[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald Photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]

After a week in which the UW men?s basketball team defeated
No. 11 Indiana at home and then beat Minnesota in a key conference victory away
from home, head coach Bo Ryan emphasized the need for the team to stay on track
for their battles ahead, even with their recent success.

?I always see flaws,? Ryan said in his Monday press
conference. ?And we point them out.?

Wisconsin, after its two wins, has jumped to No. 8 in the
polls, but with plenty of Big Ten action left, Ryan knows there’s still work to
be done.

?I don?t know how to measure complete or incomplete. I was
happy with the task assignments that were completed for the most part,? Ryan
said about his recent victories. ?But believe it or not, I?ve got a page full
of things we?re going over here, of things we got to do better, if we want to
get the next one.?

Ryan?s attitude of levelheadedness has been a mainstay in
his tenure at UW. Now with a high national ranking, the Badgers will need to
play with the same intangibles for the rest of the season that got them to the
top of a league in which anything can happen.

?Especially this time of the year, you see a lot of things
starting to play out,? Ryan said. ?It?s hard to be on the left-hand side every
time.

?There?s a still a lot to be played. The league is still
pretty competitive.?

Bohannon showing skills

In a season in which many expected Jason Bohannon to make
the jump from a solid freshman contributor to a major threat from outside, the
results so far have gone largely unheralded. The guard?s play has been
overshadowed by fellow backcourt mate Trevon Hughes (13.6 ppg), who has assumed
the role of starting point guard and key scorer.

?He probably doesn?t appear to be a Muscle Beach type to
people out there, but he?s actually pretty strong,? Ryan said of Bohannon. ?His
core strength is pretty good.?

That is not to say Bohannon?s work has been unimportant to
UW?s success. Although not a starter, Bohannon has come off the bench this
season and was driven to the basket while playing a commendable defense against
some of the better guards in the Big Ten. While he still possesses the deep
threat, his ability to use his deceptive strength on offense and defense has
led to the development of a more well-rounded attack.

?If he can take some of that success knocking down a couple
of threes into the following games, we can use that because he can stretch the
defense of the other teams,? Ryan said. ?He?s a hard worker, a smart young man.
Guys like that tend to improve, and he?s doing that.?

Defense making strides

With their defense allowing only 54.1 points per game this
season ? second in the nation and first in the Big Ten ? the Badgers have been
able to keep opponents in check by not allowing scoring runs, hitting the
boards and blocking shots. According to Ryan this is largely because every
player on the floor trusts each other to play hard at all times during the
game.

?The most important thing is how each player lifts the next
guy up to his right and to his left and across from him,? Ryan said.

With solid defensive outputs in the past
week, don?t expect the Badgers to let up at any time in the near future. A
stronghold of Ryan?s coaching style, UW will look to continue its play over the
rest of the season: ?Look to your left, look to your right, and look to
yourself. If you feel comfortable with all those directions, then you?re in a
pretty good situation.?