ESPN Men's Basketball

Originally Published: February 4, 2004

Badgers on road to three-peat

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By Jeff Shelman
Special to ESPN.com
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Three-peat? That depends on the next three weeks. Even Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan realizes that.

The Badgers coach acknowledges that the Big Ten schedule -- one that allowed Wisconsin to play five of its first seven league games at the Kohl Center -- is a factor in his team leading the Big Ten with a 5-1 record.

But that will change soon. After Wednesday's home game against last-place Minnesota, the Badgers will start packing. Four of Wisconsin's next five games will be on the road. There are games at Northwestern (Saturday) and Iowa (Feb. 11) before a home game against Ohio State (Feb. 14). After that, Wisconsin travels to Illinois and Michigan.

Since Ryan arrived in Madison in 2001, the Badgers have been almost unbeatable at home. In the past two-plus seasons, Wisconsin has gone 39-2 overall and 20-0 in Big Ten games at the Kohl Center (with an average margin of victory of 20 points in conference games). Wisconsin has won 24 consecutive games at the Kohl Center, the fifth-longest home winning streak nationally.

"Now we go through a really tough stretch and hopefully they'll continue to perform the way they have," Ryan said.

If the Badgers have had a weakness this season, it has been the road. Wisconsin lost an overtime game at Maryland in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Their only bad loss came at Alabama and then they dropped a close game at Purdue last month.

But it might be premature to discount the Badgers from winning the Big Ten because of the schedule -- one that also includes games at Michigan State and at Indiana to end the season.

Last season, the Badgers won four conference road games, a total no Big Ten team could eclipse. In 2002, Wisconsin won three league games away from home.

Devin Harris will need to pick up even more of the offensive slack for the Badgers now that Alando Tucker is lost for the season.

While the Badgers 2002 Big Ten title (one shared with Ohio State, Illinois and Indiana) was surprising because Wisconsin was both inexperienced and shorthanded (eight healthy scholarship players), this one would be nearly as big of an accomplishment.

Alando Tucker was expected to be a key frontcourt compliment to guard Devin Harris, the likely Big Ten player of the year. After averaging 12 points per game as a freshman, Tucker was expected to help pick up some of the scoring Wisconsin lost with the graduation of guard Kirk Penney. But, Tucker, an extremely athletic sophomore, broke his right foot in the days leading up to the start of practice. He returned for four games in December, but reinjured the foot in Wisconsin's victory over Ohio. On Monday, the school announced that Tucker is out for the season and that they'll apply for a medical redshirt.

In addition, senior guard Freddie Owens has missed the last three games with a foot injury. Owens, however, has practiced this week and will likely play some against the Gophers.

But even with the injuries, Wisconsin has kept rolling. Forward Mike Wilkinson has turned into a very solid Big Ten player and is averaging 14 points and 7.5 rebounds in league games. Clayton Hanson, who originally signed with Wisconsin-Milwaukee then walked on at Wisconsin after Ryan got the job, came off of the bench to hit five 3-pointers and score 17 points against Michigan. And Zach Morley, a junior-college transfer from Indian Hills (Iowa), is a player who does a little bit of everything (9.1 ppg, 5.8 apg).

"The guys have responded," Ryan said. "We've been very fortunate that they've stepped in an helped.

"The way I look at it is, 'OK, this is what we're going to have. What do we have? And how can we best utilize those guys and what ... can they bring to the table?' We're always trying to maximize the strengths of our players within the system."

Are the Badgers flashy? No. Are they solid? Absolutely.

How have the Badgers done it? Primarily through an efficient offense and solid defense. It may sound cliché, but Wisconsin wins games because they're usually more fundamentally sound than their opponents.

Ryan constantly harps on his guards to treat the ball like a golden nugget or like a million bucks (to the point where Harris rolls his eyes when asked about it). Every day, Wisconsin works on the fundamentals of passing and catching the basketball. It sounds simple, but Wisconsin is second nationally in fewest turnovers per game (9.6).

On the other end of the floor, Ryan teaches a defensive system where reaching is almost forbidden. Instead, Wisconsin plays a position-based defense. If there's contact, it's usually with the body and that is less likely to be called by officials.

Last season, the Badgers made more free throws than opponents attempted. This season, a Wisconsin team that's 12th nationally in fewest fouls per game, is on pace to repeat those numbers. It's the one statistic that drives the rest of the Big Ten coaches crazy.

In addition, the Badgers are fifth nationally and first in the Big Ten in scoring defense, giving up only 55.9 points per game.

While Purdue is the only conference team that's defeated the Badgers this season, Boilermakers coach Gene Keady has been impressed with what Ryan has been able to do.

"When Tucker went out, everybody thought you were going to have an advantage over them," Keady said. "But their coaches have done a great job of recruiting and developing guys where they don't miss a beat.

"And Harris is such a good player with the ball, when you need a bucket, he either passes for one or makes one. He just does a great job leading their team. Plus, Wilkinson is so good playing inside and outside. Right now it looks like, unless somebody can beat them in Madison, they're on a good roll."

If there's a Big Ten team that's going to catch the Badgers, Michigan State might be the most likely candidate. After going 5-7 to start the season, the Spartans have won five of six and are only a game behind Wisconsin.

In addition, the Spartans play five of their final nine games at the Breslin Center, another of the Big Ten's most difficult venues.

Illinois' title chances were certainly aided by Tuesday night's victory at Indiana. But the Illini have three league losses and they play five of their final eight games away from Assembly Hall.

Can the Badgers be caught? The next three weeks will tell a lot.