SPORTS
Big Dance seed dependent on Tournament success
Looking for a print version?
Simply choose ‘Print’ on your computer and a printer-friendly document will be generated.
Also by Dave McGrath:
Related Stories:
- Stone earns 1st postseason bid at UW (March 13, 2007)
- UW says goodbye to tournament bye (February 27, 2007)
- Badgers keyed in for postseason (February 28, 2007)
- Big Ten sets stage for Big Dance (March 8, 2007)
- Madness comes early with conference tournaments (March 8, 2007)
by Dave McGrath
Thursday, March 9, 2006
The University of Wisconsin men's basketball team didn't succeed in its goal to win the Big Ten in the regular season, so now the team will try, try again.
Many players referred to the upcoming Big Ten Tournament as a "second season" and regard it as an opportunity to make up for a season that has not gone at all as planned thus far.
"Everybody is basically just starting off 0-0," junior guard Kammron Taylor said. "It's a new season, man, and I'm definitely looking forward to it."
The Badgers will get that chance come Friday in the second round of the tournament when the team will take on red-hot Indiana, winners of its last four games.
The last time the two teams met on Feb. 8, Wisconsin held serve at home impressively, knocking off the then No. 24 Hoosiers 72-54. But since the meeting, fortunes have drastically changed for the two schools. While the Hoosiers will come into the quarterfinal match on a roll, UW is trying to right the ship after finishing the season with a pair of ugly road losses.
"We just had to play on a Thursday at Michigan State and on a Saturday afternoon at Iowa," said UW head coach Bo Ryan said. "Going into Indianapolis and playing Indy, just, I guess, bring it on. It's what we've caught at the end of the year, and we just have to make the best of it."
Making matters even more difficult for Wisconsin will be the partisan crowd, as this year's Big Ten tournament takes place in Indianapolis, where Indiana will surely have plenty of support in its home state.
"We're playing Indiana in Indianapolis, so we know at least half the gym is going to be in their favor," Taylor said.
As the fans in the stands will do their best to disrupt Wisconsin, the dangerous cast of characters the Hoosiers will send onto the court will attempt to capitalize in the home atmosphere.
Indiana is led by third team all-conference selection Marco Killingsworth, who is averaging 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds a contest, ranked among the top 10 in the Big Ten in both categories.
"He's pretty much just dominated the conference, for the most part," Taylor said. "He's a load."
In the first game with Indiana in February, the Badgers held Killingsworth in-check, limiting him to 14 points and getting him fouled out with 8:15 still left to play. Even more to their credit, the Badger post defense contained Killingsworth largely without the services of two of their top inside defenders, as an injured Brian Butch played only eight minutes and Jason Chappell only six, as the junior couldn't keep out of foul trouble.
While Killingsworth is the eye of the storm, he is surrounded by Indiana's unique four-guard line-up, featuring Robert Vaden, Earl Calloway and Marshall Strickland, all of whom scored in double-figures in the first game. The Badgers are expected to alter their lineup to match Indiana for the game.
"We're going with a four-guard line-up like we did in the first match up," Taylor said. "Our guys are going to have to be ready."
The X-factor in the game is how the Hoosiers have and might continue to rally around head coach Mike Davis, who, amid much criticism from the Indiana faithful, has announced he will step down at the end of the season. The recent Indiana streak has coincided with Davis' announcement.
"They are having fun again," Davis said. "There's no more pressure on them, and that's one reason I stepped aside. I wanted to see them enjoy their final run of the season."
"They've come out strong these last couple weeks in the conference, and that's always good to see when players support their coach like that," Taylor said.
Despite their swoon in the final week, the Badgers expressed confidence heading into the tournament, which officially gets underway on Thursday.
"One through five, I think we match up really well," Taylor said.
Several pointed to the rough final week as actually a good building experience for the upcoming tournaments Wisconsin has ahead.
"I think playing against those two teams on the road is definitely preparing us for the NCAA tournament and the Big Ten tournament," Taylor said.
"You hate to end the season with two losses, but playing in the environments that we played in was good for us," junior forward Alando Tucker said of Wisconsin's season-ending two-games-in-three-days road trip to Michigan State and Iowa. "Those two games ultimately prepare us for the tournament."
Anonymous (March 15, 2006 @ 10:42am):
This is great Information!
