\Our players aren't concerned [about not being ranked],"" UW Head Basketball Coach Bo Ryan said after the polls were released Monday. ""They just enjoy coming out and getting ready for every game, whether or not people think you're good.""
All I can say is thank you,""Coach Ryan. Thank you for speaking the truth. Thank you for showing Wisconsin fans that it does not matter whether or not the Badgers are ranked, and that as fans, we really shouldn't care.
I wish that Bo Ryan could instill these beliefs in the rest of the media, as well as the student body here at UW-Madison. Earlier this week I was disgusted at the amount of fans, students and media that simply couldn't let the fact that the Badgers were not ranked go unnoticed.
I mean, does it really matter?
Of course the Badgers would like some national recognition, and they have posted an impressive 18-6 record thus far, but when their ""qualifications"" are examined thoroughly, it is no surprise that they are not yet ranked among the elite teams in college basketball.
You might argue that the Badgers came off an impressive week in which they beat Big Ten powers Michigan State and Indiana in convincing fashion. But please explain to me how it is at all impressive to beat a team at home that Northwestern beat on their home floor. Please explain to me how beating a team that can't score for 9:23 straight against Illinois, has compiled an impressive 1-5 record on the road in the Big Ten and is without their second leading scorer is impressive. And please explain to me how losing to Penn State is at all acceptable, let alone impressive.
Do NOT get me wrong. I love this Wisconsin basketball team, and they have an unbelievable future ahead of them. I follow them as closely as any sports team outside of my beloved White Sox. I drove nine hours Purdue on a Wednesday night. I will be in Chicago to watch the entire Big Ten Tournament, and I will follow them wherever they go come March. And yes, I am the idiot that shaved his head and paints himself red for home games. So whatever you do, do not think that I am against this basketball program, because you could not be farther from the truth.
I am just looking at this from the outside. Last time I checked, Top 25 teams usually have to defeat quality opponents... Wisconsin vs. Top 25 teams this year: 0-4. Victories against teams in the RPI Top 25: none.
It comes down to the fact that Wisconsin is a team that is STILL awaiting a chance to make it into the national spotlight. Their time will come, and possibly within the next couple weeks. But please, let's not get ahead of ourselves and act like we were all so shocked and disappointed that the Badgers weren't ranked.
To be honest, they don't really deserve to be... at least not yet.
