In the long campaign that is a college basketball season, maintaining focus against even the weakest of opponents is paramount, but it can sometimes prove difficult. Saturday at 1 p.m. the Badgers will attempt to overcome the Northwestern Wildcats, one of the lowest-ranked teams in the Big Ten.
The No. 2 Badgers are facing a team that has given them fits in Evanston, Ill. but has not tasted victory in Madison since 1996. One of the toughest parts of the game for Wisconsin may be dealing with the high expectations their success has brought while also avoiding overconfidence.
""We're not letting [the pressure] get to us,"" sophomore forward Joe Krabbenhoft said. ""Coach won't let us. We're proud to bring this success to the university. I don't think people would be very happy if we became satisfied with our level of play so far. So we got a long way to go. ... We don't overlook anybody.""
Northwestern runs a 1-3-1 zone defense and a form of the Princeton offense, which is based on quick decisive cuts and leads to many 3-point shots. Its top players are forward Kevin Coble, who is putting up 12 points per contest, and guard Tim Doyle, who dishes 5.4 assists per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field.
Northwestern and Wisconsin have already played once this season on Jan. 13, when the Badgers escaped with a 56-50 victory. Wisconsin senior forward Alando Tucker scored 17 points, but the story of the game was sophomore Marcus Landry, who had eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks. The game was a sort of coming out party for Landry who has stayed hot, averaging 6.8 points and five rebounds per game in his last five games.
""There were a lot of things I felt I had to work on,"" Landry said of his development as a player since last season. ""Improving those things helped me this year and I am able to get onto the court and do different things.""
The Badgers will attack Northwestern's zones with their patient swing offense led by Tucker, who is currently the second-leading scorer in the Big Ten. Senior guard Kammron Taylor had a rough game earlier this season in Evanston, and has been in a bit of a shooting slump lately, though he continues to contribute offensively.
""Kamm will score points,"" Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said. ""Kamm will do whatever he can during the case of a game, or try to, and fortunately other guys have been able to pick up for him when the shot hasn't been there as far as point production.""
Northwestern is last in the conference in scoring offense, but their schemes can cause problems for any defense which is caught out of position. The Wildcats often use the confusion they create to get open on the perimeter and average a league-leading 20.3 3-point attempts per game.
""Every defense tries to take people out of a rhythm, so some nights are better than others in doing that,"" Ryan said of his defense. ""We've been fortunate the past few games.""
Tucker has been the rock for the Badgers and has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the National Player of the Year award in college basketball.
""To hear people talk and say my name as a candidate for National Player of the Year, it's great,"" Tucker said. ""It's great for our program, we're getting recognized as a program. I feel that my whole team's getting recognized because it's not just me. My team helps me do so many things out there when we are playing.""
The Badgers now begin a five-game stretch against the bottom half of the league before wrapping up conference play against Ohio State and Michigan State. A loss in the next five games could be disastrous heading into the postseason, so expect Wisconsin to come out poised and focused against the Wildcats.
