Wisconsin Badgers
Big Ten (24-9, 12-6)
Not many people talk about Wisconsin year in and year out, but Bo Ryan’s teams always find themselves in the mix for the conference title every season. It’s been an interesting ride for the Badgers, as they seemed to have some inexplicable losses. What’s even more startling is their home losses. Annually, Wisconsin has one of the best home records in the country. They lost three games at the Kohl Center this season, which is a rarity for a team that consistently gobbles up wins on their home floor. Despite a mid-season three game skid, the Badgers rattled off six wins in a row to vault themselves into a favorable position during late January and leveled out by the end of the year.
Big Wins: 12/10 UNLV (62-51), 1/26 Indiana (57-50), 2/25 at Ohio State (63-60)
Bad Losses: 12/3 Marquette (54-61), 12/31 Iowa (65-72), 2/23 at Iowa (66-67)
Coach: Bo Ryan (11 seasons at Wisconsin)
Why They Can Surprise:
This is a veteran team for Bo Ryan with a stud in senior Jordan Taylor. He averages nearly 15 points per game. He sets the pace and the tone for the team each game. More importantly, this team is predicated on defense. Wisconsin is third in the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to an abysmal 37.7% per game. Not many teams can beat you when they can’t get the ball in the bucket because of tough matchups for opposing shooters. The Badgers also take care of the ball. They are number two in the country in turnovers at just under 9 per game. They value possessions to give themselves better opportunities to score in the half-court game.
Why They Can Disappoint:
It helps that they steadily run their half-court offense, but this is a team that has trouble scoring. They prevent other teams from scoring, but can’t put the ball in the bucket themselves. They only score just over 63 points per game, and deep in the tournament they will face more proficient offensive teams. Defense is great, but points win games. Lack of scoring cost them against Marquette and Michigan earlier in the season. On a neutral floor with no advantage the ability to put up points will become even more vital.
Probable Starters:
Jordan Taylor, Senior, Guard, 14.7 ppg, 4.0 apg
Josh Gasser, Sophomore, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 2.0 apg, 4.3 rpg
Ryan Evans, Junior, Guard-Forward, 10.9 ppg, 1.6 apg, 6.8 rpg
Mike Bruesewitz, Junior, Forward, 5.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Jared Berggren, Junior, Forward-Center, 10.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Ben Brust, Sophomore, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Rob Wilson, Senior, Guard, 4.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 63.8 (259, 10)
Scoring Defense: 51.9 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.4 (225, 11)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.7 (3, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.5 (67, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.5 (113, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.9 (38, 3)
Rebound Margin: 2.5 (97, 6)
Assists Per Game: 11.6 (264, 11)
Turnovers Per Game: 8.9 (2, 2)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Wisconsin 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Belmont
Wisconsin 2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kansas State
Wisconsin 2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Butler
Wisconsin 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Wofford
Wisconsin 2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Cornell
Wisconsin 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Florida State
Wisconsin 2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Xavier
Wisconsin 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cal State Fullerton
Wisconsin 2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Kansas State
Wisconsin 2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Davidson
Wisconsin 2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Wisconsin 2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to UNLV
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
