Following the Badgers' first Big Ten loss of the season, the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team limped out of Columbus, Ohio, quite literally. Playing with only 11 dressed players against Ohio State, UW also watched sophomore Brian Butch go down with an ankle injury, leaving the team with only six regular contributors.
Fortunately for Wisconsin, they now have an opportunity to lick their wounds as they prepare to play North Dakota State at home Saturday morning, in what will be the non-conference finale for the Badgers.
The Badgers will play the softest remaining spot in their schedule over the next week, as they will follow up their game against the Bison with a home game against traditional conference bottom-feeder Penn State, though the Nittany Lions are certainly improved this season.
Although his team is undermanned and ailing, Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan is preparing for the game as he would for any other and is not planning ahead to try and get some players more rest time than they might usually see.
"You don't ever go into a contest ever assuming or thinking that something is going to be the outcome," an incredulous Ryan answered when asked if he saw the game as an opportunity to rest his starters. "You go into each and every game preparing the same way."
The Bison are 10-8 on the season and are currently in transition from Division II status into Division I, and are not affiliated with any conference. The independent school is also in a transition year on the court as the team lost all five starters from a year ago, and only returned three letterwinners.
Despite the inexperience, the squad of first-year starters has performed admirably, with four of them averaging double-figures in points.
"You can see through the scores, you can see what they've been doing, they have just been getting better through the year," Ryan said of the quickly developing squad.
The team's leading scorer is redshirt freshman Ben Woodside, who is averaging 17.3 points per game. Woodside is also the team leader in assists, dishing out five a game.
The game will be a homecoming for Memorial High graduate and Wisconsin's 2004 "Mr. Basketball" Mike Nelson. The Madison native has been averaging 11.9 points and is shooting three-pointers at a 48 percent clip (28-58).
"[Nelson] was a good player coming out of high school. He gets into a system and gets a chance to develop in it and it just makes him even better," Ryan said.
Nelson won't be the only familiar face to visit the Kohl Center this weekend. One of the assistant coaches for the Bison is Saul Phillips, who is a disciple of Ryan. Phillips was the Badgers' director of basketball operations for three seasons and also was coached by Ryan at UW-Platteville.
"Saul wasn't going to be part of a program that wasn't going to be solid, so he was pretty excited [at the opportunity]," Ryan said of Phillips.
Freshman forward and South Dakota native Joe Krabbenhoft will also get the chance to revisit some past acquaintances.
"I know some of the coaching staff up there," said Krabbenhaft, who once lived in Fargo, North Dakota. "I'm familiar with them personally."
"We know they are a good team," Krabbenhoft continued. "They do things the right way."
Regardless of any personal ties between the players and coaches, one prevailing theme rang through the team's comments. North Dakota State would not at all be taken lightly.
"It doesn't matter what it says on the jersey," Ryan said. "We prepare for every game the same. Ohio State, North Dakota State, Michigan State or whoever. We are going to prepare for them and we're going to prepare to play well."
