There’s something special about this year’s crop of Badgers under head coach Bo Ryan. The usually stoic and unassuming Wisconsin basketball team (26-9) have captured the hearts and minds of the Badger faithful everywhere with the right combination of hard work, determination and charm.
“With what they are doing with what experience they had coming in, and where we were at a certain point in the season, more people are in love with this team,” Ryan said. “When I say that, meaning fans are really pulling for this team because they kind of said, ‘we didn’t think you were that good.’”
Wisconsin has come a long way from the team that started 0-3 in Big Ten play after dropping back to back games at home to Iowa and Michigan State. Finishing up the year with a road win at Ohio State and beating Indiana at the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis showed Ryan’s bunch were ready to rumble in March.
A nail-biting 60-57 win against an experienced and athletic Vanderbilt team showed that the Badgers are a legitimate threat to advance in the tournament. The win also secured Wisconsin’s second consecutive berth in the Sweet 16. That, in addition to tournament bids in every season as head coach, goes to prove that Ryan has built a program that has become a model of consistency in the world of college athletics.
“If you’re a Wisconsin fan, it’s awfully nice because you’ve got at least another 40 minutes to yell.” Ryan said.
The road only gets tougher for Wisconsin as they head into a matchup with regular season Big East Conference champion and east region No. 1 seed Syracuse (32-2). The game presents an extremely intriguing contrast in styles by two of the game’s most respected coaches.
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim is renowned for his ability to recruit extremely athletic teams that like to force turnovers in a zone defense and get out on the fast break. While Badger fans have become accustomed to Ryan’s teams that are known for being extremely deliberate and patient in half-court sets while contesting shots in a tight man defense.
“They read and react well because they do it so often. All the things that they do with their movement,” Ryan said of Syracuse. “The teams that are successful get a little bit from inside and out. It comes from both ends.”
Figuring out the zone will be key for Ryan and his staff this week. The Badgers struggled heavily to find quality looks against the zone defense of the Commodores in the final minutes of the second half against Vanderbilt.
The biggest difference maker for Wisconsin could be junior forward Mike Bruesewitz, whose ability to shoot from outside could stretch the zone of the Orange and create passing lanes on offense. Bruesewitz’s 10 points against Vanderbilt may be enough to give fans hope that the junior will come out of his slump and deliver another clutch performance that has characterized his time in Madison.
“He was due, it’s like a baseball player who starts getting hits again and improves his average,” Ryan said of Bruesewitz.
Either way Thursday’s game turns out, this group of players has already earned a special place in their coach’s heart.
“A lot of people will sit and say, you’re not very good here, and not do anything about it, but that’s not our function,” Ryan said. “But this team has come a long way. I’m really proud of them.”
