MADISON, Wis. – If two words could accurately describe what the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team has given its fan base through the first three months of the 2019-20 season, ‘maddeningly’ and ‘unexpected’ would be at the top of the category.
After all, the Badgers’ Big Ten conference schedule has gone like this: blowout win over Indiana, head-scratching loss at Rutgers, uplifting win at No.5 Ohio State, close home loss to Illinois, resilient win at No.20 Penn State. For a youthful group with a glass half-full approach, the Badgers have championed a slogan: “learn it, burn it and turn it.”
“Basketball is such a quick turnaround you have to make sure you are moving on to the next game and refocusing yourself on your next opponent,” Wisconsin junior Micah Potter said. “Because of how tough the league has been for everyone, it’s huge to move on to your next game and make sure you are focused all the time. There’s not really any team in this conference that can’t beat anybody.”
The next two pages for the Badgers (10-6, 3-2 Big Ten) will fit in well with the challenging narrative. Wisconsin will host No.17 Maryland (13-3, 3-2) tonight before traveling to East Lansing to take on Michigan State (13-4, 5-1) in a venue UW hasn’t won in since 2004.
Wisconsin has faired far better against the Terrapins, going 4-3 with Greg Gard in the head coaching position and 2-1 at the Kohl Center.
Having the third-toughest strength of schedule according to the NET rankings (UW is fourth), Maryland is 0-3 on the road but have an All-American candidate in Anthony Cowan. The senior has scored at least 16 points in nine of his last 12 games, at least 20 points in five of those games.
Compared by Gard to Michigan’s Xavier Simpson and Michigan State’s Cassius Winston for his ability to probe the lane, set up teammates and run a team, Cowan generates a lot of those points by leading the Big Ten in both free throws made (81) and attempted (107), a skill that comes with his ability to probe the defense looking for a small gap to attack the basket.
“The speed with the ball, he can put a lot of pressure on you in transition,” Gard said of Cowan. “He gets to the foul line a lot, so he’s drawing fouls and attacking the basket … They have a lot of guys who can score, but when you have but I think the biggest thing with Cowan is the experience and talent. He’s consistently putting pressure on you, which good point guards do.”
Nearing the end of a stretch where Wisconsin plays four ranked opponents in two weeks, the Badgers have found themselves being pressed and stressed in unfamiliar ways. The word that comes to mind from the UW players and coaches is growth, or at least accelerated growth.
After breaking down defensively down the stretch in a surprising home loss to Illinois, Wisconsin found itself in a similarly precarious situation in the second half Saturday at Penn State. Seeing a 12-point lead cut to four in less than four minutes, a well-placed television timeout helped composure to be restored.
Getting a three-point play on the next possession after two offensive rebounds, UW’s 9-2 run effectively salted the game away. Gard said UW likely would not have been able to handle that punch, especially on the road, two months ago.
Learn it, burn it and turn it: likely available on a t-shirt in a UW bookstore near you.
“It’s growth that you want to see as a coach,” assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft said. “They’ve always listened. They’ve always been coachable. Sometimes you’ve got to learn the hard way, and that’s OK. You’re going to make mistakes, but you’ve got to keep on keeping on with the way we play.”
