After a few marquee wins over opponents like Pittsburgh and Marquette, the Wisconsin men's basketball team's chance at a Final Four run — maybe even a successful one — looked about as good as Iverson and 'Melo on the same team sounded. However, after Sunday's game against Ohio State and a recent and revealing Big Ten away schedule, the Badgers' chances at a successful Final Four run look about as good as Scottie Pippen's chances of making a successful comeback.
Like the 'Melo and Iverson tandem, the season has turned sour of late. With three losses in the past month, UW has learned it has some rather pressing issues to address.
I'm not referring to the issue of Marcus Landry's inelegant goggles; I'm referring to the Badgers' lack of legitimate, consistent scoring threats outside of Alando Tucker. I'm referring to the team's inability to perform with the largest target you can have on your back in college basketball: a No. 1 ranking. And I'm referring to Brian Butch. May God bless and heal him quickly. In time for the Big Ten tournament, please.
The Badgers have increasingly looked to their bench as the scoring of Tucker's usual supporting cast of Taylor (boy, have I got some things to say about him) and Butch has waned over the season. With impressive performances from my boy Landry, who dunked on me once, Greg Stiemsma and freshman sensation Jason Bohannon, UW's bench has been outplaying and outscoring its opponents' benches, and on occasion, the Wisconsin starters. Unfortunately, the blessing that is the Badger bench is mitigated by the fact that, on any given night, it's difficult to know if any bench player will be stepping up.
Don't get me wrong, it's nice that Landry can take opponents completely by surprise and drop 18 in one game, or that J-Bo can surprise opponents with prolific shooting. However, the Badgers would benefit from a steady hand that consistently provides them with a second scoring threat. No one — Bohannon, Stiemsma or Landry — has been able to be that guy on a game-to-game basis.
Moments of genius from Wisconsin's top backups have kept the Badgers plenty excited, but teams like Indiana and Michigan State have exploited the lack of consistent scoring from players like Taylor, and our dependence upon Tucker. Double teams and triple teams are now about as familiar to Tucker as the particulars of Anna Nicole Smith's death, burial, or lack thereof, and love life are to those of us who mistakenly made CNN.com our homepage in the hope of being informed about pertinent news.
Michigan State and Indiana wisely absorbed the blows from our bench and shut down the biggest threat in Tucker using double and triple teams. The Spartans and Hoosiers were aware they had little to fear from the streaky Taylor or the inconsistent play of Butch and bench.
What's that you say, dear reader? Kammron Taylor is UW's consistent second option? Do not speak to me of Kammron Taylor! I was his biggest fan once, partly because he was in a class of mine, and partly because I was impressed with his driving and shooting abilities. But Taylor's shot has been inconsistent of late, and he spends entire stretches of games being a non-factor.
Taylor's penchant for not fouling opponents is impressive, but he needs to make his presence felt not by the absence of fouls, but by dropping a few more treys, or keeping defenders busy with his speed and penetration skills. Or hitting last second free throws and/or shots in big (read, Sunday's) games. Wisconsin needs him to step up.
And I need him to do well so I can win a longstanding bet with a friend.
Even with the three losses in the last few weeks, the Badgers' success this season, coupled with a number of recent lackluster performances by Florida, will earn them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. While the No. 1 seed is much deserved, the Badgers now find themselves in a position that is a very different from the one when Taylor, Butch and Tucker combined for 73 points against a talented Pittsburgh squad. Struggling for consistent second options, fighting to provide opportunities for the talented Tucker, and bereft of the Polar Bear (sure, we cried for Landry to replace him, but you can't deny that he's a legitimate scoring threat and an impact player). Of the No. 1 seeds that will be playing in March, Wisconsin may now be the least prepared.
If the Badgers don't find a way to free up Tucker or score enough without him and replace Butch's impact, the Badgers tournament experience, No. 1 seed or not, may end up like a Pacman Jones strip club visit. Disastrous.
Gerald is a junior majoring in Economics and Middle Eastern Studies. If you'd like to talk about his disappointment with Taylor, or what it's like being posterized by Landry, e-mail him at [email protected].
