MADISON, Wis. — Bo Ryan tries to remain insulated from peripheral discussion about his Wisconsin basketball team, but he's perceptive enough to understand the pulse of a fan base.
When the season began in October, the Badgers coach heard from folks who thought this year's team might stink like a pigpen. So what, they said, if Wisconsin was ranked No. 15 in the preseason polls? Wasn't that based on last year's team that lost three starters? Aside from point guard Jordan Taylor, who could actually score enough points for Wisconsin to remain competitive?
Perhaps that's why those same people, Ryan said, have come to love all that the Badgers have accomplished this season.
"What they're doing," Ryan said, "with what experience they had coming in, and where we were at a certain point in the season, more people are in love with this team. When I say that meaning, (they) are really pulling for this team because of the fact that they kind of said, 'We didn't think you were that good.' Well, OK, there are some days in practice I told them that, too."
Fourth-seeded Wisconsin (26-9) has played well enough to earn the right to take on top seed Syracuse (33-2) in Boston in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. That the Badgers have reached this point with a relatively unproven cast of characters speaks to just how special this bunch really is.
Sure, Wisconsin was picked in the preseason by coaches to finish second in the Big Ten. But at the time, that prognostication seemed outlandish, based entirely on the strength of having one preseason All-American in Taylor.
Several other key players on the team hadn't accomplished much of anything in a Wisconsin uniform, leading fans to believe this would be a down year in Madison — and to let Ryan know about it.
Center Jared Berggren averaged 2.4 points and 1.1 rebounds last season. Forward Ryan Evans had similar numbers at 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds. Guard Rob Wilson averaged 1.6 points, and guard Ben Brust played a total of 45 minutes.
Now, those four all are part of a regular rotation that helped the Badgers reach consecutive Sweet 16 appearances for the first time in school history.
How did this happen?
Some of the credit belongs to Taylor, who, despite not living up to All-American status during the season, still proved to be the most important part of the team. His scoring decreased from 18.1 points last season to 14.7, and his shooting percentage diminished as well. But Taylor played with a purpose — to involve teammates in the offense and help them understand how to play at a high level.
Evans (11.1 points) and Berggren (10.3) both average double figures in scoring, while Wilson and Brust have produced breakout games as well. Both tied the school record by hitting seven three-pointers in different games this season.
Some of the credit belongs to Ryan, who never changed the way he coached, even when Wisconsin opened Big Ten play 1-3 and appeared to be on the brink of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 14 years. However, the Badgers finished 12-6 in the league, one game out of a four-way tie for first place.
"I've always said I thought coach is best when the clouds are the darkest, when we face the most adversity," Badgers associate coach Greg Gard said. "The truth of the matter is he didn't change anything. I think that really helps. When things aren't going well, we aren't preparing or practicing any different than when we made the Sweet 16."
Some of the credit also can be attributed simply to having the right group of players, willing to work hard for one another until the very end.
"I feel we have a lot of different personalities on this team more so than any other year I've been here," Taylor said. "I feel like we have guys who respond to adversity — I shouldn't say better than in the past, but just differently. Maybe sometimes the light doesn't turn on as quick for some of us. Not in a bad way, but things develop more slowly. But when they do, it can be a really powerful thing."
Added forward Mike Bruesewitz: "We've just got a bunch of weird guys on our team, weird personalities that kind of mesh together in a good way. We've got a bunch of competitors, too."
All of those components have Wisconsin two games away from reaching its first Final Four in Ryan's 11 years as coach.
Dave Mader was a forward on Ryan's first team at Wisconsin in 2001-02. Most pundits presumed that team, with just eight scholarship players, would finish near the bottom of the Big Ten barrel. Instead, the Badgers won a league title and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Mader notices several distinct differences with this year's team that could separate it from past Badgers teams, including a balanced offense and the ability to play relentless defense.
While Wisconsin has always been a strong defensive team, this year's Badgers are holding opponents to just 52.9 points per game — a total that leads the country and is the fewest at Wisconsin in 62 years, before the shot clock era.
"What makes them different is they certainly have a good, balanced team," Mader said. "If they shoot over 40 percent in a game, they win. They're going to win every game because defensively they're so sound. They don't turn it over. They never ever beat themselves. They just don't."
Wisconsin is 20-2 when it shoots 40 percent or better this season, compared to just 6-7 when shooting below that.
If the Badgers can maintain their defensive scoring average and manage 40 percent shooting in their next two games, they just might make the Final Four — and further prove to people they're pretty good, after all.
"It's one thing to say, 'OK, maybe we're not very good here, we need to work on this.' But then we go out and work on it," Ryan said. "A lot of people will sit and say you're not very good and not do anything about it. But this team has come a long way. I'm really proud of them."
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