Having seemingly gotten back on their feet after two consecutive losses to top-10 teams North Carolina and Marquette, the No. 14/15 Wisconsin men’s basketball team (8-2 overall) now faces its final road test of the non-conference schedule as it visits in-state rival UW-Milwaukee (2-0 Horizon League, 8-2 overall) Tuesday night.
Fresh off of a win over UNLV on Saturday—arguably their best victory of the young season—the Badgers now set out to prove that they can win on the road. Although Wisconsin is 27-1 all-time against Milwaukee and a perfect 10-0 under head coach Bo Ryan, the Panthers have a tournament-ready team this season, having already taken down Big East member DePaul in non-conference play.
“Milwaukee is a really, really good team,” UW junior forward Mike Bruesewitz said Sunday. “They haven’t lost at home yet so they are going to be a real challenge for us.”
One of the challenges in facing the Panthers this season is that they don’t have a standout scorer. While leading scorer senior guard Kaylon Williams is averaging just 12.8 points per contest, Milwaukee has three players averaging in double figures, with another three clocking in above the 8.5-point-per-game mark as well. Fighting injuries throughout the season, the Panthers have done a remarkable job of replacing lost production while playing all 10 games without at least one projected starter.
While Wisconsin is a staggering 158-12 at home under coach Ryan, once they leave the Kohl Center it is a modest 55-57. After finishing last season just 5-6 in true road games, winning on the road immediately became a point of emphasis heading into the 2011-’12 campaign. Already having lost their first road test at No. 5 North Carolina, the Badgers desperately need to pick up a win on an opponent’s home floor, if for no other reason than to build confidence heading into the demanding Big Ten schedule.
“To go into their place and get a win would be huge against a good team,” sophomore guard Josh Gasser said. “A road win is a road win, it’s always good to have one under your belt.”
From day one, the focus this season has been on the play of a trio of juniors in the backcourt. While junior forward Jared Berggren has been a constant presence on the floor for UW, the play of Bruesewitz and junior forward Ryan Evans has fluctuated wildly along the spectrum, great at times and anything but at others.
Both had been struggling of late before resurgent performances in Saturday’s win. Bruesewitz picked up a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the way for the Badgers, with Evans adding nine for a career-high of his own. Their presence on the glass, something missing during the lull UW seemed to hit at the beginning of the month, makes Wisconsin much more dangerous no matter where they play.
“We’ve got so many guys who can score,” Gasser said. “We just try to do the little things and when our chances are open, knock them down and make some plays.”
With finals just a week away and Big Ten play not far behind, the mental challenge of staying in the moment might be the toughest task to handle as the Badgers try to take care of business in Milwaukee.
“We do a good job as a team to make sure that we get that stuff done off the court,” sophomore guard Ben Brust said. “When we are on the court, you’ve got to be focused all the time.”
“This week is going to be a little bit of a struggle,” Bruesewitz admitted. “But that is why you are a Division I athlete.”
