Wisconsin basketball has been dominant at home under head coach Bo Ryan. The team is hoping that trend continues when a string of six consecutive home games gets under way tomorrow as Pepperdine visits the Kohl Center.
With Ryan on the sidelines, the Badgers (4-1) have been nearly invincible in front of their fans, with 59 wins against only three losses. That mark includes a 31-1 record in Big Ten games.
The Badgers have a chance to exact revenge against the Waves (1-3), who handed them a defeat last year in Malibu.
'Last year they just outworked us,' junior Alando Tucker, leading point man for the Badgers, said of the 75-61 loss a little over a year ago. 'That's one thing that we never like to say'we've been outworked.'
But the Pepperdine team Wisconsin will be facing tomorrow bears little resemblance to last year's squad. Four starters are gone, including a trio who accounted for two-thirds of the offense.
'Obviously, they're a different team,' Tucker said. 'Their style is going to be the same. They're going to come in up-tempo, shoot shots and hope to get offensive rebounds and putbacks.'
The Badgers, coming off a close loss to Wake Forest Tuesday night, will try to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 2004.
'It's how much you pick up from a loss, how much you learn from it,' Tucker said. 'That shows a sign of a good team. If you can pick up from a loss and recognize your mistakes and not do it the next game, you're proving that you're getting better as a team, as a group.'
If the Badgers take any distinct advantage into the game, it appears to be on the boards. Rebounding has been a strength for the team in its first five games. UW has come away with a victory in each of the four games they have out-rebounded their oponent, averaging eight rebounds more than the opposing team. The Waves, however, are averaging six boards short of the opposition.
Pepperdine's leading scorer is their freshman point guard, Michael Gerrity, who is averaging over 17 points and is shooting 50 percent from the floor. Junior Kammron Taylor will likely draw that assignment.
'I know their point guard likes to get up and down the floor,' said Taylor, the second leading scorer on the team. 'I know he can score the ball.'
The team will do the majority of the film viewing today, but coach Ryan already knows his team is facing a worthy adversary.
'We know they're a team that's played pretty well this year,' he said. 'They can play.'
Masked Man
Tucker wore a protective mask on his face at practice Thursday to protect the injured nose that he suffered against Wake Forest. 'It takes some time to get used to, but I've adjusted quickly,' said Tucker, who indicated that it made him a little passive at first. 'You can't be too hesitant, because then that will take away from your game, and you play too timid.'
