For years, people have been saying Bo Ryan can’t win in March. Why?
Prior to this season, it seemed impossible to discuss Wisconsin basketball without somebody criticizing head coach Bo Ryan’s apparent inability to win in the NCAA tournament.
From the pseudo-analytical “He’s only a regular season coach” to the delightfully ignorant “Badgers will never win anything under him,” remarks like these seemed to personify the negative public perceptions regarding Ryan’s postseason resume.
However, these were merely perceptions, by definition lacking evidence. Looking at the numbers, Ryan has one of the most successful NCAA tournament careers among major college coaches since he came to Wisconsin during the 2001-’02 season.
There are nine other coaches of power conference programs that have held continuous tenure at the same school since Ryan took the job at UW. The list includes Texas’ Rick Barnes, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, Florida’s Billy Donovan, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Louisville’s Rick Pitino, Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings and Villanova’s Jay Wright.
First off, to be among this group is an accomplishment in itself. With college sports gaining more of the national spotlight and the demand for success hitting an all-time high, it is impressive for a coach to hold his position for 13 straight years at a major institution.
Comparing these 10 coaches since Ryan’s first UW season in 2001-’02, only Izzo, Krzyzewski and Ryan have made the NCAA tournament in all 13 seasons. Even at the most consistently solid programs, teams often fall victim to a bad year or two every now and then.
Meanwhile, Ryan’s six berths in the Sweet 16 put him on par with Boeheim, Donovan and Pitino. Only Krzyzewski (nine) and Izzo (eight) have more.
Additionally, Ryan has lost to a lower seed only six times. Krzyzewski has done that 10 times in this 13-year window, while Barnes, Boeheim and Donovan have all done so seven times.
This season, Ryan became the eighth coach in this group of 10 to reach the Final Four, excluding Brey and Stallings. It may have taken him 13 seasons, but he did get there. To put it in perspective, it took Boeheim 11 years to get to the Final Four and Wright eight years.
Two of Ryan’s most high profile tournament losses came in 2008 against Davidson in the Sweet 16 and in 2010 against Cornell in the second round. Davidson was a No. 10 seed to Wisconsin’s No. 3, and Cornell was a No. 12 seed to the Badgers’ No. 4.
Future National Basketball Association superstar Stephen Curry led that Davidson team, torching Wisconsin with 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting. In that tournament, the Wildcats also defeated No. 2 Georgetown in the second round and lost to No. 1 seed and eventual champion Kansas by just two points in the Elite Eight.
In their loss to Cornell, the Badgers shot 49 percent from the field, better than their season average of 44 percent. However, the Big Red shot a ridiculous 61 percent while hitting more than half of its 3-pointers. Sure, the UW defense clearly was ineffective that day, but when a team’s shooting is on, there is not much its opponent can do.
Even excluding Ryan’s run to the Final Four, his tournament record was already a respectable 16-12. Now with a record of 20-13, his .606 winning percentage is better than Barnes, Brey, Stallings and Wright among this group of 10.
It seems the only legitimate knock against Ryan is that he has yet to win a championship. However, only four of these 10 coaches have won a title in the past 13 seasons. Winning six in a row during March is no easy task.
The biggest pitfall of success is that it increases demands and leaves everyone involved wanting more. It is easy to forget how pitiful the Wisconsin basketball program was before Ryan, making just seven NCAA tournaments and going, at its worst, an absurd 47 years between appearances.
Ryan’s predecessor Dick Bennett helped start the turnaround, but Ryan affirmed it. Relatively speaking, the Badgers’ status as a prominent college basketball program is relatively new compared to longtime powerhouses like Duke and Syracuse. It takes time to join the elite and consistently contend for championships.
The Bo Ryan era is not over at Wisconsin. Next year, the Badgers return every key contributor other than Ben Brust. After a run to the Final Four, UW has a good chance to make another and Ryan could perhaps capture his elusive championship.
If it does happen, a championship would officially put an end to a silly misconception which never really had any merit in the first place.
