The chilly winter has been kind to the the No. 17 Wisconsin men's basketball team (3-0 Big Ten, 13-2 overall). Apparently the Badgers' success against the Big Ten last year was not an apparition, with the team now atop the conference.
After a 26-point blowout of Louisiana Tech at the Kohl Center Dec. 28, in which sophomore center Brian Butch broke out for his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, the Badgers went on the road to face their second tough out-of-conference opponent of the year in Pittsburgh.
The result was the same as their trip to Wake Forest. The Badgers lost 73-64 to the then-undefeated Panthers on New Year's Eve, who were helped in large part by senior point guard Carl Krauser's 22 points. Junior forward Alando Tucker's 25 points was the only double-digit point total for Wisconsin, with Butch pitching in nine.
'I don't think we did a good job of executing,' said junior guard Kammron Taylor, who finished with five points. 'They let us know that they were going to be physical with us, and we played right into their hands.\ The year of 2006, however, has been smooth sailing for the cardinal and white. Trailing by two at the half, the Badgers held the Iowa Hawkeyes to just 18 second-half points. The Badger defense held Hawkeye stars'senior forward Greg Brunner, senior guard Jeff Horner and junior guard Adam Huluska'to just 30 combined points on 9-of-31 shooting.
Tucker, whose 3-point runner over Huluska eliminated the Hawkeyes from the Big Ten tournament just a year ago, killed Iowa once again. His 27 points on 12-of-22 shooting paced the Badgers, and his hot hand in the second half helped the Badgers open with a 21-5 run in the first 10:30.
'I give them all the credit in the world,"" Iowa head coach Steve Alford said later. ""They were a better defensive team tonight over a 40-minute game, and that's why they won.'
The big win of the winter break for Wisconsin came at home against then-No. 7 Michigan State. For the Badgers, it was Kammron Taylor's show, as the guard scorched the Spartans for 27 points, 11-17 from the floor including 5-8 from three-point range as they dominated Michigan State 82-63.
Tucker and Butch chipped in with 17 and 12, respectively, but the Badger defense was the story. While junior guard Shannon Brown scored a career-high 31, seniors Maurice Ager and Paul Davis combined for 13 points on 6-of-25 shooting and attempted only one free throw between them.
'I'm a little bit confused as a coach. I'm not sure I understand what has happened to our offense,' Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. 'I know Wisconsin played some good defense, but our two stars are not playing very well. It's no secret. In fact, they're playing awful.'
The Badgers finished off their first three games against conference opponents by blowing a 19-point lead in Minnesota but coming back to defeat the Gophers 64-62. Wisconsin comitted a season-high 22 turnovers, but they managed to hold on to the ball in the final five minutes of the game. During that stretch, Tucker scored eight of his game-high 22 points.
Taylor, who attended nearby Minneapolis North High School, was held to eight points, but Butch pitched in with 12 points and eight boards, while freshman forward Joe Krabbenhoft notched six points, eight rebounds [four offensive], four assists and two key free throws to clinch the victory for the Badgers.
The Badgers will welcome the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday at the Kohl Center. NU is coming off a 65-61 loss to Penn State at home, after previously realing off five straight including wins at Seton Hall and at Minnesota. Northwestern is led by junior forward Vedran Vukusic, who is averaging 21.8 points per game.
Alando Tucker has continued to suffer at the line, as he is now a 47.5 percent free-throw shooter, the lowest mark of his career. After hitting 9 of 12 from the line against Pitt, he has combined to shoot 7 of 28 the past three games. Even Steve Lavin, who was the color commentator for the Minnesota game, noted that teams might begin to 'Hack Alando,' referencing former Dallas Maverick's head coach Don Nelson's ""Hack-a-Shaq"" strategy against Shaquille O'Neal.
Williams leaves team
What was once believed to be a temporary leave of absence from the UW program by redshirt freshman DeAaron Williams apparently will be permanent.
Williams did not dress for the Badgers' home game against Iowa Thursday, citing personal reasons. He will leave the program immediately and enroll at Illinois Central College, Williams' high school coach, Dave Mott, told the Peoria Journal Star.
An athletic 6'4' forward, Williams was considered a top-100 prospect coming out of Limestone High School, located just outside of Peoria. He decided to redshirt last season and saw limited action in eight games with the Badgers this season, averaging 7.9 minutes per game serving as the team's 10th man.
