One week's time was all it took for the Wisconsin men's basketball team to get its bearings after a month's worth of hard times.
Now on a three-game winning streak, the Badgers (6-6 Big Ten, 15-9 overall) will try to maintain their winning ways against No. 24 Ohio State (7-4, 17-5) when they roll into the Kohl Center tomorrow evening.
Although Wisconsin struggled to a 1-4 record against ranked conference opponents to start the season, the victory against No. 25 Illinois last week was a testament to the Badgers' ability to win with their backs against the wall.
Six consecutive conference losses in January is a costly blow to any team, but Wisconsin's recent performances seem to have the team back on track and still in position to claim a postseason berth.
When you get in those situations and you get in those stretches where [things] go against you a little bit, you've got to keep in mind that you can't feel sorry for yourself and you can't think the opponents are going to feel sorry for you at all,"" UW assistant coach Howard Moore said. ""You've just got to keep fighting and keep plugging away, and I think that's what this group did.""
Since the beginning of February, Wisconsin's defense has held opponents to an average of 48.6 points per game - better than any other team in the conference - and has kept opponents' shooting percentage down to 38.5 percent in the last three games. Prior to then, the Badgers were allowing more than 61 points per conference game and were next to last in the Big Ten in opponent field-goal percentage. Without question, the improvements on defense have been a major factor in the team's turnaround.
""We go back and we watch film of what we did wrong in those games that we lost, and now it's turned over,"" senior forward Marcus Landry said. ""All the things that we did that made us lose those games, we're not doing anymore, so we're coming out successful. In those games '¦ we only lost by no more than four points, so it all comes down to the end. Those mistakes that we were making before, we're not making anymore.""
In addition, productivity across the Wisconsin offense has been widespread to a point where it is anyone's guess as to who might be the team's highest scorer each night.
Wisconsin junior guard Jason Bohannon had 20 points in the win against Illinois, and senior forwards Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft have led the team against Penn State and Iowa, respectively.
The great outside play of Bohannon, who is 11-of-15 from 3-point range in the last three games, has opened up the post for players like Landry and Krabbenhoft, which keeps opposing defenses torn and gives the Badgers plenty of options around the rim.
On the flip side, the Buckeyes have compiled a four-game win streak of their own and will surely test the Badgers on both sides of the ball. Ohio State has compiled the best shooting percentage of any team in the Big Ten and has been averaging 77 points per game in the last two weeks. The team is led by sophomore guard-forward Evan Turner, who has been averaging 17 points per game and is .500 from behind the 3-point arc this season.
Although their scoring defense has been mediocre at times, the Buckeyes have kept three of their last six opponents from hitting the 60-point mark, including No. 19 Minnesota last weekend.
But rankings and hot streaks do not seem to have any affect on how the Badgers prepare for their next opponent. They will be sticking with the game plan that has gotten them back on track as of late.
""We approach every game the same way,"" Landry said. ""They're just the next game on our list.""
Tipoff for the Valentine's Day showdown is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.
