When exam time is finally over, most UW students can look forward to a month of rest and relaxation. For the UW men’s basketball team, though, the four weeks known as winter break will be just another grueling test, this time on the court.
Before exam week even begins, the Badgers face their first huge test of the season. After dispatching Milwaukee and Green Bay earlier in the year, the Badgers take on Marquette in their third, and biggest, in-state rival game of the season Saturday at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
At 5-1 and ranked No. 10 in the nation, the Golden Eagles are flying high. Supremely talented junior guard Dwyane Wade leads Marquette and Conference USA with 25.2 points per game, while senior forward Robert Jackson has added 16.5 points per game.
In a rivalry that is always filled with high emotions, this game looms large. In a similar situation last season, the Badgers humbled Marquette 86-73 in Madison, propelling UW upward from its slow start. Also, four Badger players — Devin Harris, Freddie Owens, Ray Nixon and Boo Wade — hail from the Milwaukee area. Harris attended Wauwatosa East, the same high school as Marquette forwards Andy Freund and Scott Merritt.
The Golden Eagles will be out for revenge Saturday, and the winner will earn the title of best team in Wisconsin.
Following the Marquette game and exam week, the Badgers take on Texas Southern Dec. 21 and Ohio Dec. 23, both at the Kohl Center. After a weeklong break, Wisconsin returns to action in the New Year, heading to Temple to face John Chaney and the Owls, who are currently searching for their first win.
Temple knocked off the Badgers 70-67 in an epic double-overtime game in Madison last season. Lynn Greer scored 47 points for the Owls in that game, but he’s now gone, replaced by David Hawkins, who is leading the team with 15.2 points per game.
Jan. 4, the Badgers head back to Madison to take on Chicago State in UW’s final non-conference game of the season. And then, Jan. 8, it’s finally time for the big boys of the Big Ten, who the Badgers have long been preparing for.
“We’re trying to get [our players] ready for the Big Ten in practice every day and in game situations where we can,” said UW head coach Bo Ryan. “We’ve also tried to insert guys to get some minutes that way. Sometimes just getting out on the floor for two minutes helps young guys a lot.”
Wisconsin opens its Big Ten schedule with two road games, first heading to Crisler Arena Jan. 8 to play the Michigan Wolverines. Despite going just 5-11 in the Big Ten last year, Michigan did beat Wisconsin 64-53 in Ann Arbor. The matchup also pits two of the Big Ten’s senior members, Michigan’s LaVell Blanchard and Wisconsin’s Kirk Penney, against one another.
“Kirk Penney’s a great player,” said Blanchard, who is averaging 14.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game so far this season. “Our job is to try to stop him this year. It’s going to be a hard job, but we have to try to find a way.”
Jan. 11, Wisconsin heads to Assembly Hall in Champaign, where the Badgers haven’t beaten the Illini since 1997, including a crushing 80-48 defeat last season. Illinois, currently 6-0 and ranked No. 15 in the nation, is paced by the 19.5 points and 6.0 rebounds delivered by senior forward Brian Cook.
UW faces another superb Big Ten forward Jan. 15 in Madison, this time in the form of sophomore Rick Rickert of Minnesota. Rickert, chosen by the media as preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, is currently averaging 16.0 points per game for the 5-1 Golden Gophers. Finally, the Badgers head to Columbus to take on Ohio State and talented senior Brent Darby Jan. 18, the final game of winter break for UW.
So by the time the UW men’s basketball team members return for the second semester, they’ll have learned a lot about themselves. And with a rivalry game against Marquette and four Big Ten contests under their belts, they’ll certainly be sporting some bumps and bruises as well.
