College Basketball 2009-2010 (part 1)

[hawing]

Nice indeed. I gave up my ticket so the S.O. could take his brother; I think I've just earned myself some sweetie points.

[Baldkin]

At least 7 sweetie points, Hawing.

 

2 wins over top 10 teams now for the Badgers. Both at the Kohl center obviously, but they won with Leuer playing his worst game of the year.

[bani1717]

2 wins over top 5 teams, right? Wasn't Duke #5 when we beat them?

[TooLiveBrew]

Yes, Duke was #5

 

 

2 wins over top 10 teams now for the Badgers. Both at the Kohl center obviously, but they won with Leuer playing his worst game of the year.

 

Hughes wasn't exactly on fire, either. I thought Bucky's fantastic depth once again proved invaluable.

[Roscoe Chill]

#4 Purdue got beat by those pesky mediocre guards.

[T B0NE 10]

Hughes was in foul trouble. We took off again in the 2nd half when he came back in the game.

 

The Badgers will be fine next year with Taylor.

[bani1717]

Easy to say after a career game for him. With the lack of depth we will likely have at guard, we could be hurting in some games. Think of it this way. He's a backup guard, so it was the performance of a backup guard that really gave us an extra boost we needed today. It will be a lot harder to get that next year once Hughes and J-Bo are gone and Taylor is starting. All the more reason that this is the year for a deep tourney run! We've proven we can play with anybody, at least at home.

[TooLiveBrew]

I agree with your assessment on the depth next season, but Taylor is definitely much better than your typical "backup guard". He's a starter for the vast majority of teams in Div. 1 ... he just happens to play behind a strong candidate for the Big Ten POtY & the Naismith Award. I think he's going to do very well as a starter next season, but like you say -- this year is obviously 'the year'

 

Apologies if I belabored the point you were making.

[ccbrew]

It's something that we've almost all come to take for granted, by why is UW so tough at the Kohl Center?

 

I can't imagine that it is any louder than some of the other arenas around the country. MSU & Illinois come to mind in terms of a more intimidating crowd presence in the B10. As far as the student section goes, it really only rises to the occasion for big games.

 

So I'm thinking it has more to do with how Bo Ryan prepares his team, but how does a coach go about teaching this mentality?

 

Before I get bashed, this is coming from a former UW student who had season tickets for every year eligible, including a full season in row AA.

[TooLiveBrew]

I've wondered about that too, ccbrew. Kinda reminds me of the impenetrable fortress that Lambeau Field was, once upon a time. And just like the Packers, I don't think it's the venue so much as it is the quality put forth on the playing surface.

 

Entering this season, Ryan's winning percentage away from home was .537 (73-63), and of course most are familiar with the staggering split ccbrew is referencing: .923 (120-10) at home. Before this season, the home record against Big Ten teams was 61-5, so it's not simply a matter of playing weak opponents at the Kohl Center to pad the stats.

 

What I wonder is... 1) Perhaps the Kohl Center *is* appreciably louder & more difficult in which to play than most teams' home venues, 2) Maybe the home court advantage is more pronounced in college basketball than other sports (?), 3) A combination of #s 1, 2, & the consistently talented rosters Ryan assembles makes winning at the Kohl Center remarkably difficult to do.

 

At Div. III UW-Platteville, Ryan established an absolutely remarkable standard of excellence, winning at a clip of .823 over 429 regular season games. This included 4 national championships in 15 seasons, and heading into the 2009-'10 season, only UNC's Roy Williams had a better career winning percentage than Ryan. So I guess my final question is: Is this a case of Ryan & his teams having some kind of magical ability at home that they lose on the road, or is it more likely the result of a very successful program displaying some extreme splits in a small sampling of games? Is 130 games a large sample? Small sample?

[bani1717]

The mere fact that one team is traveling and that one team is sleeping in its own beds could also have something to do with it. Maybe it's not an especially intense atmosphere, but as long as UW keeps winning at home, they will still have an apparent home court advantage that could play mental games. Other teams may not feel as confident about winning there, and the Badgers may feel more confident just because it's "hyped up" that the Badgers don't lose at the Kohl Center.

 

Just to add, I think this win also had a lot to do with the loss to MSU. Good teams bounce back after a tough game, and that's exactly what the Badgers did this week.

[NeedMoreFans]

It could be a combination of a few factors. 1) Bo Ryan instills the attitude of, "go .500 on the road, take care of your business at home", though I'd argue most coaches do that. 2) The mentality of the opposing team. They could come in knowing it's a tough place to play, and they let it get to their head. 3) The record could be skewed a bit by the 3-4 seasons Wisconsin was winning/competing for the Big 10 title. Those were some really good teams, and had high winning percentages even on the road. UW foes will say there is a big home-court advantage with refs, but I will dispute that.

[Oldcity]

Outstanding game yesterday. I think it's quite possible that Jordan Taylor is the best player on the team. He's efficient and has one of the best assist/turnover ratios in the country.

[dadofandrew]

I would say Bo's teams have a system to work, and it's much easier to work consistently at home.

[logan82]

All teams are better at home. How often have the Badgers been really blown out or manhandled during Bo Ryan's tenure? Off the top of my head, I would say not very often. If you are close with teams on the road, that will tip in your favor at home.

[owbc]

There is definitely some snowball effect involved. Once the building gets the reputation, it gets into the opponent's heads which makes it that much harder to win there. The building is also loud and it is designed to be that way. Compared to the Bradley Center, the Kohl Center has only about 1,000 less seats, but the interior volume is much smaller. The roof is lower and the upper sections are stacked to imitate the Field House. The worst seat at the KC is significantly lower and horizontally closer to the court than the BC. I do think that Bo Ryan's style of play is the main factor that the Kohl Center is so intimidating. Winning on the road is difficult in college basketball to begin with, but the swing offense and physical defense make it very difficult for opposing shooters to get into any sort of groove. They are taken way out of their comfort zone by the arena and by Bo Ryan's style. The combination makes it extremely difficult for opposing teams to win.

[T B0NE 10]

The student section has been ranked as the best in the country a few times recently. I think this is definitely debatable, but I'd say we are up there- especially for the big games.

[burniebrewer]

...they won with Leuer playing his worst game of the year.

We now have an explanation for why Leuer may have played so poorly: he fractured his wrist in the 1st half of the game. He's undergoing surgery Tuesday and no timetable is set for his return.

 

Link

[TooLiveBrew]

Oh crap.

[burniebrewer]

Former Badger Tracy Webster has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the season at DePaul after they fired Jerry Wainwright today.

[berniebrewer4life]

Good for Tracy! DePaul is an uphill battle, but i wish him the best the rest of the year.

[Buckylovesbeer]

Lets hope Ryan Evans and Bruiser can continue to get much better........or Bo goes to a three-guard "O" with Jordan Taylor starting instead of Jarmuz.......

 

This sucks.......I hope Leuer's wrist can heal fast!

[sbrylski]

Am I way off or would it be correct to think Leuer would be able to return around the start of the conference tournament? That's the beginning of March, a good seven weeks.

[Jimbo]

It's something that we've almost all come to take for granted, by why is UW so tough at the Kohl Center?

 

I can't imagine that it is any louder than some of the other arenas around the country. MSU & Illinois come to mind in terms of a more intimidating crowd presence in the B10. As far as the student section goes, it really only rises to the occasion for big games.

The Kohl Center doesn't get as loud as the old Fieldhouse and the Badgers weren't unbeatible there, so I don't think that's it.

 

The home team is good for about five points. As long as Wisconsin is near the top of the conference in talent, they'll be favored in every home game (and half the road games).

 

I say the success at home is from talented players and outstanding coaching.

[Oldcity]

I am quickly becoming a Jordan Taylor fanboy. Seven assists, zero turnovers against Northwestern.