Heading down to Indiana, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team faces a must-win game Thursday if it is to fulfill a preseason goal.
No, not to win the Big Ten title — although this game is absolutely crucial for any chance of accomplishing that for the third time in Bo Ryan’s career — but to reach a .500 record in road games this season.
Currently sitting at 3-5 for true road games this season, the Badgers have two contests left to even up the left column with the right.
While a goal of .500 may seem underwhelming on the surface, Ryan believes winning as many as you lose away from home is a strong achievement in any year.
“[The road] has plagued everybody, it always has, it always will, so we are no different,” Ryan said. “We don’t obsess about it. If you can come anywhere close to .500 on the road over a long period of time, anyone will tell you that is hard to do.”
The Hoosiers have gone 2-5 at home in conference play this season and have lost their last eight Big Ten games. Making the struggles worse, IU has fallen by an average of 14.6 points per game during the losing streak.
With a 9-17 record for the year, Indiana has struggled both offensively — only Verdell Jones III and Christian Watford average double-digit points — and defensively, where the Hoosiers give up 70 points per game in the walk-it-up Big Ten.
Still, the Badgers know anything is possible on the road, and per usual, are preparing in the same vein as always.
“Anytime you are going to an opponent’s home court, you know it is going to be a tough game,” Bohannon said. “They are a very tough team at home… when they get hot, they are as good as anyone.”
Against the smaller Hoosiers, the Badgers could have success inside working the ball to the recently reactivated Jon Leuer.
The junior forward struggled in his first game out, shooting a poor 2-for-12 in a loss at Minnesota. Leuer responded with a much more efficient game against Northwestern last Sunday, finishing with 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting and three crucial blocks.
Although many believe the Badgers will make a concerted effort to force-feed Leuer in the post, Bohannon says nothing will change with the return of their most effective interior player.
Wherever shots open up, that is where the Wisconsin offense will go.
“I don’t see any reason why we would want to change our mindset or anything,” Bohannon said. “We have been successful the way we have been playing… we still want to get the ball in the post, and maybe we haven’t done that as well as we should, but we are still keeping the same keys as in the past.”
One of the most successful parts of the Badger offense in recent games has been the emergence of Bohannon as a go-to offensive threat.
Portrayed for much of his career as a spot up shooter, Bohannon has been much more effective with the ball in his hands this season. Starting with the win over Michigan State, Bohannon has been on a tear for perhaps the best six-game stretch in his career, averaging 19.5 points per game and shooting over 50 percent from the field in every contest.
Besides a surge of confidence, Bohannon’s success can be credited to developing a pull-up jumper, making him a more dynamic threat to guard.
“I think J-Bo realized if he doesn’t have one of those he is in trouble,” Ryan said of Bohannon’s step back jumper. “When is the last time you saw him blow by somebody? He knows that — I’m not being critical, I’m just a realist — good players keep working on the next move. Good offensive players always find a counter.”
