Last Wednesday, the Badgers clinched their first Big Ten regular season men's basketball championship in 55 years.
This week they are setting their sights on something they've never had'a Big Ten Tournament Championship.
After ending their regular season with an emotional victory over Michigan, the Badgers got back to work this week in preparation of facing either Purdue or Iowa this Friday at 2 p.m. in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
\We're really getting after it in practice,"" freshman forward Mike Wilkinson said. ""The coaches will have us prepared for either Purdue or Iowa.""
The Badgers, riding a six-game winning streak, are not looking to change the approach that brought them key wins during the Big Ten regular season.
""We feel as if we handle our fundamentals, like were capable of doing, everything will fall into place,"" Wilkinson said. ""Every win has been a big win for us this year.""
While the Badgers will have a week-and-a-half layoff when they take the court for their first game in the Big Ten Tournament, the pressure of being the No. 1 seed does not seem to faze them.
""We don't feel any pressure,"" freshman shooting guard Devin Harris said. ""We just want to win it for ourselves and for our fans. If we come out confident, we should be able to win.""
Many of the Badgers viewed the week off as an advantage for them.
After last week's midterms and celebration of the Big Ten regular season championship Wednesday night, many of the Badgers took time away from the game this past weekend to relax and get ahead in their studies.
""We just tried to stay off our feet, hang out with friends'stuff you don't usually get to do during the regular season,"" junior forward Kirk Penney said.
Wilkinson said he also used the weekend to relax and get away from the court.
""After practice on Friday night I just sat home watched a movie, played video games,"" Wilkinson said. ""Basically, I wanted to use the weekend to get away from basketball and clear the mind. I feel really good now and am really ready to come back, really looking forward to playing.""
With four teams sharing the regular season championship and eight teams holding winning records, this year's tournament could be the most wide open in the tournament's five-year history.
As a result, the Badgers know that if they want the championship, they need to play their best basketball.
""Fortunately, we've been able to beat every team in the Big Ten, and there's no one to be afraid of, but we have so much respect for every team, that every game will be a battle, no doubt about it,"" Penney said.
Can the Badgers continue their surprising season? A well rested, confident squad seems to think so.
