SPORTS
UW ballers ready to battle in-state foe
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Also by Drew Hansen:
- Wisconsin stuns No. 12 Maryland (December 1, 2004)
- Bo's Badgers roll in 2004 opener (November 22, 2004)
- Wisconsin prepares for Maryland's athleticism (November 30, 2004)
Related Stories:
- Badger basketball anxious to take on familiar foe (November 19, 2002)
- Men's basketball nearly folding under the pressure (November 25, 2002)
- Badgerball set to face UW-Milwaukee (December 10, 2001)
- Wisconsin readies for in-state battle (December 14, 2004)
- Panthers maul women's soccer (October 10, 2001)
by Drew Hansen
Friday, November 22, 2002
After cruising through last weekend’s NABC Tournament, the Wisconsin Badger men’s basketball team squares off against UW-Milwaukee (0-0) Saturday night at the Kohl Center. Last season the Badgers won a close game against the Panthers, 81-79 at the Klotsche Center, as the Badgers had problems with the intense defensive pressure the Panthers brought to the floor.
“Last year, I know we had quite a few turnovers [against UW-Milwaukee],” junior Freddie Owens said. “We just have got to take care of the ball and play at our tempo and just be poised on offense.”
Despite shooting well, the Badgers blew a 12-point halftime lead by committing 19 turnovers against the Panthers, giving up 12 steals. The game was tied in the final minute until then freshman guard Devin Harris picked off a Panther pass, taking the ball to the hoop with mere seconds remaining to allow the Badgers to take the lead. The Badgers must set their own tempo this Saturday to avoid falling victim to the turnovers that allowed last year’s game to come down to the wire.
“We’re just working against their press,” Owens said. “Working on our poise, and going out there and executing on the offensive end and offsetting their tempo.”
Unlike the Badgers, the Panthers have had very little turnover, returning all five starters from last season. The Panthers finished 11-5 in conference, 16-13 overall, to finish second in the Horizon league in Bruce Pearl’s first season as head coach. Pearl took the job after Bo Ryan left for his current spot with the Badgers.
Ryan coached UWM for two seasons, reviving the once downtrodden team to a 30-27 record. Ryan’s link to the Panthers, along with his familiarity of the players, has made the contest a bigger of a rivalry then it once was.
“It is good for the state; it is good for basketball,” Ryan said. “It certainly creates a lot of interest.”
“I’d like to think every game is a big game for us,” freshman guard Boo Wade said. “Especially coming in as the top team in this game. As long as we stay together, and hit our shots and have good looks, we’ll be alright.”
The Badgers lead the all-time series against the Panthers 18-1. The one Badger loss came in 1992 at the Field House in Madison, 77-72.
Senior forward Clay Tucker leads the offensive front for the Panthers. Selected to the All-Horizon League first team as a junior, Tucker averaged 17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Much like Badger freshman Alando Tucker, UWM’s Tucker plays big for his 6-3, 195 pound frame.
Seniors Ronnie Jones and Jason Frederick also averaged double figures for the Panthers last season. The Panthers have yet to play a regular season game, but junior forward Dylan Page has played extremely well in the preseason, recording 19 points and 12 rebounds in the Panthers exhibition 108-78 win over Gallos de Pelea of the Mexican National Basketball League.
With both rosters boasting many players from Wisconsin, the game gives some players the opportunity to face players they’ve played with, or against, their entire careers.
“It’s pretty fun,” Owens said. “When you’re younger, this is the stuff you dream about, playing each other in college basketball. To actually have it happen is pretty fun.”
“[UW-Milwaukee’s] starting point guard Jose Winston used to coach me,” Wade said. “I look forward to playing him.”
