So Boo Wade has returned to the lineup. What do the Badgers gain? They get solid play at the point, good handles, capable defense, a few buckets and a couple rebounds.

As important as he’s been and as important as he’ll be to the Badgers making a run to a possible third straight Big Ten championship and beyond, the return of Mr. Wade is far from a championship guarantee.

Nonetheless, Wade fits Ryan’s system. He is an integral part of those “interchangeable parts” in the system opposing coaches go bonkers over. He is a necessary part of what the Badgers hope to accomplish in 2004.

But there’s still something that’s been lacking; something essential to the Badgers making a run, and it’s not Alando Tucker.

The presence of “the Human Vertical Leap” was sorely missed in losses to Alabama and Northwestern where Wisconsin failed to find a median between their inside and outside game. When the shots weren’t falling, the Badgers couldn’t get anything accomplished on the inside as the opposition’s defense sagged down low. Tucker could’ve been the difference maker in those games.

However, Wisconsin has proven they can win without Tucker. They are a much better team with him in the lineup, but they’re still a great team despite his injury and relegation to the sidelines.

But what the Badgers have missed all season is the guaranteed jump shot Kirk Penney brought to the table. It was Penney who was almost automatic when he got the open look. This season those open looks are still being created. Ryan’s swing offense hasn’t let down and I’d be surprised if it ever will.

While those open looks are being created, Freddie Owens and Clayton Hanson, two players primed to step into the spot left vacant with Penney’s graduation, have not delivered.

Devin Harris, after a few weeks of struggling, found his jump shot and went on to have one of the most wicked scoring streaks the nation has seen this season. 97 points in three games is downright absurd. Harris was hitting shots no one else could create ? and at a time when the Badgers needed nothing less than his absolute best.

But Harris’ job is to create these open looks for others. Some might call it wishful thinking, and while Penney left some awfully big shoes to fill, when those looks are being created, someone should be knocking them down.

Owens had shown flashes. He always had a knack for delivering those jumpers from the corner and has proven himself in the clutch. Need I bring up his heroics against Tulsa in Spokane for one of the bigger victories in school history?

But Freddie’s biggest asset has always been his defense. While he undergoes the daunting task of rehabbing his foot, his tough man-to-man defense is what the Badgers need more than his offense.

This leads to Hanson as the Badgers’ most viable solution to their jump-shot drop-off. The Reedsburg native received his first career start Wednesday night against Iowa, hitting four-of-six three pointers in the Wisconsin victory. He too has shown an ability to knock down open looks and he came up huge with a career-high 17 points against Michigan. But he has struggled mightily to find consistency and that more than anything else is what the Badgers need from Hanson.

Though the Badgers are atop the Big Ten standings and have shown few signs of slowing down, a heavy road schedule with four of their last seven games on the road in tough arenas like Illinois, Michigan State and Indiana, the Badgers will find themselves in the hole on more than one occasion.

Penney’s jumper always kept Wisconsin in the game. Two years ago, Penney ran off 27 second half points for a come-from-behind win over the Gophers. When the Badgers fall behind, Harris has been the one to take those shots, but he is creating them. The dump-off pass has always proven effective and it’s keenly marked in Ryan’s playbook. Owens and Hanson have shown they can knock it down, but not at the consistency that will be needed in the coming weeks.

While it seems Wisconsin is doing just fine in a down season in the Big Ten, one can’t help but wait in anticipation for transfer Sharif Chambliss to hit the floor next season. The two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten guard at Penn State is a prime candidate to slide into that scoring role. He’s got 195 three pointers to his name, and I’m thinking he’s got about another 100 left in him.