The Wisconsin men’s basketball team entered the season as a young team lacking experience. Most expected them to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten, and for several games early this year, they played that way. However, after losing five of their first eight games, the Badgers have roared back, winning seven of their last nine on the way to a solid (10-8) record and a tie for third place in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin has made its push against a list of impressive opponents. Wisconsin began a streak of four consecutive victories against Furman at home Dec. 15. From there, the Badgers upset the then-undefeated and No. 15 Golden Eagles of Marquette 86-73. It was a game that saw Kirk Penney score a career-high 33 points as the Wisconsin offense maintained a lead throughout, despite a late rally by Marquette.
The Badgers continued to ride the momentum of their hot shooting as they took care of Bo Ryan’s former team 81-79 at UW-Milwaukee and beat a tremendously athletic Tennessee team at the Kohl Center 65-62 in their final non-conference matchup.
Entering conference play, the Badgers had fought their way back to a 7-6 record and mounted four consecutive victories.
In conference play, the Badgers have been an up-and-down team that has at times looked like a group of seasoned veterans, and at other times looked as inexperienced and young as they actually are.
The Badgers were able to beat Big Ten power Illinois at home, and as the final second ticked off the clock in East Lansing, the Badgers brought Michigan State’s incredible 53-game home winning streak to a halt. The victory was something that recent Badger teams have not been able to accomplish.
“It meant a lot to this team and to this program,” said Travon Davis. “We had the opportunity to do the ordinary in order to accomplish something extraordinary. All we did was go out and play Badger basketball and do something 53 other teams weren’t able to do.”
Despite looking incredible during these victories, they were beaten by Iowa at Iowa City and suffered a terrible defeat in which they blew a ten-point lead and reverted to early season form against a Penn State team that is just 1-3. Yet, things are looking bright for the Badgers, who seemed to put most of their early-season inconsistencies behind them as they withstood a late push against Minnesota at the Kohl Center last Wednesday night in a 73-64 victory.
One key to Wisconsin’s resurgence has been its ability to finish ball games when it is holding the lead. As of late, the Badgers have shown the poise they did not have early in the season against Georgia Tech and Temple.
“Early in the season when you are developing chemistry and have some young guys, the biggest thing is poise,” said Davis. “I think during the Georgia Tech game I wasn’t poised, but as I grew, and my teammates grew throughout the season, we have done some maturing and I think they can look at me and see that I am always poised.”
With a 10-8 overall record and 11 conference games remaining, Bo Ryan still isn’t willing to talk about postseason play. The focus remains squarely on each opponent, and that is the way the Badgers need to take it, according to the first-year Badger coach.
“I hope our players are happy with the way they are coming together, but I sure hope they don’t say, ‘Wow, isn’t this something?’ because this is just five games,” said Ryan. “We will be in it and ready for our next game, and that’s all I worry about right now.”
However, the players acknowledge that they are in a position to do some good things this season and that, like their head coach, they have the next game firmly in focus and are aware of the big picture.
“We will take it one game at a time, but we want to put ourselves in the best position to get a good seed for the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis,” said Davis. “We know the sky is the limit for this team. People say there is pressure on us to do this and do that, but there is no pressure on us … we just have to come out and play basketball.”
The Badgers recognize that their success has likely gone unnoticed so far because it has come during exams and break, but the players are excited and hopeful that they can continue their winning ways into the second semester. However, that may be tougher than it sounds. The Badgers still have games remaining with Illinois, Iowa and conference leaders Indiana and Ohio State.
“Any time you can get support from people that can make some noise and get some adrenaline flowing, that’s a plus,” said Davis. “We are looking forward to getting our fellow classmates back into the arena, along with the fans that have been supporting us faithfully throughout this break, and rewarding them with some victories and keeping them happy.”
