Despite going 2-0 in the Big Ten this week and seeing his team jump five spots from No. 13 to No. 8 in the polls, UW Badgers' head coach Bo Ryan refused to underestimate his next Big Ten challenge at Iowa.
This Wednesday, the Badgers (8-1 Big Ten, 18-3 overall) take on the Hawkeyes (4-6, 11-12), who are coming off a 53-48 home victory over Ohio State. Although some analysts may view this Iowa victory as further proof of parity or weakness in the Big Ten, Ryan sees the conference growing more competitive.
It's just a matter of how you want to spin it, it's just like anything else,"" Ryan said. ""It's hard to get it done consistently, especially this time of the year. If you're a competitive league, you're going to have people knocking other people off.""
The Badgers' strong week included victories over then-No. 11 Indiana and Minnesota, but he sees necessary improvements in order to stay atop the Big Ten.
""I was really happy with the way we played, with our task assignments that were completed for the most part, but believe it or not, I've got a page full of things we're going over here at 1:30 p.m., of things we've got to do better if we want to get the next one,"" Ryan said.
The Badgers won their first contest with the Hawkeyes 64-51 at the Kohl Center, but Iowa has won 41 of its last 48 games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and they are continually improving under first-year Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter, according to Ryan.
""They've got a fine team. What's a fine team? A team that can shoot it, strength with the ball at point - Freeman's doing a great job with the ball - their bigs have improved defensively,"" Ryan said.
""They're a good team that has picked up what they're supposed to be doing and are making it very difficult for the other team,"" he added. ""So, that fits right into probably why [Lickliter] got the job there.""
Sophomore guard Jason Bohannon will make his second return to his home state of Iowa to play the Hawkeyes, but Ryan has observed many improvements from Bohannon since his last visit.
""He's getting better with his feet. He probably doesn't appear to be a muscle beach guy to fans or people out there, but he's actually pretty strong,"" Ryan said. ""His core strength is pretty good, so he's better that way. He's a hard worker and a smart young man. Guys like that tend to improve, and he's been doing that.""
Although Iowa has been improving and is a traditional UW rival, coach Ryan did not concede Wednesday's game presented a rivalry game more intense than any other Big Ten game.
He joked that the football teams who play for trophies like Paul Bunyan's Axe might see some games as more important than others.
""I just never did the rivalry thing to my team to have them think that one game is different from another,"" Ryan said.
""Now in football,"" he continued, ""you play each other once, and they've got these pigs in a blanket and other things they give out like tomahawks, and that's great. I think that is really good stuff. I mean, that's one game a year you play and one game a week, and I think those rivalry things are great - for them.
""[For me] they're all rivals. They're the next game. I know that's too simplistic, but I honestly think that way.""
Ryan and the Badgers' next game tips off Wednesday, Feb. 6., at 8 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
