With less than three weeks until Selection Sunday, Wisconsin men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan knows that his team is sitting pretty for the NCAA Tournament with 20 wins so far this season.
He also realizes that several of the Badgers’ next opponents are looking for a signature victory to improve their chances of making the tournament in March. Wisconsin is currently third in the Big Ten with a 10-4 conference record, and the selection committee will surely have its eyes on any bubble team that beats the Badgers over the next couple weeks.
Wisconsin will be trying not to do any favors Wednesday, as the Badgers travel to Ann Arbor to take on the streaking Michigan Wolverines, winners of six of their last eight games. ESPN’s resident bracketologist Joe Lunardi does not believe UM has the resume to make the tournament, but a victory over the Badgers could put the 17-11 Wolverines into the mix.
In January, the Badgers drubbed the Wolverines 66-50 at the Kohl Center, but Ryan knows that Michigan is a very different team now.
“They’re playing better together,” Ryan said. “They’re knocking down shots, and a lot of teams look really good when those outside shots are going in.”
Ryan continued to attribute much of Michigan’s recent success to its leading scorer, guard Darius Morris. Not only does Morris lead the Big Ten in assists with almost seven per game, but he has also shouldered the scoring load for the Wolverines. Since their loss to the Badgers, Morris has reached double digits in each of the Wolverines’ 13 games.
“Morris has been more consistent,” Ryan said. “That’s pretty important when you have the ball in your hand as much as he does.”
Michigan isn’t the only bubble team in the Big Ten, however. Five other teams in the conference are within striking distance of an at-large bid to the tournament, including Wisconsin’s next opponent, the Northwestern Wildcats.
Ryan has an interesting way of preparing his team mentally for games against lesser opponents such as Michigan and Northwestern.
“Every team that we play next is the best team in America,” Ryan said. “I never change that. When we’re doing the scouting report [for Wednesday’s game], Michigan will be the best team in the country.”
Ryan mentioned that when and where Wisconsin faces opponents is crucial. In Wednesday’s case, playing against the Wolverines on their home court and during their push for the NCAA tournament will be much more difficult than it was at home over a month ago.
The Badgers have struggled away from the Kohl Center this season, going 5-6 so far. In the March tournaments, that home-court advantage won’t exist. Last year, the Badgers earned a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament. They squeaked past the 13th-seeded Wofford Terriers before being upset by the 12th-seeded Cornell Big Red.
Ryan seems to be at a loss for the huge discrepancy between the home and road performances of his team.
“Keep working,” Ryan said. “That’s all I can tell them.”
Ryan emphasizes the fundamentals of basketball for road games, as opposed to missed shots.
“We have to play good defense, rebound, and make good passes,” he said. “You can’t yell people into being good shooters. You just can’t do it. You can raise your voice on defense, on hustle, or on rebounding, but not with shooting.”