Fran Fraschilla, a former head coach at Manhattan College, St. Johns University and the University of New Mexico, now is a top analyst for ESPN.
Wisconsin has recovered well from a rough situation
I think the way the Big Ten has shaped up has actually worked out well for Wisconsin, because there's no one team that has separated itself enough. Given the fact that Wisconsin has weathered the storm of losing [Greg] Stiemsma and [Marcus] Landry, they still have an opportunity to finish strong. The end of the season is going to be very tough for them at Michigan State and Iowa. I would say they were left for dead after the Purdue game, but the body is showing signs of life.
The Badgers must deal with adversity
I always feel that this time of the year, it's the team that handles adversity the best is usually the most prepared to go far in the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin this year has had its share of adversity. This is part of the landscape of the college season: How do you handle injuries? How do you handle losing a player for academic reasons? How do you handle a couple tough losses in a row? This is why coaches make big money.
A consistent Brian Butch, makes for a great Brian Butch
My sense is with Brian Butch, the reason he chose Wisconsin, is a comfort level of not only being close to home, but not having the weight of the program on his shoulders. Because when he arrived, there was always a great nucleus in place. Sometimes, in a situation that Wisconsin finds itself in, a guy like Brian Butch has to break out of his comfort level and step up. If he can do that, it will bode well for their season. But the thing that drives coaches nuts is inconsistency. It's hard to coach a guy who gets six on night, or four the next and then 23 the next night. You'd much rather have a guy who you know who you can count on to get 14 every night. I think, in Butch's case, consistency is probably the biggest thing he can bring to this team over the last five games.
Key to stopping Ohio State is clamping down on their outside game
I think in the case of playing Ohio State, as good as [Terrence] Dials is inside, you have got to take away their open three point looks first. Usually you start defending from inside out. This is one of those rare teams that makes more sense to defend them from outside in. If you can shut down the three and Dials still gets 18 and 10, you still have a chance to win the game. What makes them so difficult to defend is that they have one of the best scorers in the league and their outside shooting has been off the charts.
Bo Ryan is among the elite NCAA head coaches
Those of us that follow the game closely already know that he's one of the handful of truly elite coaches in the country. This may be his best coaching job right now. The mark of a great coach is overcoming adversity and this is already an outstanding coaching job. A win puts them back in the picture for the title, but they may have to pull a rabbit out of a their hat for the last two [at Michigan St. and at Iowa]. And if anyone can do it, it's Bo Ryan.
