After a season of ups and downs and a dramatic win in the first round of last season's NCAA Tournament, the UW men's basketball team will prepare for another exciting year in 2009-'10.
Last season was marred by a tough six-game losing streak in January, with two overtime losses and four games decided by five points or fewer. Still, the Badgers were able to bounce back by responding with a five-game winning streak. Wisconsin finished with a 20-13 overall record and a 10-8 mark in the Big Ten, tied with Penn State and Ohio State for fourth in the conference.
The Badgers barely snuck into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed, setting up a first-round matchup with the Florida State Seminoles. But Wisconsin was able to pull off an upset when senior guard Trevon Hughes hit a game winning shot with two seconds left in overtime to steal away a 61-59 victory. In their second-round matchup against the No. 4 seed Xavier Musketeers, the Badgers held a two-point advantage at halftime but could not keep the magic alive, as they were outscored by 13 in the second half and lost 60-49.
This year, Wisconsin retains three of its top five scorers in senior guards Jason Bohannon and Hughes, and junior forward Jon Leuer. Another frontrunner to receive a spot in the Badgers' starting lineup is junior forward Keaton Nankivil, who started in a large portion of games last season. Junior swingman Tim Jarmusz averaged 16 minutes a game off the bench for the Badgers and could potentially take the final spot in the starting lineup.
Bohannon and Hughes averaged 10 points and 12 points respectively for Wisconsin last season and will be featured prominently in the Badgers' offensive plans for the upcoming year. As the only two seniors on Wisconsin's roster, Bohannon and Hughes will also step into more focused leadership roles and try to fill the huge void left by departing senior forwards Joe Krabbenhoft and Marcus Landry.
Off the bench, sophomore guards Jordan Taylor and Rob Wilson will look to expand on their roles from last season in Wisconsin's backcourt. Sophomore big men Jared Berggren and Ian Markolf will receive additional minutes after getting very little playing time, while redshirt freshman swingman Ryan Evans will begin his eligibility after sitting out last season.
In addition, the Badgers will welcome in two new freshmen who have signed letters of intent for the upcoming season—forward Mike Bruesewitz, Minnesota's 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year from Mendota Heights, Minn., and guard Diamond Taylor from Bolingbrook, Ill.
Since head coach Bo Ryan took over at Wisconsin for the 2001-'02 season, the Badgers have accumulated eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances while finishing no lower than fourth in the conference standings.
Although Wisconsin's schedule has not yet been released, one confirmed game has already received plenty of attention. On Dec. 2, Wisconsin will host Duke in this year's ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Last season the Blue Devils finished 30-7, and may represent Wisconsin's toughest challenge.
