Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Bo Ryan addressed the media Monday concerning the status of star power forward Alondo Tucker, the Badgers’ recent failure to dominate from the free-throw line, and the upcoming matchup against Minnesota.
Alando’s status
If the Badgers are to win a third-straight Big Ten championship this season, they will do so without the help of sophomore forward Alando Tucker. On Sunday, team officials announced that Tucker will miss the remainder of the season due to a broken right foot.
Last year Tucker turned heads around the country, leaping to 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten team. Originally slated to play the role of sixth man for the Badgers in 2002-03, Tucker became a fixture on the court at tip-off, starting the season’s final 27 games.
Ryan said that with news of Tucker being out for the year, the other players on the team, “[should] just play on. They know it’s nothing they have control over. It won’t change anything for our players. As a group, we can feel for Alando and the fact that he’s not going to be able to play the rest of this year.”
Tucker broke his right foot on Oct. 9 and missed the Badgers’ two exhibition games and the first five games of the regular season. He returned to action against UW-Green Bay on Dec. 10 and came off the bench vs. UW-Milwaukee. Tucker started against both Marquette and Ohio. He has missed the last eight games after reinjuring his foot during the Ohio game. For the season, he played 83 minutes in four games, averaging 14.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
“He’s handled everything so well so far,” Ryan said. “Like I said before, he’s handled it with a lot more class than some other people I’ve seen. He’s been cheering us on. He’s stayed positive. He’s worked hard. He’s let the players know that he is still a part of the team and that shows a lot for a 19-year-old.”
Under NCAA rules, the Badgers can apply for a medical hardship on behalf of a student-athlete if he sustains an injury and that injury is such that it prevents him from competing, provided he participates in no more than 20 percent of their team’s contests and the injury occurred in the first half of the season.
Tucker told the media that the decision was not one he had made lightly.
“This was a tough decision for me, but after talking to our doctors following my physical exam and testing on Friday, I feel that it is the best decision for me,” Tucker said. “It’s not easy for me to have to sit out, but I am confident this is the best choice for me in the long run. I will continue to support my teammates during practice and games to my fullest extent and look forward to coming back next season at 100 percent.”
The Badgers will continue to look for players to step up in Tucker’s absence. Junior forward Zach Morley and sophomore forward Andreas Helmigk have averaged 9.1 points and 5.8 rebound per game and 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds respectively this season.
“There’s other minutes obviously that are picked up,” Ryan said. “The people that picked them up have done a good job.”
Practice
Having the best record in the Big Ten does not mean the Badgers have been playing flawless basketball.
“We had turnovers against Ohio State,” Ryan said. “The other team has been at the free throw more than us recently.”
“There isn’t a team out there that doesn’t practice taking care of the ball,” he continued. “There isn’t a team out there that doesn’t practice moving their feet on defense and trying not to foul. Those are parts of your practice-planning and your teaching when you look at video tape. If somebody gets fouled, there is usually a reason.”
Game against Minnesota
An important home game is on deck for the Badgers Wednesday, when they will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Gophers lost Saturday to the lowly Northwestern Wildcats 61-47. The Wildcats are in last place in the Big Ten with a 0-7 conference record and an 8-11 overall record.
“Minnesota is a good team,” Ryan said. “They are a few possessions away from having three or four wins in the league. They are working extremely hard.”
The Gophers are on a six game losing streak. Minnesota, however, is led by the Big Ten’s leading scorer and rebounder, freshman Kris Humphries. He averages 22.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
With their first Big Ten road win of the season behind them, the Badgers are No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 17 in the Associated Press poll.
The Badgers beat the Ohio State Buckeyes last week 69-57 in Columbus. Wooden Award finalist, Devin Harris, had a game high 29 points, one point short from his career high, which he set in the previous game in a Badger victory against Illinois. They stand atop the Big Ten with a 5-1 conference record and a 14-3 record overall.
