Home, sweet home.
It sounds silly to debate the origins of that phrase, and it sounds even sillier attempting to explain it.
In sports, that surely rings true, perhaps more so than anywhere else. Teams are strong in their home arenas and weaker on the road. That’s about as “sky is blue” as it gets.
So when discussion of the Wisconsin Badgers turns toward their remarkable record at the Kohl Center (150-11 under head coach Bo Ryan) – as it always does – UW’s play on the road isn’t far behind. After all, the Badgers are 15-0 at home this year and 5-6 away from Madison (road and neutral site games combined).
Perhaps that’s surprising, given that Wisconsin has actually been the eighth-best road BCS team in the nation over the last five years (29-22, .569). Yet, it’s more likely that the Badgers’ overwhelming success in Madison – which doesn’t just span five years – brings attention to their road record.
But how do you explain it?
Ask players, and you get answers ranging from the type of balls used to the “friendliness” of the rims and the background behind the backboard. That’s no joke, though – just ask the Badgers what happened down in Orlando at the Old Spice Classic in November.
If you ask coaches, you get much less; typically, something along the lines of, ‘Well, it’s just so hard to win on the road these days in Division I. …’
Maybe that’s true, too. After all, what do I know? It’s easy for me to sit here in front of my computer screen and critique different kinds of “synthetic composite” basketballs or how welcoming rims in different arenas are.
What I do know, and what should be clear moving forward, is that the Wisconsin Badgers need to find some semblance of consistency on the road. Right now is the doldrums of the college basketball season, particularly in the rough-and-tumble Big Ten – close-ish to the Big Ten Tournament and inching closer to March Madness.
For a team that lives and dies by the three-pointer, Wisconsin desperately needs consistency in order to buck the all-too-familiar trend of early-round NCAA tournament exits (three of the past four years, UW fell in the second round). The Badgers currently attempt 21.7 three-pointers per game (third-most in the Big Ten and 61st in the nation) and make 37.9 percent of them (fourth and 37th, respectively). In their six losses, they made just 29.1 percent of three-point attempts.
That’s bad.
Furthermore, and more telling, Wisconsin makes just 29.7 percent of shots behind the arc in road games. That’s compared to 44.3 percent at home. Clearly, for whatever reason, the Badgers can’t shoot from outside on the road. Moving forward, that means either shift the offense more toward the hoop (unlikely) or start hitting from outside.
Of course, it’s not all about perimeter play – that’s just how Wisconsin’s offense is most widely recognized, especially with five players over 6-foot-6 who can reliably shoot the three. Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil are the most frequently mentioned outside threats at the forward position, but Jared Berggren, Mike Bruesewitz and Tim Jarmusz all add solid shooting range, as well.
At last-place Iowa Feb. 9, Wisconsin shot just 6-for-33 (18.2 percent) in the first half and entered halftime trailing, 23-18. The Badgers salvaged their game – and a four-game winning streak – in the second half, shooting 15-for-29 and finishing the game (in overtime, nevertheless) 24-68 (35.3 percent).
In Wisconsin’s most recent loss, at Purdue Feb. 16, the Badgers again shot poorly in the first half (10-for-26, 38.5 percent) and were tasked with overcoming a 31-25 halftime deficit. They were unable to do so, despite improving to 42.4 percent in the second half. UW had several chances – especially late in the game – to silence the crowd and gain the momentum with solid looks from outside, but instead shot 1-for-12 (8.3 percent) from three-point range in the second half. For the game, the Badgers were 3-19 (15.8 percent) from behind the arc.
Of course, that came just four days after Wisconsin upended then-undefeated, No. 1 Ohio State 71-67 at the Kohl Center. The Badgers were consistent on offense throughout the game, shooting 25-49 from the field (51 percent) and 12-24 from three-point range (50 percent).
Again, developing answers or explanations for the inferior play on the road is essentially useless. Yes, Wisconsin obviously needs to shoot better. But tell me that’s not easier said than done.
Rather, the point is that the Badgers’ most significant priority heading into March must be finding a way to win away from the friendly confines of the Kohl Center. When the Big Ten Tournament arrives, the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis won’t be as welcome. Come the NCAA tournament, wherever Wisconsin plays, it also won’t be as cordial.
The notion that the Badgers must shoot better on the road seems too obvious to warrant this much attention.
Yet, for a team that’s accomplished as much as it has already this season, there’s not much else UW can do.
Thus, it boils down to the most fundamental element of basketball – puting the ball in the hoop.
Mike is a junior majoring in journalism and communication arts. Agree the Badgers’ biggest priority must be improving on the road? Disagree? Let him know at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @mikefiammetta.
