ryan’s 11-year tenure in Madison. With the schedule pitting the Badgers against the highly touted teams from Indiana and Michigan just once, it seems unlikely that streak will come to an end, especially with Wisconsin returning four starters from a 2011-2012 team that wound up reaching the Sweet 16 for a 2^nd consecutive season.

“Its exciting because every game means something,” UW junior guard Ben Brust said. “We’ve got to bring it every night.”

Wisconsin In Full Tail Spin After Loss At Michigan

Its official. Wisconsin men's basketball is in a full-fledged tailspin after dropping a 3rd consecutive game in a 59-41 loss at Michigan (3-1 Big Ten, 13-3 Overall) on Sunday. Beginning with a shocking defeat last Saturday at home against Iowa, the Badgers (1-3 Big Ten, 12-5 Overall) have dropping to 1-3 in Big Ten play for the first time under head coach Bo Ryan. After a promising 6-0 start to the season, UW is now facing the prospect of missing their first NCAA Tournament in 14 years. 

Once again, Wisconsin could not find the bottom of the basket. While the Badgers did manage to find open looks throughout the first half, they only managed a dismal 30.8% from the field en route to a seemingly insurmountable 25-to-19 deficit at the half. At the break, it was sophomore guard Josh Gasser and senior guard Jordan Taylor leading the way with four, yes, four points for the Badgers. 

After failing to score during the first four minutes plus in the opening half, UW managing to pull off that feat again in the second half, falling behind 32-19 before a three-point basket by junior forward Mike Bruesewitz at the 15 minute mark. By then, Michigan had the game well in hand and would not lead by less than nine the rest of the way. With the Badgers finishing just 31% from the field, a late comeback was never in the works.

UW head coach Bo Ryan did try to light a fire under his disheveled bunch midway through the second half by extending the rotation to 9 with the addition of freshmen Traevon Jackson and Frank Kaminsky to the group on the floor, but it was way too little and way too late. Kaminsky gave UW a few solid offensive rebounds and Jackson was able to knock down a nice three-pointer, but as soon as they gave Wisconsin a flash of life, Jackson turned the ball over and found his time on the floor brought to a quick end for the time being. 

While Badger fans by now are accustomed to Wisconsin's struggles shooting the ball, what truly doomed the Badgers on Sunday was a lack of hustle. Michigan finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds (leading to 13 second chance points), out rebounding UW 34-27 overall en route to their first victory over the Badgers in ten tries. Wisconsin turned the ball over a very un-Badger-like 12 times (leading to 16 points off turnovers) while posting just 6 assists. Taylor looked especially off-kilter at times, finishing the afternoon with only one assist to three turnovers, the second straight game Taylor has managed just one dime. 

Unlike a few of Wisconsin's previous four defeats, Sunday's loss truly had no silver lining. The help defense was poor (Michigan's shooting was very poor, but not as a result of not getting good shots), the ball control was shaky, the shooting was abysmal, and the intensity didn’t seem to have been brought along on the team charter. 

But while Wisconsin is in serious trouble as they head to West Lafayette Thursday to try avoiding a four-game slide, they remain alive in the highly competitive Big Ten. With the conference likely to get 8-9 tournament bids, the Badgers simply need to stem the tide in order to get themselves into the Big Dance for a 14th consecutive season. With the game at Purdue marking the beginning of a four-game stretch against unranked opponents, Wisconsin is in position to quickly climb back into the race before facing Indiana at the Kohl Center on January 26th in the first game after the start of the spring semester. 

Perhaps the best attribute of last year's Sweet 16 team was their ability to bounce back. Despite a litany of poor performances, UW never lost consecutive games, bouncing back each and every time with solid victories and avoiding the kind of tailspin in which the Badgers now find themselves. Wisconsin has not won in West Lafayette since January 5, 2005, a span of five consecutive defeats at the hands of the Boilermakers. Now faced with the prospect of a disastrous 1-4 start in conference play, UW seems to be at the precipice of their season, needing a win here and now to stem the losing tide and get back on the right track.

Throughout the non-conference season, Wisconsin won with an air of confidence not often seen in Madison, even during the Bo Ryan years during which winning has been a way of life. But ever since the home loss to in-state rival Marquette, and especially since the shocking defeat in the conference home opener against Iowa, the Badgers have played in a manner that can only be described as tentative. Even that description is likely an understatement. 

The Badgers need to get their “swagger” back and a victory at Purdue is the perfect opportunity to do just that. But in the meantime, Wisconsin has some serious personnel issues to work out. As I have mentioned on more than a few occasions, the Badgers did not do enough to build depth while blowing out the likes of Mississippi Valley State, Wofford, and Kennesaw State in the non-conference season. They left starters in the game while leading by upwards of 40 points late in the second half and did very little to expose some of the “scout team” players to game action. As a result, Wisconsin has been forced to go just seven men deep for the majority of the Big Ten season, finally stretching that out to nine with Jackson and Kaminsky entering the game late in Ann Arbor. Still, Taylor was forced into playing 39 minutes against Michigan, that heavy workload coming on the heels of consecutive 40-minute games at home against Iowa and Michigan State.

The Badgers are getting fatigued and it is showing on both ends of the floor. While they continue to hold opposing offenses largely in check, the Badgers’ help defense has shown marked decline during the 3-game slide, the split second delay turning would-be blocks into shooting fouls.

More importantly, the fatigue factor is causing the Badgers to continue missing shots. Apparent in the loss at Michigan was the lack of lower body involved in the admittedly open looks taken by several UW players. Whether from three-point range, 17-feet, or from the free-throw line, UW shots are coming in short and flat, a sure sign of fatigued legs.

With freshman George Marshall and Jarrod Uthoff both redshirting, UW is going to have to face depth issues no matter what. But even without those two potential contributors, Wisconsin has guys on the bench capable of providing the necessary spark. Two of those guys are Kaminsky and Jackson, both of whom need to see more time on the floor to get comfortable and play with confidence.

Beyond those two, Wisconsin has potential offensive firepower in the arsenal from sophomore forward Duje Dukan. Not yet given a consistent chance to prove himself on the floor, the 6’8” Dukan has the ability to give the Badgers an offensive presence both on the inside and outside. While he continues to be somewhat of a defensive liability, the offensive struggles UW is currently facing more than justifies giving Dukan at least a chance to light a fire under the Badger offensive attack.

At this point in the season, it is simply not enough to say that uncertainty justifies not using a potential scorer off the bench. Between Jackson, Kaminsky, Dukan, and even redshirt-freshman forward Evan Anderson, Wisconsin has bullets in the gun and has to take a chance by using them.

If the Badgers don’t try shaking things up now, it may soon be too late to matter.