The Badgers (8-1 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) look to sweep their in-state series Thursday when the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (4-2 overall, 0-0 Horizon) comes to Madison. However, there will be extra emotion in the game for head coach Bo Ryan and his veteran players.
UW-Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter was the assistant coach in Madison for the past four years and also coached under Ryan at UW-Platteville and UW-Milwaukee. His departure left current Badger players with mixed emotions.
\I was very happy for coach Jeter,"" junior forward Alando Tucker said, ""but I was also sad to see him leave here because I had such a good relationship with him. He definately helped me out.'
Jeter takes over a talented and experienced Panther team that won 26 games last year. Senior forward Ray Nixon is not underestimating UWM.
'They are a very talented team. They went to the Sweet 16 last year and have five starters that are seniors for them,' Nixon said.
Milwaukee is led by senior forward Joah Tucker who is averaging 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds this season, but he plays his best in big games. In last year's Cinderella run through the NCAA tournament, he averaged 25.3 points in three games against Boston College, Alabama and Illinois.
'He's a great athlete. He's very strong. He can put the ball on the floor. He can shoot it. He's just an all-around player,' Nixon said.
Complimenting Tucker's inside/outside game is senior point guard Boo Davis on the perimeter and senior center Adrian Tigert in the paint. Davis is averaging 13.8 points on 43 percent shooting from behind the three-point line. Tigert is averaging 10.7 points while pulling down seven rebounds per contest.
In last year's game between the two teams, the Badgers played some of their best defense of the season. They held the Panthers to just 37 points on 25 percent shooting, while not allowing any player to score in double figures. The closest was Tucker, who had nine points on just 3-of-13 shooting, while turning the ball over four times.
The Badgers have picked up their defense in their past few games. After giving up over 80 points in three of their first five games, they have held their last four opponents to under 65 points. The emergence of sophomore guard Michael Flowers as the team's defensive stopper has contributed to the improvement.
'Michael Flowers does a great job taking charges, he anticipates well ... the reason we offered him so early (in the recruiting process) was because of the defense prowess he had,' Ryan said.
Another part is that after losing four starters from last year, the team is starting to gel a little bit. 'We're getting more comfortable with each other out there,' Tucker said. 'We're now understanding where we need to be.'
The defense was on display in Monday's dramatic 54-51 win over UNC-Wilmington. The Badgers held the Seahawks to just 26 percent shooting in the first half and 38 percent for the game, while allowing them to get to the free-throw line just once. The strong defense allowed UW to stay competitive despite struggling on the offensive end. Alando Tucker was proud of his team for their performance.
'A Wisconsin team will never give up under Bo Ryan,"" Tucker said. ""We weren't hitting any shots, but we were holding them to not hitting any shots either. Its big when you can pull out a game like that when things aren't going your way.'
The Badgers can thank junior guard Kammron Taylor, who drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to propel the Badgers to victory. It is the second time this season that Taylor's late game heroics have saved the Badgers. He hit a three with 3.3 seconds left against Eastern Kentucky to send the game into double overtime, where Wisconsin eventually came out with a win.
Taylor is playing almost ten more minutes per game than last season, while improving his scoring average from 8.4 to 16.0. points per game. After starting Monday's game 0 for 8, Taylor shot out of his slump, hitting his last four shots including the buzzer-beater to lead the Badgers to a come from behind win. His teammates have noticed his increased bravado.
'I don't think he would have taken that shot last year,' Tucker said. 'He definitely always had the ability. The whole thing with him was being mentally ready. I think now he's definitely becoming the point guard that Wisconsin needs.'
