As the University of Wisconsin men's golf team enters the Big Ten championships this weekend, the Badgers' motto is plain and simple: steady improvement.

"The theme is just steady improvement," head coach Jim Schuman said at a press conference Monday. "And, you know, our motto is just to get better tomorrow than we were the day before."

Although steady improvement is the team's motto, the Badgers have experienced a disappointing start to the spring season.

With wintry weather delaying practice time, Wisconsin struggled at Purdue and Ohio State. The Badgers performed a little better last weekend at Michigan State, finishing fourth, and Schuman hopes this steady improvement will carry over to this weekend's championships at the OSU Golf Club Scarlet Course.

"We played a lot better [at Michigan State]," Schuman said. "Any time that you can post two rounds under par and your worst round being even par as a team, you know, I think you're back on the right track, and then that's where we feel we are going into Ohio State."

Leading the Badgers into the meet is senior Garrett Jones. Not only has he been pacing the Badgers on the course with a 72.93 scoring average, but he is also the team's leader as the lone senior.

"It's kind of been a changing role for Garrett Jones," Schuman said. "I think sometimes you look at it, and it's one of those things where he's got to step back and take a deep breath and say, 'I don't feel like the whole thing is on me.'"

Competing with Jones this weekend will be Jeff Kaiser, Dan Woltman, Patrick Duffy and Tyler Obermueller. Woltman is the only one of the group who has no prior experience in the Big Ten championships, but he is second on the team in scoring average at 72.96.

Schuman hopes the team's experience is enough for Wisconsin to capture its first Big Ten championship title since 1994, but realizes it's a team effort.

"If you take a look at the scores, nobody really runs away and shoots a real, real low score. It's just a balance," he said. "So for us to play well, we've got to get it from everybody. They all shoulder a burden of it."

The 72-hole meet begins Friday with 36 holes and 18 each on Saturday and Sunday. The Big Ten features some of the top competition in the country this season with 10 teams and six players ranked in Golfweek's Top 100.

Regardless of Wisconsin's performance this weekend, Schuman will just be looking for steady improvement.

"Things are looking up," Schuman said. "We're just plugging away, and having a good time doing it."