The Badgers came back from Iowa Saturday disappointed. After dropping the game against the Hawkeyes 59-44, the Badgers assured themselves a four-seed and a rematch with the fifth-seeded Indiana Hoosiers Friday afternoon in Indianapolis, Ind. For a team that seemed to have quickly disposed of any memories of their mid-year slump to go on a three game winning streak, ending the regular season losing by a combined 24 points in their final two games was disheartening.
Lucky for UW, they have veteran leadership in juniors Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor. Practice Monday could have melancholy, and the mood downhearted, but it was not. In fact, it was anything but.
The Badgers seemed to run harder, clap louder and cheer a little more enthusiastically. While running a 5-on-5 scrimmage, sophomore forward Brian Butch threw himself on the ground, gimpy ankle and all, to corral a loose ball and call for a timeout. Both Taylor and Tucker feel a responsibility to assure the rest of the Badgers they can still compete with the best of the best in the Big Ten conference.
When we got back Saturday, I pulled Tucker to the side and told him that us being the older guys and leaders on the team, it starts in practice,\ Taylor said. ""We're going to have to jump start every practice, and we gotta be the guys going hard in every drill. If something not going right in practice, we gotta address that. It's no time to be passive right now.""
Along with former Badger star Mike Wilkinson, Tucker and Taylor took the Badgers to the Big Ten Championship last year, eventually falling to Illinois. Tucker, who highlighted the tournament with a game-winning runner over Iowa's Adam Huluska in the semi-finals, said he and Taylor are not the only ones who know the urgency of practice right now.
""The scout team, they're taking it hard. They know how it's going to be,"" Tucker said. ""We have to be a lot more energetic, we have to play with the urgency. We can't go out there lackadaisical, because you don't have too many chances to make up for your mistakes.""
The Badgers came in to the season as the second-youngest team in the conference, behind Penn State, but as Taylor said, ""Our younger guys are older.""
Freshmen forwards Joe Krabbenhoft and Kevin Gullikson will play in their first Big Ten tournament Friday, but just look at Krabbenhoft's battle-scarred face to know that the duo has rapidly matured.
""They've played in tough situations, so they understand it themselves,"" Tucker said. ""That's one of those things that we keep reinforcing to them that, ‘Hey, you're not freshman anymore. Those looks at Michigan State and Iowa is how it's going to be throughout the Big Ten tournament and NCAA tournament.'""
Taylor and Tucker said they relish the leadership roles down the stretch, and know that if they succeed, others will follow.
""I embrace the role and I'm pretty sure Tucker embraces the role,"" Taylor said. ""We're two guys that like to compete. To have the role I look at it as a good thing. Having the younger guys looking up to you, they're trying to follow your example.""
If the Badger role players can follow the duo's example to a tee, Wisconsin fans can look forward to a fantastic weekend.
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