Trip to Italy a success

The end of the men's basketball season left a rotten taste in the mouths of Badger fans. With regular season losses to Michigan State and Iowa, a Big Ten tournament exit at the hands of Indiana and a laugher from the opening tip in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Arizona, Bo Ryan's club looked nothing like the team that started the 2005-'06 season 14-2. Though it should not necessarily wipe the memories of last year away, an undefeated summer exhibition tour in Italy could instill confidence in a club in need of it. Wisconsin put together a 5-0 record, with wins over Aeronitica Militare-College Italy, MPV Virtus Siena, Pool Firenze, Mylena Trevigli and Castelletto Ticino. Wisconsin's two top scorers from last season led the way in Italy. Senior forward Alando Tucker averaged 21.2 points per game and senior guard Kammron Taylor averaged 10.8. With Ray Nixon gone, junior guard Michael Flowers made a strong case to take over his starting spot, mixing in offense (10.2 points per game) with his characteristically stingy defense. Junior center Brian Butch, looking to prove his first two disappointing years at UW a fluke, started strong, but faded down the stretch averaging 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds for the exhibition tour. The trip started off simply for the Badgers, as the team routed Aeronitica Militare-College Italy by 48 points, 95-47. Tucker led the way with 19 points, but Butch truly shined with a double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds. Three other Badgers tallied double digits in scoring with sophomore forwards Kevin Gullickson and Joe Krabbenhoft putting in 12 and 10 respectively and senior center Jason Chappell notching 11 points. The Badgers also showed their defensive toughness, even holding their opponents to just six total points in the fourth quarter. If the Badgers forgot what conference play was like, game two of their overseas excursion certainly should have reminded them. The teams combined for 89 free throws and a lot of physical play, as UW downed MPV Virtus Siena 88-71. ""It was a tough game, similar to some Big Ten games we play in terms of the physical play,"" Tucker said. ""The way we responded was great."" Sophomore forward Morris Cain pitched in with 11, and Butch nearly notched his second straight double-double with 13 points and nine boards. The third game, an 87-53 victory over Pool Firenze, was the most balanced game the Badgers played. Cain was the only member of the team without a point and Taylor led the way with 13. ""In different games, different players have played well. Our depth was really important today,"" Ryan said, going on to credit the defensive play of redshirt freshman guard Mickey Perry. After leading the entire game against Mylena Treviglio, their opponent cut UW's advantage to just one point, 73-72, with 6:30 remaining. Taylor responded with a 3-pointer and the Badgers proceeded to go on a 15-2 run lead, clinching the win. Tucker led all scorers with 32 points while Taylor scored 13. The Badgers saw contributions from key players like Perry, who scored eight points on four-of-five shooting, along with sophomore forward Marcus Landry (nine points, 10 rebounds and three blocks) and junior center Greg Stiemsma (eight rebounds), who both missed the second half of last season due to academic issues. A strong fourth quarter in their final game on the tour gave the Badgers an undefeated record, as they defeated Castelletto Ticino 83-74. Tucker again led all scorers, pouring in 20 as Taylor and Flowers each scored 15. Head coach Bo Ryan said he thought the outing was good for his team, not only because of the results on the floor, but the camaraderie his team built over the course of the whole trip. ""This trip has been tremendous for our players to spend some time with each other and to interact with the fans on the trip,"" Ryan said. The Badgers next play in an exhibition game at the Kohl Center Nov. 3 against UW-Stout. Their non-conference schedule includes matchups against Florida State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge as well as battles against Pittsburgh and in-state rival Marquette. In other news, former Badger Ray Nixon signed with Tubingen, a team in Germany a couple days before the team left for Europe.