What a great time it is to be a college basketball fan in the state of Wisconsin. Not just in Madison, but all over this great state, success on the basketball court has been widespread and very promising come March Madness.
Right here in Madison, the Badgers are the Big Ten's best, finishing the regular season ranked 18th in the country. UW posed a stellar 22-6 overall and 12-4 Big Ten record, the most conference victories in school history. Defensively, the Badgers are the best in the Big Ten and arguably one of the top three teams in the nation, especially in forcing turnovers. Offensively, they have one of the more unique styles of the swing offense that confuses anyone unfamiliar with UW or the Big Ten--all thanks to the two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Bo Ryan. Combined with the intense fan support, the Badgers present one of the strongest up-and-coming basketball programs in the nation.
Heading east from Madison on I-94, you'll run into Brewtown, good ole Milwaukee, and also find two other strong basketball programs in the nation today.
First up is Marquette. Beginning March ranked in the Top 10, the Golden Eagles have been the only bright spot in the Bradley Center this year. They have overcome the hype that was Louisville and propelled themselves to the top of Conference USA. Superstar Dwayne Wade does it all for Marquette and best of all, he does it within the team game.
Explosive offensively and versatile defensively, Marquette has made Milwaukee proud by taking the Conference USA regular season crown and, in all likelihood, receiving a top three seed in the national tourney.
And last but not least is the team about 10 minutes away from Marquette, the UW-Milwaukee Panthers. UWM has surprised everyone in not only the state, but also the entire Horizon league. They won the conference tournament, received their first invitation to the national tourney in their 107 years and also finished the season with a 24-7 overall record and 13-3 mark in league play.
The best part of all the success of these Wisconsin schools is that they play the game right. In that sense, I mean they play good team ball. Everyone plays within and off each other and everyone shares the common desire to win.
Its finally great to see the city of Milwaukee receive some recognition for their wealth of basketball talent.
For all those who have jumped on the UW, Marquette or UWM bandwagon, welcome aboard. And for those die-hard Wisconsin sports fans, celebrate. Because basketball in the state of Wisconsin has a bright future.
