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With the College Hoops season starting this Friday, I thought I would discuss the 2009-2010 season outlook for the Wisconsin Badgers Men's Bball team. The Badgers open the season at the Kohl Center vs. IPFW this Sunday. Who? Coming off their 11th straight NCAA Tournament Appearance from last year the Badgers enter this season picked near the bottom of the Big Ten conference. Suprised? No. Worried? No. The Badgers return 3 starters from last years team, but lost Marcus Landry and Joe Krabenhoft. Both were the most productive players in their backcourt. However, the Badgers do return their entire frontcourt(Hughes, Bohannon, Wilson) and also return multiple players with experience in the backcourt(Leuer, Nankivil, Jarmusz). The Badgers seem to never get the respect or hype that they deserve, especially heading into the season. However, by the time March rolls around the Badgers always seem to find their way into the NCAA tournament field of 65. All the Badgers have done under Head Coach Bo Ryan is WIN. Bo Ryan has a career record of 173-60 since taking over in 2001 including a 84-30 record in Big Ten conference play. The Badgers have made the NCAA tounrament every year including 3 Sweet Sixteen Appearances and 1 Elite Eight Appearance. Bo Ryan has also made the Kohl Center become one of the toughest enviroments for opponents to play as the Badgers boost one of the best home W-L records in all of college basketball. Most college basketball fans and analysts find Bo Ryan's "Swing Offense" boring and methodical. Lets be honest, Wisconsin is not going to be able to get the blue chip recruits and flashy scorers that the premier programs like North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA, Michigan State, Duke, UConn, etc... bring in(However, I stand corrected...there was the one and only BRIAN BUTCH...hahaha). Yes, Wisconsin has produced NBA players such as Michael Finley, Devin Harris, and Alando Tucker, but those are exceptions. Bo Ryan brings in "role players" that he feels that will fit his system. Players that are willing to play possession to possession basketball on both ends of the floor. I believe that the Badgers have probably the most underrated PG in all of college basketball in Trevon Hughes. The entire country saw what he did in March last year. Fellow Guard Jason Bohannon is not too bad himself either. He plays hard and is very dangerous from 3-point range. The Badgers also have a lot of bodies they can throw down low in the post position in Jon Leuer, Keaton Nankivil, and Tim Jarmusz. Probably never heard of these guys. That is ok. That is excactly what the Badgers do not care about is hype. They will play their style of basketball and force you to play on both ends of the floor. They do not beat themselves by turning over the basketball, missing free-throws, or committing silly fouls. You have to beat them. As stated before even though the Badgers have been picked near the bottom of the Big Ten conference in preseason which looks to be the best conference this season in America with as many as 7 teams ranked in the Preseason Top 25, come March they will have the opportunity to be in the field of 65. They will have plenty of opportunities in conference play to bolster their tournament resume with a signature win. That is the good thing about playing in a tough conference. Every game is an opportunity to increase your stock to the eyes of the selection committee. The Badgers also have scheduled several non-conference opponents that will help prepare them in Duke, Arizona, Oakland, Marquette, and UWGB. Depending how they play in the Maui Invitational they could also play Gonzaga, UC, Maryland, or Vanderbilt. As you can see the Badgers will have several opportunities and chances to show the country that they do belong. No team not even the best teams on the country will have the same team on the floor at the start of the season in November than they will at the end in March. The college basketball season is way too long to jump to conclusion and year in and year out everyone seems to do that to the Badgers by simply counting them out. This year just like every year, the Badgers will find themselves as a figure on the National level. GO BADGERS!!!
FEAR BUCKY!!!
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