Ohio State’s two-man show leads them to a win at Wisconsin

Want to hear a crazy stat?

Before this season, Bo Ryan had lost just 11 games at the Kohl Center while head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers. His record in Big Ten play? 78-6. In ten years.

This season has been a completely different story, however. Thanks to Ohio State's 58-52 win on Saturday afternoon, the Badgers have now lost four times at the Kohl Center, with three of them coming during Big Ten play. Think about that. We're not even two-thirds of the way through the conference season and the Badgers have already lost half as many conference home games as they did in the last decade.
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Pics/Vids: Game 7: Wisconsin vs. Nebraska

Sunday, January 15th
The Kohl Center, University of Wisconsin
Wisconsin 50, Nebraska 45

Game 6 - Marquette vs. Pittsburgh
Game 5 - Butler vs. Cleveland State
Game 4 - Indiana vs. Minnesota
Game 3 - Xavier vs. Duquesne
Game 2 - Kentucky vs. South Carolina
Game 1 - Belmont vs. Lipscomb

(The Green Bay Packers held their divisional playoff game at the exact same time as the Wisconsin Badgers game. I went went around to see why Packer fans decided to attend the Badgers game.)

(The frozen tundra outside The Kohl Center. The gametime temprature was "cold. Really really cold.")

(Nebraska goes through pregame drills and calisthenics. If there was ever a day to play Wisconsin at The Kohl Center, it would be during a Packers playoff game....which it was.)

(There was almost no student support. But there were two factors that equated in this: 1) The Packers were playing in the playoffs at the exact same time, and 2) The students were still on Christmas Break.)

(During media-timeouts and at halftime, people huddled around TVs on the concourse level to watch the Packers game.)

(In hindsight, this picture is kinda creepy.)

(Not everyone skipped the Badgers game. Rob was a big fan of the striped overalls.)

(The Badgers Basketball Hall of fame)

(He doesn't know it now, but the kid has got some style. This will pay off for him in his late teen years.)

(Luckily, Bo Ryan was on the other side of the court.)

(The view from above. Despite the amount of red in this picture, the same was very empty.)

("The sooner we can get this game finished, the more time we'll have to watch the Packers game", said the referee.)

(The student section is ussually packed to capacity. According to multiple sources, this was the worst turnout in recent memory.)

(As expected, points were hard to come by. With 10 minutes left in the first half, Wisconsin led 9-6.)

(Ryan Evans and his majestic flat-top swing the ball around the top of the key.)

(The Badgers huddle up in order to figure out why the Packers are losing to the Giants.)

(Yup. That's Bo Ryan for ya.)

("Hey Rodgers! Discount Doublecheck!)

(Nebraska sets up for an out-of-bounds play)

(This was the first time since March 2010 that Jordan Taylor did not record a single assist in a game.)

(The bench sits and waits for something exciting to happen. Hint: It never happened.)

(Doc Sadler coaches up his team during a timeout late in the second half.)

(You may not be able to see it, but Josh Gasser, middle, is wearing a Aaron Rodgers jersey. By the time the press conference began, the Packers game had ended. Jordan Taylor ended the room chastising Gasser about the Packer's loss.)

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#BIAHRoadTrip The Diary Part X: Troy's selfish when it comes to cheese curds so I try to kill his car

8:15 pm Day 13
La Quinta Inn
Columbia, MO
Total Miles: 2280

Road Trip Part-I
Road Trip Part-II
Road Trip Part-III
Road Trip Part-IV
Road Trip Part-V
Road Trip Part-VI
Road Trip Part-VII
Road Trip Part-VIII
Road Trip Part-IX

When we last left you, we were just arriving in Wisconsin to some delicious cookies and Miller High Lifes.

High Lives?
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What’s the answer for Wisconsin? Simple: shooting.

You can find the rest of the features from the #BIAHRoadTrip here.

MADISON, WI - Ben Brust is Wisconsin's most important player.

I know, I think it sounds ridiculous, too.

But bear with me for a second. The Badgers have, more or less, three impressive wins on the season. On November 26th, the Badgers knocked off BYU 73-56 thanks to 21 points -- and 7-10 shooting from beyond the arc -- from Brust. On December 10th, Wisconsin knocked off UNLV 62-51. Brust was even more impressive in that one, finishing with 25 points and knocking down all seven of the threes he attempted. While he wasn't quite as effective in the Badger's win over Purdue, Brust still led the team in scoring, going for 13 points and hitting 3-4 from distance.
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Marquette proves themselves with a win at Wisconsin

Pretty soon, we are going to start having to put No. 16 Marquette into the discussion of the elite teams in the country.

Today wouldn't be a bad time to start, as the Golden Eagles went into the Kohl Center and took down No. 7 Wisconsin 61-54 behind 17 points from Darius Johnson-Odom and 14 points off the bench from Todd Mayo. Making the win all the more impressive is that Marquette was without the services of starting point guard Junior Cadougan, who missed the game after being suspended for violating team rules.

Wisconsin jumped out to a quick, 8-3 lead and managed to have control of the game's tempo until the under eight timeout. Down 17-16 at the seven minute mark, Vander Blue hit a three to spark a 16-5 Marquette run, sending them into the break with a 32-22 lead on the Badgers.


The second half started the same way, as Marquette pushed their lead to as much as 13 points. But Wisconsin had a run in them, using a 16-4 spurt to cut the lead to one. The Badgers didn't get the benefit of the home whistles during their surge, however, as Jordan Taylor got hit with his fourth foul -- a terrible charging call -- that erased an and-one layup with the score 41-33.

And while having Taylor strapped to the bench didn't hurt Wisconsin's comeback, it cost them once that got the game within striking distance. The possession after a Ben Brust layup cut the lead to a single point, Mayo scored at the other end for Marquette to push the lead back to three. Wisconsin's next four possessions ended in missed jumpshots before Juan Anderson got a bucket to push the lead to five. After another missed jumper from Jared Berggren -- his third straight -- Jamail Jones scored to make it a seven point game with just over six minutes left. Wisconsin never had a possession with the game a one possession difference the rest of the way.


What We Learned

Marquette:

- Marquette's perimeter attack is going to be really tough to slow down. This wasn't exactly a secret coming in, but seeing the Golden Eagles slice up a good Wisconsin defense was all the confirmation I needed. We all know about Darius Johnson-Odom at this point, but Vander Blue and Todd Mayo are both weapons. Mayo, OJ's younger brother, is an aggressive scorer, while Blue has shown to have a pretty solid all-around game.

- Jae Crowder is one of the most valuable players on Marquette because of everything that he is able to do on the floor. But Marquette doesn't need him to win. He had just two points and three boards in 24 foul-plagued minutes.

- Davante Gardner, if he ever gets in shape, watch out.

Wisconsin:

- The Badgers are going to struggle defensively against quicker teams. Wisconsin, as always, is going to play solid and fundamental man-to-man defense, but they just don't have the pieces to stay in front of quicker and more athletic opponents.

- Remember when we all though that Mike Bruesewitz was going to be the second coming of Jon Leuer? Yeah, well, that's not happening. He's a good player, but he's a role player and a blue-collar guy.

- I think we can safely say now that Jordan Taylor is not the same player he was last year. And that's not because his skills have gotten worse, but because he doesn't have the same kind of pieces around him. Leuer and Keaton Nankivil were so good in pick-and-pop situations, and that created so many more chances for Taylor to find assists and make plays in the pick-and-roll. But with Bruesewitz and Jared Berggren struggling this year, Taylor doesn't have those options. He's not the kind of 1-on-1 player that is going to be able to take over a game by himself, and that's showing through right now.

- A three point loss at UNC is one thing. Getting smacked by Marquette at home is a different story.
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It wasn't pretty, but UNC outlasts Wisconsin

Its easier to slow a game down than it is to speed a game up.

Remember that. Controlling pace is as much of an equalizer as the three-point shot, particularly for a team playing on the road. You limit the number of possessions, you keep your opponent from getting into a rhythm and, if you're playing on the road, you keep the crowd from getting into the game.

And that is why it wasn't until an 18-5 run midway through the second half that North Carolina, who was the No. 1 team in the country prior to their loss to UNLV in Vegas on Saturday, was able to gain control in Wednesday's 60-57 win over Wisconsin.

No team in the country is able to control the flow of a game like Wisconsin can. Want proof? Wisconsin went into Chapel Hill as the slowest team in the country. Literally. They were averaging just 58.9 possessions per game. North Carolina? They were the fifth-fastest team in the country at 73.9 possessions per game.


And this game? It had 59 possessions. In other words, the ball changed hands once every 20-or-so seconds.

That's what Wisconsin does. That's how they win. That's why Bo Ryan can always put a team on the floor that is going to win 25 games and finish in the top three or four in the Big Ten without the aid of future first-rounders. That's why every fall, Wisconsin is picked lower in the preseason than where they finish the year.

When the Badgers are playing their best basketball, they are taking 20-25 seconds off the shot clock before they even look at the rim. They then run one of their sets, and if nothing is open, the ball is put into the hands of their all-american point guard Jordan Taylor, and they allow him to make a play. They protect the basketball and avoid turnovers as well as any team in the country, and, more often than not, they end up getting a good look at the rim after forcing you to defend for most of the shot clock.

And on Wednesday, after weathering an early flurry from UNC -- the Tar Heels took a 19-10 lead in the first nine minutes of the game and looked to be on the verge and blowing the Badgers out -- that is precisely what Wisconsin did. For the next 19 minutes of game-time, the Badgers executed to perfection, taking the air out of the ball and hitting big shot after big shot. The only difference was that the guys making those shots were Ben Brust, Ryan Evans, and Jared Berggren, not Taylor.

At the 11:44 mark of the second half, Wisconsin had turned that 19-10 deficit into a 36-31 lead, using a 26-12 surge over the course of both halves to take complete control of the game.

UNC was on their heels. They were completely out of rhythm offensively and looked lost defensively. The performance was bad enough that it had people asking just how good this team actually is.

But Wisconsin gave the Heels an opening, and Roy Williams' team struck.


The Badger's next five shots all came way too early in the shot clock. At the same time, Harrison Barnes hit back-to-back jumpers to get UNC into a bit of a rhythm offensively, and that sparked their 18-5, game-changing run as they were able to open up the floor a little bit. Barnes had 10 of his game-high 20 points in that run, and when Dexter Strickland hit a seventeen-footer from the wing with 5:36 left to put the Heels up 49-41, this game was over for all intents and purposes.

That's why this is an impressive win for the Heels.

UNC had an off-night against a top ten team -- a team that is going to win 25 or 30 games and give Ohio State its stiffest test in the Big Ten -- and had allowed that team to take complete control of the game, but their best player made a couple of big shots and the Heels were able to strike when given an opening. Good teams win games even when they don't play their best, and UNC did just that on Wednesday night.


What we learned:

Wisconsin:

- The Badgers are going to cause a lot of people a lot of problems if they are able to hang with North Carolina on the road while getting a subpar effort out Jordan Taylor and Mike Bruesewitz. Yes, the all-american finished with 18 points, four assists and four rebounds, but he shot 6-20 from the floor and padded his stats with a couple buckets late in the game. Taylor struggled a bit when Dexter Strickland was switched onto him, but he also missed a bunch of open looks that he will knock down the majority of the time.

- Bruesewitz, on the other hand, was a no-show. He was in foul trouble which may have made it difficult for him to get into a rhythm, but off the top of my head, I cannot think of one good thing that he did for the Badgers tonight. That cannot happen, especially when Bruesewitz could have been a matchup problem for UNC's big men at the offensive end.

- That was the best that I've ever seen Ryan Evans play. He was active on the glass, he made some shots and he picked up a couple of blocks.

- Jared Berggren will be able to fill the role of the pick-and-pop center for Bo Ryan. He finished with 14 points and eight boards, which included a couple of triples and two gorgeous drives to the rim from the three point line.

- Ben Brust needs to rein in his shot-selection at times -- its a rule of basketball that you can't take heat-checks on back-to-back possessions if you miss the first -- but he's a talented kid that can shoot the ball and is fun to watch. Badger fans should be confident that they'll have another talented playmaker to follow in the footsteps of Taylor and Trevon Hughes.


North Carolina

- Dexter Strickland is probably a better defender than I realized. He's got length, he's quick laterally, he's athletic and he looks like he genuinely enjoys defending. His development will be important, because Kendall Marshall -- hell, the rest of the Tar Heel perimeter rotation -- has trouble defending a stop sign. Strickland's foul trouble is where you saw Leslie McDonald's value; the only time Taylor really got it going was at the end of the first half when Kendall Marshall was guarding him.

- I really hope that Harrison Barnes becomes a killer. And not in the Charles Manson sense of the word, in the Tu Holloway sense of the word. His height makes his pull-up jumper unguardable for perimeter defenders at this level. He came up big on Wednesday, hitting the two jumpers that sparked UNC's run.

- I don't think struggling is the correct word for North Carolina's half court execution. Clueless is a better word, as in they look like they've never even diagrammed a half court set on the whiteboard, let alone gone over it in practice. They stand around and swing the ball on the perimeter until someone over penetrates or settles for a jumper.

(because...)

- Roy Williams is famous for his secondary break, which is essentially a system to run once the ball has been pushed in transition but no shots have opened up. The beauty of the secondary break is that it can be run off of makes as well as misses. When UNC gets bogged down offensively its the result of a breakdown in their secondary break.
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2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers

Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country. You can find a complete schedule of our 2011-2012 Season Preview coverage here. To browse through the rest of the Top 50, click here.

Last Season: 25-9, 13-5 Big Ten (3rd Big Ten), lost in the Sweet 16 to Butler

Head Coach: Bo Ryan

Key Losses: Jon Leuer, Keaton Nankivil, Tim Jarmusz

Newcomers: Jared Uthoff, Frank Kaminsky, George Marshall, Traevon Jackson, Jordan Smith

Projected Lineup:

- G: Jordan Taylor, Sr.
- G: Josh Gasser, So.
- F: Ryan Evans, Jr.
- F: Mike Bruesewitz, Jr.
- C: Jared Berggren, Jr.
- Bench: Jarrod Uthoff, Fr.; Evan Anderson, Fr.; Duje Dukan, Jr.; Rob Wilson, Sr.; Ben Brust, So.; Traevon Jackson, Fr.


Outlook: Eventually, we are all going to learn to stop overlooking Wisconsin when posting preseason polls. As Rush The Court proved last week, no team in the country is more consistently undervalued heading into the season than Wisconsin. The Badgers are the epitome of what it means to be a "program" in college hoops. In a way, Bo Ryan runs his team like a mid-major. He recruits players to fit hi system as opposed to the guys that sit atop the top 100 lists. The guys on hi team aren't being prepared for a career at the next level, they are being groomed to slide into starting roles as juniors and seniors. That's why a team that graduates three starters can confidently be considered a legitimate challenger to Ohio State in the Big Ten.

Well, that, and Jordan Taylor. There is no player in the country as underrated on a national scale as Taylor. What he did as a junior was flat-out unbelievable. Playing on a team that averaged the second fewest possessions in the country last year, Taylor managed to average 18.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 4.7 apg. He also shot 42.9% from the floor and turned the ball over just 42 times in 34 games despite playing 36.5 mpg as the primary ball handler. From an efficiency guru's point of view, there is a legitimate argument to be made that Taylor was the best player in the country last season, but it took his ridiculous performance over the last 15 minutes of Wisconsin's comeback win over then-undefeated Ohio State for the country to take notice.

Joining Taylor in the back court will be sophomore Josh Gasser. Gasser, who is the only player in Wisconsin basketball history to notch a triple-double, started from day one as a freshman. Gasser is a solid all-around contributor -- he defends, he rebounds the ball, he's a good passer and he doesn't turn the ball over -- but where he struggled in his first season in Madison was as a shooter. He hit 13 of his last 29 threes, however, so there is reason to be optimistic for an improvement. Rob Wilson is a senior that is going to be counted on for leadership and a significant improvement on his junior year, where he appeared to lose his confidence as the season moved along. Wilson is 6'4", but he's more of a forward than a guard and he'll be counted on to take up some of the minutes lost with the graduation of Tim Jarmusz. Sophomore Ben Brust as some potential as a shooter off the bench, but he struggled to see the floor as a freshman. Freshman Traevon Jackson will see time as well. He's a solidly built combo-guard that is the son of former Ohio State Buckeye Jim Jackson.

Jared Berggren will likely get the first crack at starting in the middle. Wisconsin loses a ton from their front court with Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil graduating, and its difficult to expect Berggren to fill that role. He's a different player. The 6'10" junior has the ability to step out and hit a perimeter jumper -- a skill that made Leuer and Nankivil so dangerous last season -- but he is more of a low-post threat than either of those two. Wisconsin will need him not only to cut down on his fouls and his turnovers, but to become a more consistent rebounder as well. Evan Anderson, a 6'10" redshirt freshman, is going to be counted on to play quite a few minutes up front, as will true freshman Jarrod Uthoff.


The forward spot is going to be the most interesting position for Wisconsin. Mike Bruesewitz had a very promising sophomore season. The 6'6" combo-forward began the year as the starting small forward, but it was eventually determined that he was most effective coming off the bench. Bruesewitz is a high-energy player that works on the defensive end of the floor and was the team's best offensive rebounder last season. His offensive also came around late in the year, and he double his scoring and rebounding output in March and hit a number of big shots late in the season. He'll need to become a legitimate second-scoring option for the Badgers.

The other guy that Bo Ryan will have his eye on is junior Ryan Evans, who is in his fourth-year in the program. At 6'6", Evans is a tough defender with potential, but he's yet to live up to that potential on the offensive end of the floor. There is always going to be a spot in the rotation for a guy that plays the style that Evans does, but he's an offensive liability that makes head-scratching decisions at times. Wisconsin will be counting on him for a breakout season.

What will be interesting this season is to see exactly how Wisconsin adapts to losing Nankivil and Leuer. The way that those two shot the basketball was a huge reason that Taylor was able to be as successful as he was last season. This year, the Badgers will likely be playing smaller, with Bruesewitz playing more of the four spot. He's more than capable of doing so, and that role will allow Ryan to have some of that perimeter shooting still linger on his front line. But it will also make a team that struggled defensively and on the glass that much smaller.

I believe in Bo Ryan, and I think that he has enough talent surrounding Taylor that his team will once again be able to compete with anyone in the country. The Badgers will look different, but with a veteran all-american like Taylor running the show, the change in philosophies shouldn't have a huge impact on the output from the program.
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Looking Back: Re-ranking the 2003 recruiting classes

Last summer, we ran a series called Looking Back where we went through past recruiting classes to see how the players from those classes developed.

Why?

Well, for starters, it was a fun and interesting thing to do. You're not interested in the fact that Josh McRoberts and Gerald Green were once considered the best high school basketball players in the country? Its also an interesting way to keep fans from getting too excited when a top 25 recruit pledges to their school. Projecting the long-term ability of 17 year old hoopers is an inexact science, and never is that more evident than when you look back at past recruiting rankings.

This summer, we are going to go back through the Team Rankings. In other words, we want to see if the team that the pundits said had the best recruiting class really did have the best recruiting class. The science here will be a bit inexact. For starters, its tough to find consistent rankings. Rivals has them dating back to 2003, Scout to 2005, and ESPN to 2007. Its also tough to determine exactly what players had what effect on a given season. Did UConn's 2007 recruiting class -- which featured Donnell Beverly and, well, Donnell Beverly -- really have much influence on the 2011 national title?

For our purposes, we will be looking at the success that each member of each program's recruiting class had individually in college as well as the success that the team at while those players were member of the program. Like I said, it will be inexact, but inexact science makes for better arguments. Tell us your thoughts in the comment section.

Re-ranking the the 2003 recruiting classes:


1. UConn (Scout: 9, Rivals: 14): Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams, Ryan Thompson

The Huskies were the clear winner of the 2003 recruiting class. Boone, Villanueva, and Williams all played key roles for the 2004 UConn team that won the Big East and NCAA Tournament titles. They became stars on the 2005 team that won a share of the Big East regular season title. Villanueva left school after his sophomore year, becoming the seventh pick in the NBA Draft, while Boone and Williams returned for their junior seasons. UConn again won a share of the Big East regular season title, but lost to George Mason in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament in one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. Williams and Boone left school after their junior years and ended up getting picked in the first round of the draft.


2. Gonzaga (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Adam Morrison, Derek Raivio

We all know about Adam Morrison. The kid that no one wanted managed to contribute to one of the most talented teams that Mark Few has fielded in Spokane as a freshman before becoming the 'Zag's go-to player as a sophomore and the co-national player of the year with JJ Redick as a junior. Morrison would eventually become the third pick in the NBA Draft. Derek Raivio didn't have quite as immediate individual success, but he played a key role on three teams before leading the transition -- and winning the 2007 WCC player of the year award in the process -- from the Adam Morrison era to the Matt Bouldin era. Gonzaga was 40-2 in WCC play in the three years Raivio and Morrison were both in the program, and Raivio was a member of four straight outright champions, winning both the WCC regular season and tournament titles every season. The only year Gonzaga made it out of the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament was in 2006, when they blew a 17 point lead to UCLA.


3. Wake Forest (Scout: 22, Rivals: 16): Chris Paul, Kyle Visser, Jeremy Ingram, Todd Hendley

Chris Paul. Enough said. Paul -- who ranked third behind Shannon Brown and Drew Lavender for point guard -- was as good in college as he has been since he entered the NBA. In his two seasons, Paul led Wake Forest to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, the Sweet 16 as a freshman, and a second place finish in the ACC regular season as a sophomore. He also managed to win national freshman of the year honors and was a consensus first-team all-american as a sophomore before becoming the fourth pick in the 2005 draft. The only other impact player from this class was Kyle Visser, who played a role for three years before becoming a third-team all-acc selection as a senior after averaging 17.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg.


4. Oklahoma State (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): John Lucas III*, Marcus Dove, David Monds, Tremaine Fuqua

(*The inclusion of John Lucas III deserves an asterisk. He was originally in the class of 2001, but he transferred to Oklahoma State from Baylor after the death of Patrick Dennehy and the resulting scandal.)

In their first season, this group had the best season in recent Cowboy history. They won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Final Four before losing to Georgia Tech. John Lucas III became a star on a team that already included Tony Allen and the Graham twins, while Fuqua and Monds were role players. In 2005, Lucas led the Cowboys to another Big 12 Tournament title and OSU's second straight two seed before bowing out in the Sweet 16. Lucas graduated in 2005, and for the next three seasons, Dove (who red-shirted in 2004) and Monds were role players and starters on three straight NIT teams.


5. Pitt (Scout: 21, Rivals: 9): Aaron Gray, Chris Taft, Dante Milligan, Antonio Graves

Jamie Dixon's first recruiting class at Pitt spawned two eventual second-round picks. Chris Taft was the player with the most immediate impact. He was a starter from day one, averaging double-figures as a freshman on a Panther team that won the Big East regular season title and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Taft left school after his sophomore season, getting scooped up in the second round of the 2005 Draft. Taft's departure opened up space for Gray, who became a double-double machine his last two years, anchoring a Panther squad that finished second in the Big East and made the Sweet 16 in 2007. Gray was picked in the second round in 2007. Graves was a typical Pitt guard -- contributed for four years, a starter his last two.


6. Florida (Scout: 16, Rivals: 12): Chris Richard, Lee Humphrey, Mohamed Abukar

Florida's 2003 is easily the most interesting to discuss and probably the most controversial in these rankings. None of the three players ever really advanced beyond being a role-player. Abukar transferred as a sophomore to SDSU (where he was all-MWC), but Richard and Humphrey stayed where they became members of three straight SEC Tournament title winners, the 2007 SEC regular season champ, and, most importantly, the 2006 and 2007 national champions. Humphrey started and shot a bunch of threes during the two title runs, while Richard played impressively enough in his limited minutes off the bench to spelling Joakim Noah and Al Horford that he became a second round pick.



7. Syracuse (Scout: 6, Rivals: 7): Louie McCroskey, Terrence Roberts, Demetris Nichols, Darryl Watkins

The year before these four arrived on campus, the Orange rode the coattails of freshman Carmelo Anthony to the 2003 NCAA title. But none of these four freshmen were as lucky, as all four were at the back-end of a short Jim Boeheim rotation, one freshmen rarely crack. The 2004 NCAA Tournament was the only year that this group made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As sophomores, all four were still coming off the bench but all four had seen their roles increase. The Orange won the 2005 Big East Tournament, but lost to Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As juniors, Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, and Darryl Watkins all became starters, but if it wasn't for the heroics of Gerry McNamara in leading the Orange to a second-straight Big East tournament title, Syracuse (who went 7-9 in the Big East) would have missed the NCAA Tournament. McCroskey transferred to Marist as a senior while Nichols became an 18.9 ppg and an all-Big East first team selection, but the Orange went to the NIT despite finishing 10-6 in Big East play.


8. Maryland (Scout: 3, Rivals: 3): Ekene Ibekwe, DJ Strawberry, Mike Jones, Will Bowers, Hassan Fofana

As freshmen, Ekene Ibekwe, DJ Strawberry, and Mike Jones all played key roles for a Maryland that ran through the ACC Tournament and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite finishing just 7-9 in ACC play. The Terps went to back-to-back NIT's the next two seasons before returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2007, where they beat Davidson but lost to Butler in the second round. Ibekwe, Strawberry, and Jones all developed together. As sophomores and juniors, their roles expanded before becoming starters, and in Strawberry's case a star, as seniors.


9. Wisconsin (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Brian Butch, Kammron Taylor, Zach Morley

The Badgers just barely get the nod over the Spartans. Kammron Taylor was the only typical recruit in this class for Bo Ryan. A seldom-used back-up to Devin Harris as a freshman, Taylor became the No. 2 option for the Badgers behind Alando Tucker as a junior and senior. Morley was a JuCo transfer that played valuable front court minutes in his two seasons, including the 2005 Elite 8 run. Butch was the most interesting recruit. A top ten player coming out of high school, he redshirted a season in 2004, something you don't see very often in hoops. Butch played a role as a redshirt freshman, slowly developing into the third option as a junior and the focal point as a senior, when he led the Badgers to Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.


10. Michigan State (Scout: 5, Rivals: 13): Brandon Cotton, Shannon Brown, Drew Naymick

Brandon Cotton, a McDonald's all-american, last all of three games with the Spartans before transferring to Detroit. Drew Naymick never became more than a limited role-player in his five seasons in East Lansing. Shannon Brown, as you know, ended up going in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft after becoming a second-team all-Big Ten pick. Brown played a supporting role for the 2005 Michigan State team that made the Final Four.



11. LSU (Scout: 2, Rivals: 4): Brandon Bass, Tack Minor, Darnell Lazare, Regis Koundjia, Robert Neltner

12. Oregon (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Aaron Brooks, Mitch Platt, Ray Schafer

13. Florida State (Scout: 1, Rivals: 1): Von Wafer, Alexander Johnson, Diego Romero, Antonio Griffin

14. Arkansas (Scout: 10, Rivals: 5): Ronnie Brewer, Olu Famutimi, Anthony Gray, Vincent Hunter, Darian Townes

15. Louisiana Tech (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Paul Millsap, Donnell Allick, Solomon Brown, Fred Marshall, JueMichael Young


The most disappointing classes:

- Kansas (Scout: 4, Rivals: 8): The Jayhawks brought in a six man recruiting class, but only two of the six players finished their career in a Kansas uniform. David Padgett transferred to Louisville, where he became a fixture for a very good Cardinals team. JR Giddens left Lawrence under some duress, transferring to New Mexico where he eventually became a first round pick of the Celtics. Omar Wilkes transferred to Cal to play with his brother. Nick Bahe finished his career with Creighton. Only Rodrick Stewart and Jeremy Case, neither of whom were stars, graduated a Jayhawk.

- Oklahoma (Scout: 14, Rivals: 2): The only player from Oklahoma's vaunted six-man recruiting class in 2003 that played their entire career in Norman was Longar Longar, and that was after he spent a year at a prep school. Drew Lavender started as a freshman but transferred to Xavier after his sophomore season. Brandon Faust transferred to Southeast Missouri, Lawrence McKenzie transferred back to Minnesota, and Jimmy Tobias went to a JuCo after one season and finished his career with Georgia Southern. Jaison Williams spent two years in a limited-role off the bench after transferring in from a JuCo.

- Mississippi State (Scout: 13, Rivals: 20): The Bulldogs 2003 recruiting class is one example of why I don't want to see the NBA allow players to go straight to the NBA again. Neither Jackie Butler nor Travis Outlaw ever made it to Starkville, which set MSU's class off on the wrong foot. Gary Ervin never really found a home with the Bulldogs, transferring after his sophomore year to Arkansas. Bill Begley finished his career at Nicholls State. There were some successful recruits in this class, however. Dietric Slater became a solid role player as a junior and senior. Iowa State transfer Shane Power averaged double figures in his two seasons in Starkville, although he was technically part of the 2002 class. And then there is Lawrence Roberts, who, like John Lucas III at Oklahoma State, transferred out of Baylor due to the scandal.
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NBA Draft Profiles: Jon Leuer, Wisconsin

Bjorn Zetterberg of SwishScout.com will be helping us out with all of our NBA Draft Profiles this year. You can follow him on twitter @swishscout.

To browse through the latest prospect profiles, click here. To see a complete list of the players we have profiled, click here.

Stats: 18.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 37.0% 3PT

Age: 22, senior

Size:

• Listed: 6'10", 230 lb
• Official: 6'10" (no shoes), 6'11.5" (with shoes), 7'0" (wingspan), 8'9.5" (reach), 223 lb

Strengths: Leuer is a bit of a unique prospect in that he entered the high school ranks as a point guard, but thanks to a dramatic growth spurt, he was forced to move to the front court. Luckily for him, Leuer was able to keep maintain a lot of his perimeter skills. He can shoot the ball with range and he has a very good handle for a player of his size -- he won't blow by defenders, but he can take advantage of mismatches or out-of-position defenses. Leuer also has a decent finesse post game, scoring on turnarounds and jump hooks. He doesn't have the strength or the counter moves to be a low-post threat in the NBA, but -- like his perimeter game -- he can score when he has a favorable matchup.

Weaknesses: For Leuer, the limitations are seemingly all physical. He's not terribly strong, especially his lower body, and that makes it difficult for him to establish position. He won't be backing down starting power forwards in the NBA. He's not exactly a 'banger' on the glass either, also he does a solid job fundamentally boxing out and generally seems to work hard on the glass. That lack of strength will also cause Leuer problems defensively. One of the knocks that you will see written about Leuer is that he is not athletic or explosive, which is not true. His max vert of 36.5" is higher than Terrence Jennings and Kawhi Leonard. But Leuer doesn't play explosively. He lacks the strength and the assertiveness -- and the confidence? -- to take advantage of the physical tools he does have.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Matt Bonner. Very similar type build as Leuer and not a great athlete, but a smart player who know his role. Loves to pop out of the screen and role and knock down open looks from 3, something the ‘Wisconsin Wonder’ can kill teams with, and at his size will get a shot off over just about anyone. Brian Cook and Pat Gerrity are two other names that pop out.


• Worst Case Scenario: Brian Scalabrine? Scalabrine is a pretty legit shooter who has hit over 40% over his NBA 3-point looks in a few of his NBA seasons, but never had the ability to do much more than shoot. Leuer is taller and more talented all-around, but he’s a role guy nonetheless who might get bench splinters with the wrong NBA fit. Kirk Haston, a first round flame out from Indiana, is another name that has been tossed around quite a bit.

Outlook: More than anything, Leuer is a guy that needs to find the right fit in the NBA. The things he does well, he does very well. He can shoot the ball very well for a guy that measures out at 6'11.5" in shoes. He is a capable ball-handler on the perimeter. He will excel in pick-and-pop situations or as a four that keeps the floor spread for a high-scoring post player. Leuer is also a capable scorer on the block is he has a favorable matchup. The problem is that he doesn't have the strength or play with the athleticism (he has a 36.5" max vert) needed to be an NBA front court starter. If Leuer canfind a team that needs someone in his role, he might be able to carve out an NBA career. If not, Europe or the D-League is likely in his future.

Draft Range: Early-Mid 2nd Round, Picks 31-45

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "Leuer, on the other hand, is a better athlete than we give him credit for. ... But when you watch him play, he doesn't really utilize that athleticism in his game the way other big athletes do. So while Leuer may be a good athlete, if it doesn't translate to his game, what's the point? A few years ago we all got excited about Luke Jackson's off-the-charts combine testing. How did that turn out?"


• Draft Express: "Leuer's 26.7 points per 40 minutes pace adjusted ranks in the top five amongst all prospects in our database, flashing an inside-outside game that makes him an incredibly effective collegiate big man. Upon first look at Leuer, it would be easy to write him off as a prospect due to his below average athleticism, slender frame, and a lack of a true position to defend. That being said, he possesses an excellent basketball IQ to go along with some offensive skills that are in high demand, skills that he should be able to translate to the NBA reasonably well."


• Swish Scout: "Fundamental big man who’s a dangerous perimeter shooter and excels off the catch and shoot by flaring off the screen and roll in the high post. Will struggle against NBA defenders and playing in the paint because of limited physical play as more of a finesse big, but should make it as a role player in the league."

Highlights:


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What kind of season should we expect from Jordan Taylor next year?

The guys over at the Cracked Sidewalks, a Marquette hoops blog, put together a post that stat-nerds are sure to enjoy -- breaking down who the most valuable players in the country were a year ago.

Using some impressive math and manipulation of advance statistics, the result ended up being Jordan Taylor over the likes of Kemba Walker, Jimmer Fredette, and Charles Jenkins. And if you read this blog -- or have any sense of tempo-free statistics -- than this result probably is not as surprising as it seems on first glance.

Taylor put up some incredibly impressive numbers a year ago. He averaged 18.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 4.7 apg while shooting 42.9% from beyond the arc and turning the ball over just 42 times in 34 games despite being the primary ball handler for 36.5 mpg. And Taylor did all of that despite playing for a team that averaged the fewest number of possessions per game in the country. In other words, he had numbers as impressive as any player in the country at his position despite having the fewest number off offensive opportunities to amass those stats.


Despite the incredible season that Taylor had, the only time that his name really became nationally known was when he scored 27 points and handed out seven assists while orchestrating the Badgers' second half comeback against then-undefeated Ohio State.

So while Taylor was the most valuable player in the country a year ago, there is a very strong argument to make that he was also the most underrated. How often does that happen?

Next season, the Badgers figure to look very, very different. Gone are three key players -- Jon Leuer, Keaton Nankivil, and Tim Jarmusz. Leuer was one of the best face-up fours in the country a year ago, and Nankivil was incredibly valuable because of his ability to knock down perimeter jumpers and execute in pick-and-pop situations.

So how good will Taylor be next season?

Generally speaking, when a player that is incredibly efficient is forced to take over a larger role in the offense due to graduation or early entry, that player is expected to have a break out season. But in Bo Ryan's grind-it-out, half-court system, how much room for improvement is there in Taylor?

He already plays more than 90% of the available minutes. He already is the guy who has the ball in his hands in late-game situations when Wisconsin needs a bucket. Hell, with the season he had a year ago, Taylor may have already been the best point guard in the country.

There isn't much more room for Taylor to improve.

In fact, there is a legitimate argument to be made that Taylor will regress next season. Leuer and Nankivil's ability to shoot from the perimeter opened up a lot of space in the paint for Taylor. He's not an overly explosive guard, but he is very strong. He can finish through other point guards, but he's not necessarily the kind of player that can challenge 6'10" shotblockers. Can he continue to control and orchestrate games with the increased defensive attention he will no-doubt receive?

The key will be the development of some of Wisconsin's underclassmen, something that has become a given for teams coached by Ryan. Can Mike Bruesewitz provide an inside-outside front court threat? Will John Gasser improve enough to become an effective piece to the puzzle offensively? Will Ryan Evans ever develop any offensive skill?

There should no longer be a question as to who the most valuable player in the country was a year ago.

But Taylor is not the kind of talent that can shine on his own. He thrives being the leader in a team setting.

Whether or not Bo Ryan can work his magic and turn the Badger bench into an effective supporting cast will determine just how good the Wisconsin is next season.
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VIDEO: Mike Bruesewitz is Ravishing Red no more; shaves head for MS

Wisconsin's Mike Breusewitz was a notable player this season, although it had less to do with his work on the court than the work he did on his head.

A member of the BIAH all-hair team, Breusewitz made waves when he braided what was once a curly red mop into cornrows. With his newest change in hairstyle, Breusewitz made $3,424 for the first against multiple sclerosis.

On Wednesday morning, Bruesewitz went to WKOW studios and shaved off his carrot-top locks. His goal was to raise $3,100 (he wears No. 31), and he exceeded that amount by $324.



And I didn't think this kid could get more likeable. Isn't refreshing when star athletes 'get it'?

(h/t Jeff Eisenberg, who may or may not have starred in The Social Network)
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Jordan Taylor had one of the most impressive games this year

It wasn't the highest point total scored this season, but the 39 points that Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor scored in a 77-67 win against Indiana might just be the season's most impressive performance.

Let me explain. (For those of you fluent in Kenpom-ian, move along): Tempo-free stats -- things like efficiency, offensive rebounding percentage, points per possession -- came into existence to allow us to compare two teams that play at different speeds. Assuming that a team like North Carolina is better offensively than a team like Wisconsin simply because they score more points is inaccurate because the pace that the Tar Heels play at affords them more opportunities to score. By looking at stats per-possession -- or tempo-free -- we can compare the efficiency with which North Carolina and Wisconsin score. When you do so, you will see that, in fact, the Tar Heels are an elite defensive team while Wisconsin is in a league of their own on the offensive end of the floor.


That is the bare bone basics of tempo-free statistics, but you get my gist.

We can use this kind of analysis to look at individual performances as well.

And it will give you an entirely new appreciation for what Jordan Taylor did last night. On the surface, it was an incredible performance. He scored 39 points in 39 minutes while making 11-19 from the field, 7-8 from three, and all ten of his free throws. While he only had one assist, Taylor committed just a single turnover, par for the course for Taylor.

He scored 14 straight points and 17 of 19 during a 10 minute stretch of the second half where Wisconsin took control of the game.

No think about this -- Wisconsin only had 55 possessions. 55! That means that Taylor averaged 0.71 PPP last night. Texas, during the stretch where they were playing their stingiest defense, was allowing just over 0.80 PPP to entire teams. If Jimmer wanted to score with the same efficiency as Taylor, he would have needed 57, no 47, points against Utah.

This shouldn't be a surprise, either. He's been doing it all season long, averaging 18.6 ppg, 4.9 apg, and 4.3 rpg for the slowest team in the country.

And you wonder why we say he should be an all-american?

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Jordan Taylor added to the Cousy Award finalists

The internet hath spoken.

Ten days after Jordan Taylor was left out of the ten finalists for the Cousy Award, the outcry had reached a level that something had to be done:

Wisconsin junior Jordan Taylor has quietly been added to the orginal list of 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the top point guard in the nation.

According to the Basketball Hall of Fame, which oversees the award, Taylor played his way onto the list of finalists, which now stands at 11.

Ballots were submitted by Feb. 1 and it was after that deadline Taylor led UW to victories over Michigan State and then-No. 1 Ohio State.

Ironically enough, Bo Ryan is a member of the committee that votes for the Cousy Award winner, but he apparently played no part in getting Taylor onto the list, at least according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's sources.

This has happened before. Evan Turner wasn't on the original list of Cousy Award finalists last year because he wasn't expected to be a point guard. His name was also added midseason.

Now then.

We are still missing Tu Holloway?
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Purdue takes over second place in the Big Ten by beating Wisconsin

At the end of January, Purdue had road trips to both Ohio State and Wisconsin in the span of a week.

The Boilermakers lost both.

On Wednesday night, they got their first measure of revenge, as Wisconsin couldn't overcome a 13 point second half deficit, losing 70-62.


JaJuan Johnson had 20 points, 10 boards, and four blocks and E'Twaun Moore added 19 points for Purdue, but the star tonight may have been point guard Lewis Jackson. Jackson had one point and three turnovers in Purdue's loss earlier this season. Tonight, he finished with 18 points, five assists, four rebounds, and didn't commit a turnover in 31 minutes.

Purdue, it should be noted, committed just five turnovers as a team.

Jackson may have been the star, but Moore was the hero. Wisconsin had cut a 13 point lead to 58-56 with just 3:55 left on the clock. But Moore ended the rally, hitting a floater and then a three pointer that pushed the lead back to seven points with just over two minutes left in the game.

Also impressive was Purdue's defense. Wisconsin came into this game as the most efficient offense team in the country, and Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer played like it. The two Wisconsin stars combined for 38 points on 16-27 shooting to go with nine boards, five assists, and just three turnovers. The rest of the team, however, got shut down by the Boilers. They were 8-32 from the floor, 2-14 from three, and managed just 24 points.

With this win, Purdue moves into sole possession of second place in the Big Ten.

But they are still sitting two games behind Ohio State, setting up an enormous game on Saturday.

The Buckeyes will head to West Lafayette with a chance to all but end the Big Ten race. A win would put Ohio State up three games with four remaining. That deficit isn't getting made up.

But a win by Purdue could set up an interesting situation.

Ohio State gets Illinois and Indiana at home and has to travel to Penn State before ending the season with Wisconsin.

Wouldn't be ironic if Wisconsin beat Ohio State to earn Purdue a share of the Big Ten title?
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2/14 - College Hoops Week in Review: I hope you didn't forget Valentine's Day

Game of the Week: Wisconsin 71, Ohio State 67

Jordan Taylor provided us with the most exciting 13 minutes of basketball this season on Saturday. With Wisconsin down 47-32 after Ohio State went on a 21-6 run, the no-longer-underrated Taylor caught fire. He scored on a tough drive. Two possessions later, he knocked down a three to get the lead to ten. On Wisconsin’s next possession, he buried another three to cut Ohio State’s lead to seven. After two Mike Bruesewitz free throws and another jumper from Taylor, the Badger’s point guard found freshman John Gasser for a three that tied the game with 9:46 left.



All told, the nation's slowest team had erased a 15 point deficit on the nation's No. 1 team in 3:30. Aaron Craft did his best to keep Ohio State in the lead, scoring six of the Buckeye's next eight points as they opened up a four point lead, but Taylor had the answer. He hit a three, found Mike Bruesewitz for a three, and found Keaton Nankivil for a jumper to put Wisconsin ahead, then he capped the run with a three pointer of his own with 5:34 left in the game as the Badgers went up 60-55.

Taylor finished with 27 points and seven assists, accounting for all but six points and three assists in the final 13 minutes of the game. The court was stormed, Ohio State suffered their first loss of the season, and Taylor was Rudy'd.

Florida 61, Tennessee 60: It seems like every game played in the SEC East is a close game with an exciting finish. Florida, however, has proven to be the best in the conference at winning those close games, which is why they are currently sitting at 9-2 in the league with a two game lead. In this one, the Gators overcame a 35-29 half time deficit, winning on a tough, driving layup by Erving Walker with 14 seconds left.



Duke 79, UNC 73: Like the Wisconsin-Ohio State game, Duke-UNC didn't have a great finish, but it was quite entertaining nonetheless. The Tar Heels jumped out to a 43-27 lead in the first half, but Duke led an entertaining rally in the second half, as Seth Curry and Nolan Smith combined for 40 points after the break.

Wild finishes:

• Colorado 58, Kansas State 56: Down by two with 1.1 seconds left, Rodney McGruder hit what appeared to be a game-winning three at the buzzer. But after the refs reviewed the shot, it was obvious it came after the buzzer:

• Pitt 57, Villanova 54: Villanova had the same thing happen. The Wildcats managed to force a couple of turnovers to get back into the game, finally cutting the lead to just three on an Antonio Pena three. After another Pitt turnover, Dominic Cheek missed a three, but the rebound was kicked out to Maalik Wayns, who hit a three one second after the buzzer expired and about thirty seconds after McGruder's three was waved off.


• Rutgers 77, Villanova 76: That wasn't the only tough loss that Villanova suffered this week. Against Rutgers, the Wildcats blew a 13 points lead with five minutes left and an eight point lead with 1:50 of the block. But thanks to some hot shooting by the Scarlet Knights, they were able to get back into it. Down three, Jonathon Mitchell hit a three and was fouled with 0.8 seconds left.
  

• Rhode Island 71, Charlotte 70 OT: The Rams overcame a 40-23 second half deficit to force overtime, and in the extra frame Jamal Wilson, who had 11 points on the season coming in, scored on a put back at the buzzer to win the game.
  

• Green Bay 63, Illinois-Chicago 61 OT: Robo Kreps hit a floater at the buzzer to win a Horizon League game back on Thursday, but wait for the 1:10 mark and listen to the announcer's reaction. You'll laugh.

Players of the Week: I don't generally like giving out ties with the Weekly Awards, but four players this week gave such impressive performances, I really had no choice:

Norris Cole, Cleveland State: Cole had the line of the year so far this season, going for 41 points, 20 boards, nine assists, and three steal in a win over Youngstown State. The only other player in the last 15 years to have a 40-20 games was Blake Griffin, who had 40 points and 23 boards against Texas Tech. In a loss on Monday, Cole added 27 points, six assists, and seven boards.

John Jenkins, Vanderbilt: Jenkins was terrific in Vandy's two big wins over Alabama and Kentucky. On Tuesday against the Crimson Tide, he finished with 20 points on 5-11 shooting, but his better performance came on Saturday. With Jeff Taylor struggling, Jenkins picked up the slack, going for a career-high 32 points on 11-17 shooting while hitting six threes, many of them closely contested.

Nolan Smith, Duke: Smith has been a catalyst for the Blue Devils all season long, but never was that more evident than this week. He sparked Duke in the second half of their 81-71 road win over Miami on Sunday, finishing with 18 points and five assists despite sitting out a long stretch of the first half after being poked in the eye. On Wednesday, he scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half as Duke rallied from 16 down to knock off North Carolina.


Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin: We've already talked plenty about Taylor's play against Ohio State, both in this post and from the write-ups on Saturday. Taylor averaged 21.5 ppg and 7.5 apg in two wins this week, including 21 points and four assists during Wisconsin's comeback from 15 points down in the last 13 minutes against Ohio State.

The all-they-were-good-too team:

• G: Dwight Hardy, St. John's: Hardy has been on fire of late, and it continued this week. The senior guard has scored at least 25 points in three of his last five games, including a 33 point outburst in the Johnnie's win over UConn. He followed that up with 18 points in a win at Cincinnati. Hardy was 9-15 from three on the week.
  
• G: Ramone Moore, Temple: Moore has become Temple's start, averaging 15.0 ppg on the season. This week, he led the Owls to two wins, including a 12 point win at Dayton, by averaging 24.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 3.5 apg.
  
• F: Draymond Green, Michigan State: Have the Spartans finally turned a corner this season? The optimists say yes, and Green is a big reason why, as he notched a 15 point, 14 rebound, 10 assist triple-double in an 18 point rout of Penn State.
  
• F: Justin Harper, Richmond: In wins over GW and St. Louis this week, Harper averaged 21.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg, while shooting 14-21 from the floor and 6-10 from three.
  
• C: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue: Johnson averaged 19.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg in two wins this week for the Boilermakers.
  
• Bench: Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota (20.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg in two games this week); Reggie Jackson, Boston College (29.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 22-36 FG, 8-16 3PT); Kyle Kuric, Louisville (25.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 18-29 FG, 9-14 3PT); Malcolm Lee, UCLA (22.0 ppg in a 2-0 week); Erving Walker, Florida (20.5 ppg, game-winner versus Tennessee)
  

Team of the Week: Xavier Musketeers

The Muskies did a lot this week. They took over sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10. They put themselves into prime position for an at-large berth. And they did it by winning on the road despite not getting great performances out of Tu Holloway.

On Tuesday, X went into Athens and knocked off Georgia 65-57. Holloway led four players in double figures with 18 points, but he didn't score until there were five minutes gone in the second half. Instead, it was the play of Mark Lyons and Dante Jackson that kept Xavier in it until Holloway was able to take the game over. On Sunday, Xavier got 20 from Holloway, 19 out of Dante Jackson, and 12 points and 12 boards from Kenny Frease as they went into Pittsburgh and knocked off Duquesne, who they were tied for first place in the conference with.


Xavier still has some work to do this season. A couple of ugly early losses on their resume hurt, and the Muskies have shown they are plenty capable of losing to a team like Charlotte in league play. But it seems as if Xavier is, once again, peaking at the right time. Give credit where credit is due -- this coaching job by Chris Mack, overcoming the injuries and ineligibilities that he has had to deal with, is as good as any in the country.

Also impressive this week:

• Wisconsin and Purdue: As we mentioned earlier, the Badgers handed Ohio State their first loss of the season. They also knocked off Iowa on the road earlier in the week. The Boilermakers had an impressive win of their own on Sunday, going into Champaign and beating Illinois. They also knocked off Indiana on Tuesday in a rivalry game. It sets up a battle for second place in the conference on Wednesday, as these two teams are tied for second place, two games behind Ohio State.


• St. John's: On Thursday, the Johnnies once again proved their home court dominance with a 17 point win over UConn, their fourth impressive home win in the last five week. Then on Sunday, they went into Cincinnati and knocked off the Bearcats, landing a huge bubble victory and proving themselves capable of winning on the road.

• Vanderbilt: The Commodores went a long way towards asserting themselves as the second best team in the SEC East. Not only did they hand Alabama their first loss against the SEC East on Tuesday, they outlasted Kentucky 81-77 at home on Saturday afternoon.
  


• Pitt: Playing without the injured Ashton Gibbs, the Panthers notched two very tough road wins, knocking off West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl and then beating in state rival Villanova. The Panthers are looking more and more like the best "team" in the country.


• Georgetown: If you didn't know yet, the Hoyas are the hottest team in the country and officially back from the slump they had to start Big East play. On Wednesday, they went into the Carrier Dome and beat hated-rival Syracuse before coming home to knock off a scrappy Marquette team. The Hoyas are doing it with defense, as they have now won eight in a row.


• Duke: The Blue Devils are well on their way to erasing all memories of the humiliating defeat they suffered at the hands of St. John's. Since that loss, Duke has won four straight, including road wins at Miami and Maryland and Wednesday's rivalry matchup with North Carolina.


• Kansas: There is not a team in the country playing better basketball on the offensive end then Kansas. On Monday, they beat Missouri by 17 despite the Tigers scoring 86 on points on 51.7% shooting, putting all five starters in double figures, and turning the ball over eight times. Then on Saturday, the Jayhawks beat Iowa State by 23 despite allowing the Cyclones to knock down 14 threes.

• Old Dominion: The Monarchs won two road games this week to remain two games behind George Mason in the CAA standings, beating William & Mary and VCU, who was tied for first with the Patriots.


• Murray State: The Racers claimed sole possession of first place in the OVC with wins over Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State this week.
  


• Valpo: The Crusaders can now claim a one game lead in the loss column of the Horizon League thanks to wins over Wright State and Detroit and a loss by Cleveland State to Detroit.
  


• Montana: After losing to Weber State and Northern Arizona last week on the road, the Grizzlies came home to knock off Sacramento State and then pull into a tie for first with Northern Colorado thanks to a win on Saturday.
  

Matchups of the Week:

• 2/14 - 7:00 pm: West Virginia @ Syracuse
• 2/14 - 9:00 pm: Kansas @ Kansas State
• 2/15 - 7:00 pm: GMU @ VCU
• 2/15 - 9:00 pm: Michigan State @ Ohio State
• 2/16 - 6:30 pm: Wisconsin @ Purdue
  
• 2/16 - 7:00 pm: Georgetown @ UConn
• 2/17 - 7:00 pm: Richmond @ Temple
• 2/18 - 9:00 pm: UConn @ Louisville
• 2/19 - 12:00 pm: Pitt @ St. John's
• 2/19 - 1:00 pm: Notre Dame @ West Virginia
• 2/19 - 6:00 pm: Washington @ Arizona
• 2/19 - 9:00 pm: Utah State @ St. Mary's
• 2/20 - 1:00 pm: Ohio State @ Purdue
  
• 2/18-2/20: Bracket Busters

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Jordan Taylor has deserved this publicity all season long

If I were starting a college basketball team this season, the first guard I would take is Nolan Smith. He's a senior leader, he can score, he can shoot, he can create for his teammates, and he is capable of taking a game over down the stretch.

The first big man I would take if Jared Sullinger. He's impossible to keep from getting position in the paint, he's efficient at putting the ball in the hoop when he gets into position, and he rarely makes the wrong the decision with the ball when the double team comes.

After that?

Jordan Taylor of Wisconsin.


That may surprise some people. No Jimmer? No Kemba? No Jordan Hamilton or Derrick Williams or JaJuan Johnson?

And I'm not just saying this because he scored 21 of his 27 points and handed out four of his seven assists in the last 13 minutes against No. 1 Ohio State as the Badgers overcame a 15 point deficit to hand the Buckeyes their first loss.

I've been on Taylor since the beginning. Well, the beginning of the season, at least.

Coming into today's game, Taylor was averaging 17.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 4.5 apg with just a 3.9 assist-to-turnover ratio despite playing on the slowest team in the country. Seriously. Wisconsin averages just 57.7 possessions a game, which means that Taylor is able to put up those kind of numbers despite having, on average, 16 fewer chances per game to score than a team like North Carolina or Washington.

And, as evidenced today, he's the guy that Bo Ryan relies on late in the game. Down the stretch, Taylor is the guy who has the ball in his hands. He is the guy who makes the decisions for the Badgers. Jon Leuer gets the publicity, but Taylor is the Badger's most valuable player.

Knowing that, its a travesty that Taylor doesn't get the credit that he deserves.

He wasn't a finalist for the Cousy Award, meaning that he wasn't voted by the media to be one of the top ten point guards in the country. He wasn't a finalist for the Naismith Award, either, which means that those same media types don't believe that Taylor is one of the 30 best players in the country.

I'll go ahead and say that was an oversight.

Taylor will, hopefully, start to get the credit he deserves after his performance against the Buckeyes Saturday afternoon.

But for every story you read on him from today's games, remember this -- he has deserved that credit all season long.

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