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Wisconsin|
RECORD: 18-11 REGION: West SEED: 6 COACH: Brad Soderberg CONFERENCE: Big Ten |
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
| PREVIOUS GAMES | LEADERS | ||||
| OPPONENT | ROUND | RESULT | POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS |
| Georgia St | 1st Round | L 50 - 49 | |||
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 If the Badgers don't shoot the ball exceptionally well from the outside, they are going to run into problems. John Brien was a player they relied on last season to make shots. He is no longer with them. Kirk Penney will be able make up some, but not all, of the difference. And Mike Kelley and the Badgers' four seniors will play tough. They are very experienced and will always be able to defend. Wisconsin's problem has always been whether it will get enough points on the board to win. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Was the Badgers' fifth-place finish (9-7) in the Big Ten a success? Yes. Wisconsin finished only 8-8 in the Big Ten last season before embarking on its Final Four run. Yet the Badgers' record could have been better. Six of the team's seven conference losses were by a combined 31 points, an average of 5.2 points per defeat. Second-half collapses cost Wisconsin victories against Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and Illinois. Depsite those missteps, the constant was Wisconsin's defense. The Badgers led the Big Ten during the regular season in scoring defense (56.6 points), though they were only fourth in field-goal percentage defense (.410). Senior guard Mike Kelley was again the catalyst, leading the team and finishing second in the Big Ten in steals at 2.1 per game. The Badgers' defense held true in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament, but it was their offense that failed them in a 50-49 loss to Georgia State. Player to Watch
Last season, not one Wisconsin player received even honorable mention on the All-Big Ten team. That changed this season, when senior guard Roy Boone made the coaches' third team and Kelley was honorable mention on the media team. Boone is the one player on the roster who can consistently create a play if the offense breaks down. Boone, who led the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game, improved his three-point shooting to 33.9% from the mark of 21.9% last season. When defenders jump out to contest the three-point shot, he is quick enough to get into the lane and strong enough to finish the play once he gets there. With the Ball
For all the talk about Wisconsin's defense, teams also hate to play the Badgers because of their methodical, grinding offense. Wisconsin consistently runs the shot clock down into single digits while its designated shooters cut off screen after screen after screen. For a team that isn't used to defending for more than 15 or 20 seconds every possession, the adjustment can be daunting. That said, the team's lack of individual creators can be a problem against teams such as Michigan State, which are mentally tough enough to play defense for 35 seconds. Defending the Ball
Kelley is the most dominating individual defender on the team and receives most of the accolades. Yet it is the system that former coach Dick Bennett molded that is the star. Wisconsin plays man-to-man 99.9% of the time, with the post players jumping screens on the perimeter to allow the guards to slide through. No switches allowed. The guards are especially key in doubling down on potent post scorers. Big men who can't or won't pass the ball out of double-teams are a liability against Wisconsin. Arizona and LSU discovered that during the NCAA tournament last season. Seed Analysis
Exceeding the Seed
Playing to Expecations
None.
Falling Short
BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.286
(1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding)
Bracketology ReportTwo things seem certain about Wisconsin: The Badgers will not play in their natural region, and they also will not play to expectations. In four NCAA appearances, Wisconsin has twice exceeded its seed and twice it has fallen short of pre-tournament expectations. The memory, however, will always be last year's team which defeated No. 1 Arizona on its way to a surprise Final Four.Roster
| NO | NAME | P | HT | WT | YR | PPG | RPG | APG | MPG | FG% | FT% | 3PT% |
| 32 | Roy Boone | G | 195 | Sr. | 13.1 | 4.1 | 2.1 | 31.2 | .413 | .746 | .333 | |
| 22 | Mike Kelley | G | 190 | Sr. | 5.5 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 31.0 | .471 | .734 | .324 | |
| 50 | Mark Vershaw | F | 235 | Sr. | 8.2 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 30.0 | .390 | .731 | .176 | |
| 20 | Kirk Penney | G | 205 | So. | 11.5 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 28.5 | .440 | .727 | .437 | |
| 15 | Andy Kowske | F | 230 | Sr. | 6.9 | 5.5 | 0.4 | 26.1 | .539 | .548 | .333 | |
| 40 | Charlie Wills | F | 230 | Jr. | 4.3 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 18.7 | .402 | .784 | .560 | |
| 5 | Maurice Linton | F | 210 | Sr. | 5.9 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 17.2 | .407 | .792 | .292 | |
| 14 | Ricky Bower | G | 185 | So. | 4.2 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 13.8 | .433 | .812 | .417 | |
| 2 | Travon Davis | G | 180 | Jr. | 2.2 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 12.1 | .317 | .567 | .000 | |
| 30 | Dave Mader | F | 240 | Fr. | 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 4.8 | .333 | .750 | .000 | |
| 24 | Freddie Owens | G | 180 | Fr. | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 3.9 | .417 | .583 | .250 | |
| 21 | Kyle Grusczynski | F | 200 | Fr. | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.7 | .000 | .667 | .000 | |
| 3 | Pete Schmit | G | 160 | Fr. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | .000 | .000 | .000 | |
| 13 | Ike Ukawuba | G | 175 | Fr. | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 | .500 | .000 | .000 |
NCAA Basketball Championship Week
It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.
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