As far as memorable seasons go, last year was a season to remember for Wisconsin basketball.
The Badgers won a school-record 30 times last season, and it will be a while before fans forget their wins at home over Pittsburgh and Ohio State ? both ranked in the top five at the time.
And I?m sure most fans will remember how excited they felt when they saw Wisconsin ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history, and the agony they went through that week as the Badgers lost two close road games to Michigan State and Ohio State. And who would think you would see opposing fans rush the court after beating Wisconsin not just once but three times last year?
And of course who could forget the shock after UW ? which received a No. 2 seed, the highest in school history ? was upset in the second round to UNLV, a time when many expected the Badgers to make a run at the Final Four?
Alando Tucker also had a season to remember during his senior campaign. Tucker scored a school-record 716 points on his way to becoming Wisconsin?s all-time leading scorer with 2,217 points.
His strong performance last season earned him several postseason awards. He was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and was the first first-team All-American at Wisconsin in 57 years. He also won the Lowe?s Senior CLASS award as the top senior in the nation. Finally, he became the second player under Bo Ryan chosen in the first round of the NBA draft, when the Phoenix Suns selected him with the 29th pick in last summer?s draft.
All the success on the court for last year’s team also led to Ryan being recognized on the national level. Ryan won the Rupp Cup for National Coach of the Year and the Claire Bee Coach of the Year.
However, despite last season?s success, Bo Ryan is currently doing perhaps his best coaching job since coming to Madison.
After losing Tucker and fellow senior Kammron Taylor to graduation, no one expected the Badgers to repeat last year?s success. Although they were picked to finish third or fourth in the Big Ten ? probably due to the fact that no team coached by Ryan has finished lower than fourth in the conference standings ? many predicted the Big Ten to be a two-team race between Michigan State and Indiana this year.
While Wisconsin most likely won?t reach the 30-win plateau again this year or ascend to No. 1 in the country, I?m sure most fans did not expect them to be ranked No. 11 at this point of the season, nor did they expect the Badgers to be sitting atop the Big Ten standings. I?m also sure not many would have seen the Badgers upsetting Texas on the road, or for them to be predicted to be a three seed in the NCAA tournament as Joe Lunardi did in his latest edition of Bracketology.
And what makes this Ryan?s best coaching job so far in Madison is that he his doing more with less this year.
Since his arrival, Ryan has had either Devin Harris or Tucker ? both Big Ten Players of the Year and NBA first-round draft picks ? on his team. Unlike the last six years, there is no true go-to guy on this team.
Last season when the Badgers needed a score they turned to Tucker, and occasionally Taylor, who combined to lead the team in scoring in all but two games last year. Now this year, a different player is stepping up every night as evident by seven different players already have led the team in scoring at least once. The Badgers have also done something for the first time in school history. On its way to another 5-0 start in the Big Ten, Wisconsin has had a different player every game score at least 20 points.
Illinois head coach Bruce Weber also acknowledged Ryan?s coaching with less talent this year after Wisconsin beat his team at the Kohl Center Jan. 10.
?[Ryan] gets them to believe in the system,? Weber said. ?He gets them to believe in their roles, accept their roles, take pride in their roles and execute their roles. They make you guard on defense and hope you break down, and on the other end they make you earn everything. He has done a great job.?
Although Wisconsin has yet to hit the meat of the Big Ten schedule, they have already surpassed expectations. And whether or not they continue this pattern, one thing I know for sure is as long as Ryan is leading Wisconsin, the Badgers will always be a national contender and in the running for a Big Ten title.
Greg is a senior majoring in communication arts. Disagree that this is Bo Ryan?s best coaching job? Let him know at [email protected].
