With college basketball's longest active winning streak and a No. 2 ranking in both national polls, UW head coach Bo Ryan and the 21-1 Badgers have emerged as serious contenders for the NCAA championship. But Ryan, who won four Division III titles with UW-Platteville in the 1990s, is taking things one game at a time.
Next up is Indiana, ranked No. 25 in the NCAA Coaches Poll.
Wednesday's game in Bloomington will be the only regular season meeting between the Badgers and Hoosiers this year. And although Ryan insisted he would prepare for the game like any other, he admitted the matchup carries some extra significance.
""When you do play teams one time, you certainly would like to get it,"" Ryan said in his press conference Monday.
One key to beating Indiana is limiting outside shooting, Ryan said. The Badgers held Iowa to 14 percent shooting from 3-point range Sunday afternoon en route to an 11-point road victory. Ryan said reserves Jason Bohannon, Trevon Hughes and Tanner Bronson would help ready Wisconsin for Indiana's sharp-shooting guards in practice.
Along with forward Alando Tucker, who is considered a favorite for the national player of the year award, Ryan has become somewhat of a celebrity in the last couple of weeks. Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly featured the coach in his column this week and with every Badger win he and his team remain popular with ESPN analysts.
Far from shying away from the spotlight, Ryan said the national exposure is a good thing for the state, the school and the players themselves, who have not lost any of their early-season intensity.
""The guys have handled it extremely well because they're still playing hard,"" Ryan said. ""If they were out there not diving for loose balls, not scrapping, then I'd get a little nervous.""
In particular, big men Brian Butch, Jason Chappell, Greg Stiemsma and, at times, Marcus Landry, have helped the Badgers control the paint throughout their 17-game winning streak. Ryan singled out Butch, who has provided a needed scoring boost this season.
""I just keep saying he's going to be pretty good by next year,"" Ryan said. ""But we're playing now.""
Wednesday's game will not mark the first time Ryan and Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson have set foot on the same court together. The two coached together at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival, when Sampson was with Washington State and Ryan was still with Platteville. According to the Badgers' coach, they have remained friends ever since.
""I don't think there is any coach in America who could beat Kelvin Sampson in racquetball,"" Ryan said.
Luckily for the streaking Badgers, Indiana and Wisconsin are still slated to play basketball at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
Another Tucker accolade
Tucker was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week Monday. He averaged more than 21 points on 17-of-23 shooting in last week's games against Michigan and Iowa. The award was his second of the year and fourth of his career, and was shared with Ohio State center Greg Oden.
