For the sixth straight year, the pupil and the teacher will meet head-to-head: Badger basketball head coach Bo Ryan and UW-Milwaukee's Rob Jeter are set to square off Wednesday night as the Panthers visit the Kohl Center for their annual in-state battle.
While Ryan is proud of his former player and assistant coach's professional resume, he is quick to point out the privilege of having numerous Division I programs in-state for UW to compete with.
""We're fortunate in that there are four D-I teams that compete, for the most part, year in and year out at a very high level,"" Ryan said. ""To have four good teams in the state […] as far as the D-I level, and we get a chance to play all of them, that's pretty good stuff.""
The Panthers, members of the Horizon League along with UW-Green Bay, have not competed for a conference championship since Jeter's first season at the helm as head coach in 2005-'06.
The Badgers have dominated every meeting with Milwaukee, compiling a 26-1 record. The Badgers only loss came during the 1992-'93 season. The Badgers are 17-1 against the Panthers in Madison, and although Ryan has held the edge in each match-up, he speaks highly of Jeter's group and credits the coach with the development of this year's squad.
""Defensively, just watching the little bit that I have, they've got a team of guys that want to play defense,"" Ryan said. ""So [Jeter's] done a lot of things as a professional in this game to take what he's seen, take what he's experienced and be a better person for it.""
Wisconsin comes into Wednesday's match up with the most efficient offense in the country. The Badgers rank first in the nation in ball security with a 1.80 assist-to-turnover ratio. They also hold the mark for the nation's fewest turnovers per game, giving the ball up just 8.8 times per contest.
Since their meeting with UNLV, in which they committed 15 turnovers, the Badgers have turned the ball over a total of 30 times in five games. Ryan makes ball security a priority for his players each season and says they should expect this type of precedence in ball security during their initial years.
""They know when we do our passing drills, they know that we probably do more than any other team in the country for a reason, but they accept that and they know that coming in,"" Ryan said. ""Our recruits, they see us doing passing drills […] so there aren't any surprises when guys come here and play for us.""
A player who is definitely anchoring UW's recent consistent play is junior point guard Jordan Taylor, who flirted with UW's first ever triple-double over the weekend, posting career highs in rebounds and assists, with 11 and nine respectively, while chipping in 20 points in a win over South Dakota.
Taylor has successfully stepped into the role of floor general this season, which is important for Ryan's squad because they lost two of their leaders at that position last season. Although Ryan has always had confidence in Taylor's play, he likes to take some of the credit for his efficient numbers.
""You ever have to listen to me for a couple hours a day?"" Ryan said. ""He doesn't want to listen to me, so he just does it the right way and he just smiles while he's doing it.""
