Just a little over two months ago, the Wisconsin basketball team was 9-9 and looking destined for the NIT or worse.
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The Badgers were the first team on the court on Thursday for practice at the Wells Fargo Center. But even with five days to get ready, Gonzaga faces its toughest challenge of the tournament.
A safer wager these days is betting all the cheese curds on Wisconsin to make a deep run in March. That’s the Badgers, and they’ve gotten it done with their defense.
The magnitude of such a feat hasn’t been lost on the seventh-seeded Badgers. Despite losing Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker to the NBA, they still have a lot of NCAA tournament experience after making the Final Four each of the past two years and playing in the national championship game last season. For now, anyone who bleeds Badger red should keep their expectations reasonable and hope for the Elite Eight or Final Four. Without them, Gard realized that Wisconsin was best suited to go back to what it knew best in its rise to power.
The football school found some of its hoops mojo last season when it at last reached the Elite Eight under coach Mike Brey. Dranginis is scoring on over 71 percent of his catch-and-shoot and catch-and-drive plays, making him a threat near the basket or in the corner taking a three. They are the only team that advanced to the Sweet 16 in five of the past six seasons.
Auguste said the Irish boast “one of the most efficient offenses in the country”.
“I really felt this has been as seamless a transition as I can – well, I don’t have anything to compare it to”, said Gard, who started out 2-4.
The Irish survived in two great games against treacherous opponents MI and Stephen F. Austin, riding junior forward V.J. Beachem (18 points) down the stretch against the Wolverines and Beachem, Zach Auguste and Demetrius Jackson against the Lumberjacks.
The Badgers, though, are here on the strength of their defense: Among teams in the Sweet 16, Wisconsin’s 53 ppg ranks second behind Syracuse (50.5) and the Badgers are holding teams to just 39 percent shooting from the floor.
Irish guard VJ Beachem has been Notre Dame’s best weapon from behind the arc all season.
“Two things it helped establish for us”, Gard said. “It really paid off for us this weekend, and I was able to knock down some shots”. In fact, in just two-thirds of a season, Gard has pulled off one of the best coaching jobs in recent college basketball history, and arguably the best performance of any coach this season.
HERE TO STAY: Wisconsin is 22-12 with one big L not found in the win-loss column. This was one of our goals at the beginning of the year to get where we were last year.
Not to worry, the Badgers have lived with such criticism for years and their answer is always the same: Winning is never ugly. “When things get tough, he wants me to step up and lead by example”, said the senior. It sure looked to be a selfless move to ensure that his buddy and loyal assistant would get his shot, plus, allowing Ryan’s legacy to live on in Gard’s presence.
MEMORIES: Philadelphia’s Spectrum has been demolished. “Some of us not being in rhythm and not hitting shots”.
What followed was one of the most well-orchestrated, downright ingenious and perhaps a bit unscrupulous coaching machinations ever perpetrated on a university.
“A lot of memories from across the parking lot in that old Spectrum”, Brey said.
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The network TV know-it-alls, who usually learn two or three generalities about a team and repeat them over and over, are back at it. To hear them tell it, people once again should cover their eyes whenever UW plays.
