March is still about a month-and-a-half away so it’s too early to start anointing Final Four teams, but Wisconsin has a chance to do something special come tournament time.

“This is definitely a different Wisconsin team,” senior forward Alando Tucker said. “We know we have a chance to be a great team.”

Despite last year’s disappointing 94-75 first-round loss to Arizona, big things were expected from a Wisconsin team returning 11 players in 2006-07. But now, the Badgers are proving they’re legit, most recently doing so against the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes.

“If we want to be at the top, if we want to prove ourselves, we have to do it against other great teams,” Tucker said after the game. “And we’ve been doing it thus far this season.”

Wisconsin has taken care of business against every ranked opponent it has played so far (No. 17 Marquette, No. 2 Pittsburgh and No. 5 Ohio State) and while its non-conference schedule may not look too sexy at first glance, it’s prettier than it appears.

The Badgers’ only loss came to Missouri State, a team fighting for a Missouri Valley Conference championship — a conference with a stronger RPI than the Big Ten. Not to mention it came on a neutral site down in South Padre Island, Texas, and Tucker had a shot to tie the game at the buzzer.

As for the other teams, both Winthrop and Delaware State are in position to win the Big South and Mid-Eastern Athletic conferences. It may not sound like much, but it will help the Badgers’ RPI in the long run and the tournament committee will definitely take notice.

Also, Florida State’s four losses have only come to ranked opponents — three of them being on the road at Pittsburgh, Wisconsin and North Carolina, the other coming to Clemson. However, the Seminoles did knock off top-ranked Florida right after losing to the Badgers.

The Big Ten schedule, on the other hand, isn’t looking too hot.

Aside from Ohio State, there aren’t any more standout teams the Badgers have left to play. However, that doesn’t speak to how tough the Big Ten is. Wisconsin isn’t going to go through conference play undefeated, and whoever the Badgers end up losing to, it will create a stir of criticism in the national media about how they’re really not that good.

But it’s just not true because Wisconsin has proved it belongs among the top teams in the country.

“There is no question, Wisconsin is right there with everyone else,” Ohio State head coach Thad Matta said.

The only question there may be is whether or not Wisconsin has what it takes to make a run in the tournament. Some skeptics may look at the 16-point lead the Badgers squandered down to three against Ohio State, but it really shouldn’t be much of a question.

Not once during the Buckeyes’ storming comeback did the Badgers seem worried. Not even with their national Player of the Year-candidate Tucker playing as if he had some Vanilla Ice in his veins, shooting an ugly 3-of-10 in the first half.

But that’s the mark of a great team — when you’re able to pull out wins when your best player is off his game, and Wisconsin is able to do more than just that with the roster it has.

“Whichever five we have out there on the court, it takes all five guys and we all have confidence in our game. They just don’t rely on me offensively,” Tucker said. “At times, I make key good plays, hard plays, but when I’m not, other guys are stepping in and knocking down shots this year.”

Against Ohio State, it was Taylor stepping up, scoring a season-high 25 points. The Badgers’ human energy drink, Marcus Landry, also had a big game off the bench, scoring 10 points and swatting four shots against the nation’s most hyped player, Greg Oden.

Better yet about the Badgers’ roster, it has the ability to play against any type of team. If opponents go big, UW head coach Bo Ryan just has to break out Landry, Greg Stiemsma and Kevin Gullikson off the bench. If opponents have a speedy backcourt, you can bet Trevon Hughes is coming off the bench; otherwise, expect Jason Bohannon to play for his three-point shooting. No matter what, Wisconsin can match up with anyone, and match up quite well at that.

So start the countdown to March, because Wisconsin will have the opportunity to do something special.

Michael is a senior double majoring in communication arts and journalism. Any questions or comments can be sent to [email protected].