Vote for Postseason Awards

Tuesday night was the Wisconsin men's basketball postseason reception. In particular, the season highlight video put together by Matt Ryan was very well done and is worth a look.

Along the same lines, online voting ends today for the 2009-10 men's basketball awards. When I watched the nominees for Play of the Year or Individual Performance of the Year, I got a renewed sense of appreciation for the great year this group of Badgers really had. Now that a few weeks have passed since the end of the season, it doesn't seem so bad that the team peaked earlier than you'd like -- the enjoyable part is that Wisconsin reached a significant peak, highlighted by three home wins over teams ranked in the Coaches' Top 5.

Voting is closed -- see the winners now!

Allow me to make a case in each category:

1. Best Game of the Season: 73-69 win over Duke
A no-brainer really. Duke is a combination college hoops royalty and the evil empire all in one, so this was a big hill to climb. A wire-to-wire win eradicated a bad memory from 2007 and this contest was close enough throughout that the outcome was truly up for grabs. A not-so-close second place goes to punishing Michigan State, 67-49, at the Kohl Center in February.

2. Greatest Individual Performance: Trevon Hughes vs. Duke
Several good options here, but Hughes played perhaps the finest game of his career against the Blue Devils. Not a stat-stuffer event (he added just 2 rebs, 2 assts, 1 blk & 1 stl), but Hughes was the one Badger who the team was counting on to athletically get his own shot that night. He delivered with 26 pts. And had zero turnovers to boot. The sheer variety of way in which he scored was dazzling.

I would be remiss if I didn't reiterate how much I enjoyed watching Keaton Nankivil hit 7-of-8 treys in the losing effort at Purdue. Just amazing, which is more than I can say about Jason Bohannon's barrage against Indiana I'm afraid. The Hoosiers are just terrible. But both Hughes' night on the road in Evanston and Jordan Taylor's performance against Penn State both received heavy consideration for my vote. I remember feeling resigned to Wisconsin dropping a home game to the Nittany Lions of all teams while listening to that game on the radio. Then Taylor became possessed ... and a minor miracle ensued. Good times!

3. Play of the Year: Hughes' steal and alley-oop to Nankivil vs. Iowa
Showtime at the Kohl Center showcased Pop's defense, ball handling and knack for the moment, as well as Nankivil's athleticism. Gave the crowd exactly what they wanted to punctuate a big win.

Note this wasn't called the "most important" play of the year or else I would have voted for Jon Leuer's winner against Wofford, which was incredibly clutch. And the prettiest has got to be Hughes' spin and rainbow J against Duke. That one is etched in my memory for good.

4. Greatest Team Accomplishment: Beating three Top 10 teams
This is one of those things that happens once in a generation really (at least for Wisconsin it had been 21 seasons). Kind of ties into the 16-1 home record also. Leading the nation in fewest turnovers looks nice on the résumé, but I'd trade it for a few more wins in a heartbeat.

5. Team MVP: Jon Leuer
This one was tough. I believe Leuer is the most talented player on the roster and he really came into this own this year. As the only legit post presence on the team, he was the single player most vital to UW's success. Wisconsin's success without Leuer was admirable, but the way Hughes reverted to his old ways at the season's end pretty much clinched this one in my mind. A close third to J-Bo, who really stepped up when Bo needed him most (during Leuer's injury).

6. Most Improved Player: Jordan Taylor
Just a sophomore, Taylor had basically become Wisconsin's true point guard even before he was inserted into the starting lineup. His mercurial assist-to-turnover ratio (3:1) stands out the most, along with his assists, but it was his confidence that took the biggest step. Perhaps that's why he improved his 3-point shooting from 19% to 32.5% and his overall FG% from 26% to nearly 40% (a 71% and 51% improvement, respectively!!).

This category was clearly a two-horse race between JT and Leuer. Leuer started the year as a bit player with potential to a potential NBA draft pick and one of the favorites for next year's Big Ten Player of the Year award.

7. Which non-starter are you most excited about: Ryan Evans
And of the four players, this was my order: Evans > Rob Wilson > Mike Bruesewitz > Jared Berggren. Wilson was my first thought, since I believe he will blossom with a bump up to more playing time as a junior. Love his aggressiveness. The more I thought about it though, aggressiveness is Evans' game too. And as a freshman, Evans played even more than Wilson did, despite still being such a raw prospect. His skill set is much different than anyone else on next year's team. Evans is a big x-factor -- I'd love to see that haircut in the starting five next year.

Departing Seniors vs. The Record Book

Now that the books have closed on the careers of Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon, it's time to take a look at what statistical mark they actually left on the program. The duo graces many of Wisconsin's career leaderboards after a successful senior campaign that brought both players all-conference honors.

Hughes was Second Team All-Big Ten and made the conference's All-Defensive Team this season. Bohannon, the 2007-08 Sixth Man of the Year, was a Third Team All-Big Ten choice and received Wisconsin's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award as well.

As expected, Bohannon finished among Wisconsin's all-time best in career free throw percentage when he set a personal best (87.3%) from the charity stripe in 2009-10. But J-Bo's steady contributions also allowed him to shatter the school record for minutes played in one season with 1,214, topping Kam Taylor's old mark. The Iowan ranks second all-time with 135 game appearances, behind only Krabbenhoft (136).

Pop, on the other hand, started 100 of the 132 games he played in his career, good for eighth and fourth respectively. His most prolific accomplishment was passing Michael Flowers to rank third in career steals. Hughes also edged Joe Krabbenhoft by one assist to reach the Top Ten in all-time assists.

But Jordan Taylor may surpass Hughes in assists as soon as next season. Not to be out-done by his older teammates, Taylor tied for the 7th-most assists in a single season, tying Mark Vershaw and Wes Matthews with 118 dimes. The sophomore also boasted the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Wisconsin history (3.03:1). But it was Jon Leuer, despite missing nine games, who got the only honorable mention league honors for the Badgers.

Player - Career Steals (Season Total)
1. Mike Kelley - 275
2. Tracy Webster - 183
3. Trevon Hughes - 177 (55)
4. Michael Flowers - 171
5. Mike Wilkinson - 169
6. Michael Finley - 168
7. Devin Harris - 164
8. Trent Jackson - 151
9. Hennssy Auriantal - 133
10. Claude Gregory - 131

Player - Career Assists (Season Total)
1. Tracy Webster - 501
2. Mike Heineman - 388
3. Michael Finley - 371
4. Mike Kelley - 344
5. Tom Molaski - 335
6. Mark Vershaw - 311
7. Devin Harris - 295
8. Arnold Gaines - 290
9. Michael Flowers - 278
10. Trevon Hughes - 277 (86)

Player - Career 3-Point Field Goals (Season Total)
1. Tim Locum - 227
2. Kirk Penney - 217
3. Michael Finley - 213
4. Jason Bohannon - 212 (68, tied for 9th-most in a season)
5. Trent Jackson - 193
6. Devin Harris - 187
7. Trevon Hughes - 175 (74, tied for 4th-most in a season)
8. Tracy Webster - 167
9. Sean Mason - 166
10. Kammron Taylor - 163

Player - Career 3-Point Field Goal Attempts (Season Total)
1. Michael Finley - 631
2. Kirk Penney - 561
3. Jason Bohannon - 559 (175, tied himself for 8th-most in a season)
4. Devin Harris - 499
5. Trevon Hughes - 487 (187, 5th-most in a season)
6. Tim Locum - 481
7. Sean Mason - 471
8. Kammron Taylor - 430 (tie)
8. Trent Jackson - 430 (tie)
10. Tracy Webster - 406

Player - Career Free Throws (Season Total)
1. Alando Tucker - 520
2. Michael Finley - 456
3. Claude Gregory - 433
4. Danny Jones - 408
4. Clarence Sherrod - 408
6. Mike Wilkinson - 394
7. Devin Harris - 362
8. Trevon Hughes - 334 (107)
9. Sean Mason - 332
10. Dick Cable - 316

Player - Career Free Throw Attempts (Season Total)
1. Alando Tucker - 817
2. Danny Jones - 599
3. Michael Finley - 593
4. Claude Gregory - 586
5. Mike Wilkinson - 534
6. Clarence Sherrod - 522
7. Joe Franklin - 476
8. Trevon Hughes - 464 (150)
9. Paul Morrow - 449
10. James Johnson - 429

Player - Career Free Throw Percentage (Season)
1. Rick Olson - .870
2. Tim Locum - .856
3. Jason Bohannon - .848 (.873, 6th-best single-season mark)
4. Wes Matthews - .817
5. Mike Carlin - .804
6. Dick Miller - .801
7. Kammron Taylor - .795
8. Sean Mason - .794
9. Clarence Sherrod - .782
10. Devin Harris - .778

Player - Career Minutes (Season Total)
1. Alando Tucker - 4,247
2. Mike Wilkinson - 4,023
3. Rick Olson - 3,962
4. Michael Finley - 3,945
5. Jason Bohannon - 3,749 (1,214, most in Wisconsin single-season history)
6. Mike Kelley - 3,712
7. Danny Jones - 3,623
8. Mark Vershaw - 3,466
9. Trevon Hughes - 3,438 (1,077)
10. Kirk Penney - 3,416

Wisconsin Delivers A Decisive First Loss

Michigan State's dreams of an undefeated Big Ten campaign were dashed convincingly by the hot-shooting Wisconsin Badgers, 67-49, at the Kohl Center Tuesday night. For the moment, Wisconsin (17-5, 7-3) has gained sole possession of second place in the Big Ten conference race.

The keys to the game were evident. I counted four of them. Wisconsin got out to a big early lead, shot well, dominated the turnover battle and limited MSU's second chances.

The Badgers jumped all over the fifth-ranked Spartans right from the outset, perhaps due to Greg Gard's preparation that Bo Ryan gushed about in his legendary post-game interview with Erin Andrews (those facial expressions!). It was crucial that the team was able to maintain the early energy and a nice 8-1 cushion.

Keep in mind that Michigan State (19-4,9-1) seemed to be hitting everything in sight at this point also. The Spartans were not punch drunk. However, when MSU did miss, a Badger was there to clean the glass. Wisconsin refused to falter despite Trevon Hughes sitting with early foul trouble. The Badgers stayed aggressive and extended the early lead to 34-17, finally carrying a 15-point lead into the break. [box score]

I was completely wrong about Jason Bohannon in my game preview. Not only did he break out of a recent slump with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, but he bottled up Chris Allen on defense. Quite a performance for J-Bo, hitting step backs, treys and just being opportunistic.

Joining Bohannon in playing all 40 minutes was sophomore Jordan Taylor. Can you believe Bo gets this kid for two more full seasons? Hughes on the bench in the first half and forcing shots early in the second half, Taylor never skipped a beat. He acts like he already knows it's his team. Taylor added 4 rebounds and 4 assists to his 17 points, turning the ball over only once.

Props to Ryan Evans for grabbing some big rebounds and Keaton Nankivil for playing good position defense. But Rob Wilson was impressive too, hitting all five of his shots for 10 points. He was aggressive when posting up and looked comfortable doing it. Contributions from all angles basically broke Michigan State's spirit. Wisconsin's timely shots never gave the Spartans a chance to come up for air.

When you add in the unfortunate injury to Kalin Lucas, the Spartans never really had a prayer. The Badgers shot over 50% from the floor. While four Badgers scored in double figures, it took a late flurry for the first Spartan (Durrell Summers) to crack that same barrier. Oddly, Korie Lucious indicated that the team saw the writing on the wall before the game:

"In practice, we just haven't been bringing it like we should have," Lucious said. "We haven't had the energy like we should have and Coach (Izzo) has been telling us that for the last couple days."

Michigan State eventually padded their rebounding totals (31 total, 11 offensive) in part because of their own turnovers (13). They were able to corral nearly 38% of their own misses, far above the lofty standard Wisconsin usually surrenders. That statistic did not translate into any momentum whatsoever though.

It should also be noted that once Hughes got his head back into the game, he made several great passes and paced Wisconsin with 7 assists against only one turnover. The team had only five turnovers in all.

Jordan Taylor Is Ripped

If you came across Rob Schultz' piece on Jordan Taylor at Madison.com this past weekend, the picture is nothing new. So for those scoring at home, Taylor didn't strap the Badgers on his back during the Penn State comeback -- he bench pressed them to victory.

Maui Invitational: Game 2

Gonzaga coasted to victory over a slower Wisconsin team Tuesday night to advance to the Maui Invitational championship game. The Bulldogs proved they were an underrated team, one which will probably be ranked for much of the year.

Even though the Badgers avoided the foul trouble that plagued them the night before, they still got beat up on the inside. And not just by big man Robert Sacre. No, it was Gonzaga's penetration that manhandled Wisconsin. None of Wisconsin's guards could stay in front of Steven Gray or Demetri Goodson. In fact, the Zags' three starting guards combined for 42 points with only one 3-pointer among them. [box score]

Overall, way too much scrambling on defense throughout the contest. And more subpar shooting. Wisconsin shot under 40% for the second straight night and is hitting threes at a dreadful 24% clip (18-of-74!) through four games. The Zags made 33% more free throws (21) than the Badgers attempted (14). The unlikely trend gains momentum ...

The game commentators hit it right on the head when they were discussing how Wisconsin's offense comes within the confines of the system because the team lacks playmakers besides Trevon Hughes and perhaps Jon Leuer. Guys like Tim Jarmusz and Jason Bohannon can only take what the defense gives them. When the opponent gives nothing, those players give the Badgers nothing.

Even last night's stars had bad games. Hughes failed to get to the free throw line and had zero assists in 30 minutes. Keaton Nankivil had a tough night from the floor, including another missed dunk that may have brought down the house. My conclusion is that he must have small hands; I'm not sure how else he keeps clanking these.

The stats will show that Leuer shot under 50% from the field, but watching the first 35 minutes of play, you would have thought he hit everything. Leuer, who scored 18 points, found a real rhythm inside, especially with the short baseline jumpers. I would not mind if he stopped shooting treys altogether.

Early on, you could see bits and pieces of Hughes' style in Jordan Taylor's moves to the hoop. He continued to build on some those successfully drives and wound up with a career high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Pretty impressive and encouraging considering how much the team will need him to fill that role next season.

Tomorrow's title game matchup between Robert Sacre and Cincinnati's Yancy Gates should be fun to watch. Wisconsin will play Maryland in the 3rd place game at 3:30 pm CT. Three quality opponents to start the season in my opinion. By the way, SI.com's Luke Winn wrote a good article about the recent evolution of the preseason tournament scene and how it has been influenced by the Worldwide Leader.

The Perfect Storm Continues

There is no doubt that Wisconsin played better in its second meeting with Purdue than it has been lately. At least the Badgers came out with a little more intensity and toughness than usual, which was exciting to see. Unfortunately, the familiar contributing factors kept the Badgers (12-8, 3-5) down in the dumps again as they lost their fifth straight game, 64-63, on Tuesday night.

Wisconsin surrendered an effective field goal percentage of 66.7% to Purdue, which is the worst of the season by a wide margin. It looked as bad as the statistic sounds too. In the first half, the Badgers gave up too many layups to driving Boiler guards who faced no help defense. Though UW made up the halftime deficit with two quick 3-pointers, the adjustments to the penetration was a basic "pick your poison" situation. Purdue (16-4, 5-2) made three straight daggers from behind the arc in the final minutes to make the Badgers pay. And at least two of those shots were wide-open attempts.

:: Contributing factor #1: Wisconsin is a team of average defensive players. That will not cut it against Purdue, who has forced UW into two of its three least efficient nights defensively this season (Virginia Tech being the worst). In particular, Robbie Hummel does whatever he wants against Wisconsin since Purdue's screening offense leaves him wide open half of the time. I saw both Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft either make bad choices getting around screens or failing to keep up with the guy.

On the flip side, the Badgers were very efficient on offense themselves, but again, could not sustain the effort for a full 40 minutes. Whereas Trevon Hughes was penetrating earlier in the game, by the end, Jordan Taylor found no one calling for the ball at crunch time. In a game where the Boilermakers can individually shut down each of the Badgers with solid defense, submissiveness is a death sentence. The freshman point man took the last four meaningful shots for Wisconsin.

:: Contributing factor #2: The Badgers lack a true scorer with a leader's mentality. Give Purdue credit ... they turned it up a notch on defense when it counted. But the Wisconsin offense often looks its worst when a score is most critical. It bogged down on Tuesday night when each of UW's players became passive yet again. A big part of being a go-to player is knowing when to seize that inch that the defense gives you, even if it's early in the shot clock. Likewise, with Hughes in mind, the player must make sure he completes the play with a good finish or the best pass.

Though I don't fault Taylor for the his drive in the final 17 seconds, I think he is one of the last people you want shooting the 3-pointer Wisconsin was looking for when 35 seconds remained. Shooting percentages rarely lie and Taylor is hitting only one out of every nine shots from long distance.

:: Contributing factor #3: Jason Bohannon's slump is destroying the season. You would love to run a player like J-Bo off a double-screen every now and then to get him a good look, but even the open shots are not falling right now. It has gotten to the point where he is in his own head, passing up open opportunities. J-Bo will turn it around eventually, but I am not sure it will be in time to make a run to the NCAAs.

Keaton Nankivil's sweet touch was the silver lining for the Badgers in the midst of this mass of cloudy weather. You absolutely cannot waste a 21-point performance from someone who has given you nothing for weeks. Nankivil, who was averaging 4.3 ppg prior to the game, was feeeee-ling it. By hitting all five of his treys, the sophomore kept Wisconsin in the game all by himself. [box score]

Unfortunately, Nankivil's play also kept Jon Leuer on the bench for the most part. Leuer scored only two points and has been non-existent since the Minnesota game as his minutes have steadily dropped. I wonder what would have happened if Bo gave Leuer a chance to get in more of a rhythm last night alongside Nankivil. It would have come at the expense of Landry, but so what? JuJuan Johnson seems to render Landry invisible anyway. With Nankivil's outside shot falling, the team could have used Leuer's length and quickness in the mid-range zones. The lanky one seems to have fallen in love with the trey, though he is actually less effective on 3-pointers than Bohannon this year.

Landry's Actions Speak Volumes

You hear the term "statement game" from time to time and it is often hard to define. But you know one when you see one. Marcus Landry made a loud statement Sunday afternoon during Wisconsin's season-opening roller coaster of a win against Long Beach State.

Landry's 23-point, three-block performance at the Kohl Center said, in essence, "You can count on me." This was not the same Marcus that got out to slow starts the past two years and traditionally starts out games innocuously. Long Beach Marcus was not laid back, with his mind on his money. He was fired up.

The senior from Milwaukee was money from three-point land though, hitting 3-of-5 smooth-looking shots behind the arc, including the backbreaker off a Trevon Hughes dish with 30 seconds left. Landry beat his chest and flexed occasionally to provide some Tucker-esque leadership. Somewhere, Alando was smiling.

The game will not land on many defensive highlight reels, except for Landry's clutch blocked shots. Overall, it was played at pretty slow pace that seemed to favor the Badgers. However, Wisconsin's defensive efficiency was only 103.2 for the game. Last season, UW went just 5-4 in the nine games it allowed the opponent to post an offensive efficiency over 100. After a hot start, LBSU cooled off from 3-point land (5-for-18 overall), where UW actually had an advantage (8-for-18), which would have you expecting a Badger rout. [box score]

But Wisconsin's entire team gave up too much inside to the relentless 49ers. Eleven of LBSU's 13 second-half field goals were either a lay-up, tip-in or dunk. Landry carried his weight offensively and defensively, but once Keaton Nankivil started to get a little offensive rhythm going, he was back on the bench, presumably because of something he was not doing defensively.

Joe Krabbenhoft had trouble in the second half bottling up guard Donovan Morris, who single-handedly brought his team back to within two, 57-55, with seven minutes remaining. Apparently Jon Leuer, who flew down the lane for an aggressive lay-in earlier on, was not an acceptable answer inside either.

Nope, Tim Jarmusz rounded out the crunch-time lineup. To me, this was an oh-uh moment for Nankivil and Leuer fans. Then again, Jarmusz was the only true freshman that Bo Ryan felt comfortable inserting into close games last season. TJ was his typical, chippy self contributing to another Badger win. Bo admitted after the game that he planned to send Nankivil in, but just couldn't:

"[Jarmusz] was hustling so hard that the guy had to tackle him to keep him from getting to the free throw line. I was going to put Keaton in there right before that but the way Tim was playing and their small line-up and they were running guys off of those screens ... He played big and with that kind of drive and hustle, I couldn’t take him out.”

As for this year's freshman, Bo did not hesitate to insert Jordan Taylor when he saw Hughes make a few wrong moves. Taylor's 15 solid minutes included a beautiful alley-oop pass to Landry right before halftime. It underscores again the faith this coaching staff already has in its freshman floor leader. The knock on Taylor has been that despite being Big Ten-ready right now, he somehow has a limited ceiling. If he proves people wrong on that point each year, Taylor could wind up being one of the best pure point guards Wisconsin has ever seen.

On the Stove Top: Links (4/3)

As we delve into the off-season, content is harder to come by. Thus, a collection of links to catch up on the week's happenings ...

- If you have time, read Monday's article by Rob Hernandez on Jonte Flowers in the Wisconsin State Journal. The whole story was well done, but the Michael Flowers quote rehashed by Hernandez is what stuck out to me:

"Good leadership produces winners,'' Michael said. "But great leadership produces other great leaders. That's what I think of Jonte."

Some might have heard a variation of that quote at some point, but I had not. That shows a great level of respect was present in the Flowers household as all those brothers developed into great athletes ... no doubt fueled by some scrappy driveway pickup games. Now, Jonte finds himself with an opportunity to play basketball professionally, his first step being the Portsmouth Invitational. The same invite led Kam Taylor to a professional contract in Spain; let's see if Flowers can do better.

- The St. Paul Pioneer Press named Jordan Taylor its 2007-08 Player of the Year this week. Will Minnesota's Mr. Basketball be Taylor's next accolade? He cannot arrive in Madison soon enough.

- Speaking of next year's new comers, one rumor gaining steam this week is that Phoenix-area wing Ryan Evans will be joining the Badgers in 2008 as well. Evans, whose father played at UW, seems capable and willing to walk-on to the program, but the intriguing part of this rumor is exactly when and for how long Evans might be paying his own way. Would he in fact be given only a one-year free ride his freshman year, thereby "holding" a scholarship for Jamil Wilson starting in '09, or be a preferred walk-on for a few years with the possibility of earning a schollie down the line. An ArizonaPreps.com article referenced on the Wishoops.net message board seems to be the source of the speculation.

- The collegiate season will culminate this weekend, but the summer high school circuit is already underway. Wishoops.net is running a series of previews for some of the state's best amateur programs, including the following:
:: Wisconsin Playground Warriors 6U (feat. C Evan Anderson, Sussex Hamilton G Kameron Cerroni & Milw. Lutheran G T.J. Kadima)
:: DTA 16U (feat. Milwaukee-area talent like G Flavien Davis & Milw. Custer PF Calvin Godfrey)
:: Tosa Bandits 17U (feat. Wauwatosa East G Keondre Gholston & the Lawson brothers of Racine St. Catherine's)

-Snubbed by the NCAA Tournament committee, Ohio State marched through the NIT and dominated UMass in the second half to claim its own postseason title Thursday night. Small consolation for the Big Ten.

Assuming Kosta Koufos goes pro, Ohio State will be facing the loss of its three top scorers again this offseason. The Buckeyes do have a nice, young nucleus on the perimeter in David Lighty, Evan Turner and Jon Diebler. But Dallas Lauderdale and McDonald's All-American B.J. Mullens are no Greg Odens.

- If you are a glutton for punishment, take another gander at the numbers from Davidson's demolition of Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. From a defensive efficiency standpoint, the game was far and away UW's worst of the year, allowing 1.34+ points-per-possession. The 18-2 advantage for Davidson on fast breaks sheds some light on how that happened.

- Camp Lambeau came to the defense of the swing offense. I myself think the offense--as espoused by Bo Ryan--has some inherent shortcomings, but that discussion is for another day.

Beat Those Wildcats ... Again

Davidson College famously offered free transportation for the 648-mile trip to tonight's game in Detroit, along with paid tickets and lodging, but only about 350 students will be making the bus trip due to the short-term logistics. Conversely, the Kohl Center is 406 miles from Ford Field, so you've got to hope for a large UW contingent to make up for all the Kansas, Villanova and Davidson fans cheering for the Wildcats in what could be one of the largest crowds ever to see an NCAA Regional game. Diverted traffic will be wreaking havoc on Motown's motorists this weekend, but the thick, unwelcome snow that fell last night hopefully has not kept the Badger faithful from arriving safely in town.

Much has been made of the cavernous atmosphere of Ford Field. Incidentally some have speculated whether something similar is a factor behind Wisconsin's success within the Kohl Center. Much ado about nothing I say. There will be a few constants in this Badger game: Flowers will D up and Curry will still get his shots off (although, didn't you notice, he is on a downward scoring trend? 40, then 30, now ... 20?!)

When it comes down to the strategy, you know Bo is sticking to his plan. Touch the post. It should be Brian Butch's world tonight, with everyone else just a guest. The truly remarkable story will be if Wisconsin can win the game and Butch doesn't have his national coming out party tonight. In that case, one of the other Badgers will have stepped up at the game's tipping point, because without Butch blowing up, this one is going down to the wire. But my money is on Butch; I just feel it. The state will be giddy to advance one its favorite native sons to the Elite 8 in his final trip around the block.

: : :

After reviewing the highlights of Benilde-St. Margaret's quarterfinal victory, I can see why Jordan Taylor nailed so many treys: no perimeter defense. Without seeing the whole game, maybe his attacks to the hoop were so devastating that the other team laid off, I dunno. Taylor did shoot 16-of-18 from the charity stripe and fouled out his defender after all. It was more of the same Thursday night as BSM advanced to the Class 3A championship game with a 100-70 waxing of Minneapolis Patrick Henry.

"We wanted to put our foot on their throat and not let up," Taylor said.

With the win, the Red Knights earned a Saturday rematch with St. Thomas Academy in a repeat of last year's final game.

Mike Bruesewitz notched an impressive 18/16 double-double to lead Henry Sibley into the Class 4A title game on Saturday. He also won the match of wits with uber-talented Rodney Williams. I don't think the Warriors will be intimidated at all by Minnetonka in the championship. This should be a nice comparison of prep hoops between Wisconsin and Minnesota since Madison Memorial spanked Minnetonka earlier this year. Needless to say, I was not that impressed with the Skippers at the time.

Land Of A Thousand Hoops

Once again I got caught up in the March Madness of the WIAA boys state tournament even though there were no surefire Badgers competing this year. Therefore, it's safe to say I am interested in the results from the Minnesota (MSHSL) boys state tournament, which kicks into high gear over the next two weeks.

As you know, three prep standouts from our neighboring state have already committed to play their college hoops in Madison: Jordan Taylor, Jared Berggren and Mike Bruesewitz. The two seniors, Taylor and Berggren, are both leading teams playing at the 3A level. Bruiser and Co. play in the largest school division, Class 4A. Two lower classes began preliminary rounds last week, but the big boys started Tuesday.

Benilde-St. Margaret's (BSM) is the top seed in their Section and hosted a first-round game against Mound-Westonka last night. With 63 first-half points, the Red Knights (24-3) cruised to a 90-42 win. Taylor scored 16 points and Tulsa-bound Armond Battle added a game-high 25. BSM, which lost in the Class 3A championship game last season, plays Minneapolis Washburn on Thursday.

The Warriors of Henry Sibley HS feature Bruesewitz and several other key players in their lineup. The firepower will be needed as the team was awarded a 2-seed in probably the second-toughest 4A Section, next to the Section 6, featuring metro-area #1 Hopkins, #2 Minnetonka and #4 Wayzata. Bruesewitz, a junior forward, was held to five points in a 69-42 victory over White Bear Lake last night. Sibley (22-5) plays again Friday versus Woodbury, who pulled out a first-round upset.

On Thursday, Berggren's second-seeded Princeton Tigers (17-9) host their opener, versus Annandale (5-20).

All this out-of-state info and I haven't even mentioned a pair of junior forwards that were offered scholarships from Bo Ryan's staff. Royce White's former school, DeLaSalle in Minneapolis, opened with an upset win over Jon Leuer's old high school (Orono). It is tough for a young man to see his dreams start to circle the drain, but hopefully White can learn from the past few weeks and land on his feet somewhere after his dismissal. Unfortunately it will not be at Wisconsin. Likewise, Robbinsdale Cooper's Rodney Williams reportedly is in an academic quandry similar to Jeronne Maymon. If the Badgers are still going after Williams, it will not be for much longer. Cooper, a 3-seed, also advanced to the section semifinals last night behind Williams' 21 points.