SPORTS
Men’s basketball at a glance
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Also by Joe Ziemer:
- UW returns for spring largely intact (March 31, 2005)
- Business as usual for Mike Wilkinson (March 10, 2005)
- Perimeter shooting woes doom OSU comeback attempt (February 28, 2005)
- 7th time charm for Izzo, Spartans (February 25, 2005)
- Stanford ends UW's NCAA tournament run in regionals (December 13, 2004)
Related Stories:
- Freshmen provide UW basketball with needed depth (November 12, 2002)
- Ryan not talking about last season (October 17, 2002)
- Badgers face first test of the season on the road (November 21, 2003)
- Tucker steps up play in young Big Ten season (January 17, 2003)
- UW basketball team eager to face someone other than teammates (November 5, 2002)
by Joe Ziemer
Thursday, December 11, 2003
The two-time defending Big Ten champions did not appear to have luck on their side, as Alando Tucker, Boo Wade and Jason Chappell went down with injuries before the season even began.
Despite being shorthanded to begin the season, Bo Ryan’s club opened up the season with wins over Penn, Eastern Illinois and Rutgers before dropping a hotly contested game on the road to Maryland in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.
The Badgers have struggled out of the gates at times, but appeared to overcome their early-season struggles against Detroit, heading into back-to-back-to-back games against instate opponents UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee and Marquette.
Wisconsin anticipates the return of Tucker and Chappell to the lineup soon. Both are recovering from broken foot bones.
Devin Harris has been the offensive leader for the Badgers, averaging 17.2 points and 6.0 assists per game. Senior guard Freddie Owens has picked up the slack for Tucker, pitching in 12.2 points per contest, and leads the team in 3-point field-goal percentage at 42.9 percent.
Mike Wilkinson has carried the load down low, leading the team in rebounding at 7.4 per game while contributing 10.2 points per game. He is also tied with Harris for the team lead in steals.
Junior-college transfer Zach Morley has provided a spark off the bench. Morley is second on the team in rebounding, pulling down an average of 6.4 per game.
Ryan made only his second significant lineup change prior to the win over Detroit, and once again it came at the expense of center Dave Mader. Mader, who Tucker replaced last season in the starting lineup, was benched in favor of redshirt sophomore Andreas Helmigk.
UW will wrap up its non-conference schedule over the break, traveling to Ohio for the Rock and Roll Shootout, before heading to Alabama for a Dec. 30 matchup with the Crimson Tide. Big Ten play begins Jan. 6 at the Kohl Center against Indiana.
