Team Slips In Polls, J-Bo Rises In Charts

Wisconsin dropped three spots in each of the new Associated Press (#14) and USA Today/ESPN Coaches (#16) polls out today thanks to last week's home loss to Illinois. The Badgers got leapfrogged by red hot Ohio State and a gaggle of mid-majors.

Still, in the AP's eyes, UW has four wins over the nation's top 11 teams. The team probably has it's confidence back too after the 83-55 demolition of Indiana this past Saturday. Wisconsin jumped out to a 12-point lead within the first five minutes, scored 46 first-half points and at one time held a 35-point lead. The Hoosiers were just what the doctor ordered ...

Jason Bohannon was the catalyst, notching a career-high 30 points and tying a school record for 3-pointers (7) in a game. J-Bo shot so well that he was allowed to rest at the end of the game -- he played an unusually low 32 minutes in the blowout. I cannot believe how open Indiana left him.

For the the sake of matchups, Mike Bruesewitz stepped in for Keaton Nankivil (20 mins) with seven rebounds in 18 minutes. Six of his boards were on the offensive end, continuing Bruiser's season-long proficiency in that area. Nankivil and Trevon Hughes grabbed six rebounds apiece also. If there was a down side, it was Hughes going scoreless in the second half after dominating with 16 points in the opening half.

While Nankivil and Bohannon got some rest, the five days until UW's next game is where the real recovery will come from. In light of Jon Leuer's return to practice, I think Wisconsin should be an energized bunch as it enters the stretch run of the conference season. At 19-6 and 9-4 in the Big Ten, the Badgers are already about to exceed my modest expectations, which for the record was a non-committal 10 or 11 wins in league play and a 20-10 record prior to the Big Ten tourney.

Here's a a look at how the two senior guards' progress on a few all-time lists after the weekend:

Player - Career 3-Pointers (Season Total)
1. Tim Locum - 227
2. Kirk Penney - 217
3. Michael Finley - 213
4. Jason Bohannon - 200 (56)
5. Trent Jackson - 193

Player - Career 3-Point Attempts (Season Total)
1. Michael Finley - 631
2. Kirk Penney - 561
3. Jason Bohannon - 523 (139)
4. Devin Harris - 499
5. Tim Locum - 481
6. Sean Mason - 471
7. Trevon Hughes - 437 (137)
8. Kammron Taylor - 430
8. Trent Jackson - 430
10. Tracy Webster - 406

Player - Career Free Throws (Season Total)
8. Sean Mason - 332
9. Dick Cable - 316
10. Trevon Hughes - 310 (83)
passed Paul Morrow - 307

Player - Career Free Throw Attempts (Season Total)
7. Joe Franklin - 476
8. Paul Morrow - 449
9. Trevon Hughes - 431 (117)
10. James Johnson - 429

Speaking of Tracey Webster ... oops!