On this date last year, Wisconsin was 18-3 overall, 8-1 in the Big Ten and just coming off a dominating performance at Minnesota.
How the times have changed.
Last year’s Big Ten Tournament winner is now staring at a real possibility of not making the NCAA tournament, just a year after reaching the Sweet 16. The Badgers (12-9, 3-6) have lost their last six games, all against Big Ten foes, to fall near the bottom of the conference standings.
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said when the going gets tough, he goes back to teaching the fundamentals of the game.
“I’m there to help them get on the right track and learn things,” Ryan said. “If they’re not quite ready yet, then when will they be ready, and try to them get there.”
The problem plaguing Wisconsin is its inability to close out tight games. During their six-game skid, the Badgers have lost four games by four points or less, and two of those losses came in overtime.
It is difficult to pinpoint a reason for the team’s downfall. Against Northwestern, Wisconsin outrebounded the Wildcats more than two-to-one and forced about the same number of turnovers. Against Purdue, Wisconsin did not shoot well overall but hit more than 60 percent of their 3-pointers.
Perhaps this is why Ryan does not want to shake things up too much. His team is putting themselves in a position late in the game to win – now it’s just a matter of coming out on top.
“You’ve got to go to that next practice and prepare for your next game,” said Ryan, regarding how to handle these losses.
Wisconsin hosts No. 21 Illinois tomorrow and visits Penn State on Sunday.
Nittany Lions showing some bite
After going on the road to crush Ohio State and Iowa, it seemed that then-No. 9 Michigan State regained its focus after a loss at home to Northwestern.
And then Penn State (17-5, 6-3) came to East Lansing, Mich., and humbled the Spartans (17-4, 7-2) once again, with a 72-68 victory.
Sophomore guard Talor Battle earned National Player of the Week by Collegehoops.net primarily for his performance against the Spartans. Battle had 29 points, five rebounds and three assists to lead the Nittany Lions. Several of his six 3-pointers helped Penn State overcome an early 29-16 deficit to lead 38-37 at the half.
“Talor’s a very special player,” Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. “He can score the ball from the perimeter, he can get into the basket… he’s a tough kid, wants to compete, wants to get better and wants to be one of the best players in the league.”
Penn State has now won its last four conference games, which is the second-longest streak behind Purdue’s six. With the win, the Nittany Lions are now among the upper-echelon of teams in the Big Ten, and if they continue to win, could be ranked as soon as next week.
Still, DeChellis does not want the team to get ahead of itself and is trying to keep them humble.
“We made some tough shots so we feel really fortunate,” said DeChellis, referring to the win at Michigan State. “We’re just trying to get better each day.”
Penn State travels to Michigan tomorrow and hosts Wisconsin on Sunday.
Big Ten notes:
Purdue has moved up in the rankings to No. 13, which is higher than conference leader Michigan State (No. 14). Other Big Ten teams in the Top 25 are Minnesota (No. 19) and Illinois (No. 21). Penn State’s Talor Battle could make a case for Big Ten Player of the Year should the Nittany Lions continue to win: he leads the conference in scoring and is tied for first in assists and 3-pointers made. Michigan State hosts Minnesota tonight, which will test whether they can bounce back from another tough home loss. Purdue will have to beat Illinois on the road Sunday to keep their winning streak alive.
