The battle between in-state rivals reaches a whole new level during the next two weeks as the UW men's basketball team prepares for three opponents, all from the Dairy State, starting tonight at the Kohl Center against UW-Green Bay.
Wisconsin comes off a dominating performance over Detroit last Saturday when the Badgers (4-1) won 68-42. Given that two of the three games will be against seemingly unimposing teams such as UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee, it would appear the Badgers have the opportunity to do some record boosting and move up in the polls. However, Head Coach Bo Ryan said the team looks at this game the way it does any other.
\Nobody has more respect or been around that environment more than me as far as around here,"" said Ryan, who coached at UW-Milwaukee. ""So, it's a game and I don't look at it any differently than playing Detroit, playing Penn, Maryland. It's the next game, Green Bay happens to be.""
UWGB (2-3) defeated Chicago State last Thursday, 70-65 with some help from junior guard Matt Rohde, who had 14 points, including nine from behind the arc, as well as junior guard Brandon Morris, who contributed 18 points.
Saturday the Badgers take on the UW-Milwaukee (3-2). The Panthers are led by senior forward Dylan Page. Page, a 6'9"" Amherst, Wis., native, leads the team with 20.6 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game. Page is one of three seniors on the young team who has played well in their three wins and fought close with their two losses to Southern Illinois and North Carolina State.
UW then enjoys a week reprieve before taking what will likely be the best matchup and most heated of the three, when Marquette comes to Madison on Dec. 20. While Ryan said other coaches have called him believing he ""lost it to play the three state schools in a row,"" he sees the benefit of the trio of in-state competition games.
""I think it's safe to say that playing the three state schools is what's good for the game of basketball,"" Ryan said. ""Fortunately we have all three of them at home. But I think most people would not do this with these types of games.""
The meeting between UW and Marquette (6-0), marking possibly the first real competition for the Badgers since the loss at Maryland, will be a tough one especially with sophomore forward Alando Tucker still likely to be out. And even without the Golden Eagles' top player Dwyane Wade, who was drafted to the NBA, Marquette has still been dominating opponents and posts a strong starting five and will undoubtedly put up a fight against Wisconsin.
Among the MU starters, junior guard Travis Diener has been a welcome return to the team after spending last season battling an injury. With an average of 16.3 points per game and shooting over 50 percent from beyond the arc, he is an imposing threat for the Golden Eagles. Combined with the play of returning starters junior forward Todd Townsend and senior forwards Scott Merritt and Terry Sanders, the game will be a must-see given not only the in-state rivalry but the likelihood of both teams returning to the NCAA tournament.
MU has two games before facing the Badgers. Saturday they meet up with Arizona and Monday against Canisius. And while pre-conference play has been somewhat light for Marquette and Wisconsin, the competition will get harder for both teams making Dec. 20 game important-and not just for Dairy State basketball bragging rights.
