The Wisconsin basketball team has been quite impressive at home under the leadership of head coach Bo Ryan, compiling a 39-2 record at the Kohl center, in his third season at the helm. Ryan has yet to feel what it is like to lose a Big Ten conference game at home — Wisconsin has won 24 straight home games, the longest current home winning streak in the Big Ten.

“My job is to get ready to play, and we go play,” Ryan said. “Just like every team has to come in here and play.”

However, even though Wisconsin often looks unbeatable on their home court, Ryan knows that visiting teams show up every night to play, and home winning streaks are only what are made of them. Ryan has not put any stock in the current winning streak and knows other teams are not intimidated with how well a team has done in one setting over another.

“Intimidate other teams? No way. They don’t care,” Ryan said. “We went and played Michigan State two years ago, and I didn’t know they won 54 straight. I didn’t know how many games they had won. I don’t think other coaches worry about that too much either.”

If Wisconsin is to win another Big Ten title, they will look to continue their home success and improve on their 1-3 mark on the road.

Wilkinson’s accolades

Wisconsin junior forward Mike Wilkinson was recently named Big Ten co-player of the week, along with Indiana’s Bracey Wright, for his 24 points and nine-rebound performance in Wisconsin’s 76-56 thrashing of Illinois on Saturday. Wilkinson ranks among the top five in Big Ten games, with 15.2 points (5th), 8.6 rebounds (2nd) and 2.4 blocks (2nd) per contest. He continues to step up his play and has recently become an even more consistent finisher around the basket than earlier in his career.

“He had some things he was doing that, when he left the floor, he wasn’t finishing to the target,” Ryan said. “The idea [of] more vertical rather than horizontal effort to the basket makes a big difference. That was [the task] he has been doing a better job of — of more vertical than the horizontal. We don’t want people long-jumping. We want them high-jumping around the basket. He’s done a better job, and he’s working to be as consistent as he can.”

Wilkinson currently ranks second on the team in field goal percentage and fourteenth in the Big Ten, hitting nearly 48 percent of his shots.

While the Badgers have relied on a seven to eight man rotation for most this season, due to recent injuries that have hampered the starting lineup, several players who do not get all the headlines have stepped up.

These players have increased both their point production and playing time when the starters have at times been struggling to find the basket. Most recently, guard Clayton Hanson notched a career-high 17 points in Wisconsin’s home victory over Michigan, while forward Ray Nixon provided an extra lift with nine points to keep his team close in a loss at Purdue. Also, center Dave Mader has gone from almost no playing time to a season-high 20 minutes at Alabama.

While these players may not be relied to carry the Badgers to a win game in and game out, all are capable of providing a needed spark off the bench.

“Maybe it’s good that some people don’t accept roles right away, because maybe they have certain things in their mind that they want to do,” Ryan said. “Then they push this envelope, while you’re trying to get them to do this. They might end up settling higher than maybe what you would have settled for, but because they were so competitive and so driven, players end up exceeding roles that maybe you had for them. Players have to understand roles, and they do that as a result of their practices, and that’s done in the locker room with our team.”

Assessing the injuries

Wisconsin will most likely be without two of its starters once again for Wednesday’s matchup at Ohio State. Forward Alando Tucker missed the first five games of the season with a broken foot, but returned for the Badgers’ next four games and averaged 14.0 points and 4.5 rebounds during his tenure. Tucker injured the same foot in the Ohio game on Dec. 27th and has not played since.

The Badgers became short of their second starter when senior guard Freddie Owens injured his left foot in practice on Saturday, Jan. 17. Owens has missed the last two games against Michigan and Illinois.

The UW Athletic Department lists Owens as questionable for Wednesday’s game, and Tucker as out indefinitely.

Ryan denied comment on whether Tucker would be out indefinitely or for an extended period of time.

“It’s January on my calendar,” he said. “The 26th … a day-to-day guy.”