On Thursday, the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll debuted with the Wisconsin Badgers coming in at #24. Thursday was also declared Media Day for the basketball team which featured a twenty minute press conference with Head Coach Bo Ryan.
Ryan had a lot to talk about including the new ranking, Jon Leuer and replacing two key senior guards from last season.
By: Nick Grays
College Basketball is one of the hardest sports to predict which possibly explains the appeal it has to a huge fan-base. One thing a fan can count on every season is Ryan getting his Badgers into the NCAA tournament, a feet he has accomplished in all nine seasons at the University of Wisconsin.
Ryan has also coached his teams to an unprecedented five Big Ten Titles. In his tenth season with the team, I’m not so sure he has the talent to compete for that sixth title. Not only did he lose two important contributors in Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon, but he must also compete in a much better Big Ten conference than a year ago.
Yes, Evan Turner may be gone, but schools like Illinois, Michigan State and Minnesota still have some dangerous players lurking around their campuses. Heck, Ohio State still has a great player in William Buford at the helm. Purdue may have taken a step down with Robbie Hummel gone for the season, but don’t forget about E’Twaun Moore who is more than capable of carrying a Boilermakers team on his back.
At the same time, haven’t the Badgers surprised their critics before; here’s what Ryan had to say about the transition into the 2010-11 season and the new ranking in the polls.
“Who lost more in the Big Ten than we did?,” Ryan asked.
“Minutes, points, wins? You can say, ‘well (Robbie) Hummel’s hurt now, so Hummel and Kramer, maybe.’ I don’t know if anybody lost what we lost. So for them to rank us 24th, when they’ve never ranked our recruiting classes. So you know we don’t have any real good players coming. So how do they pick us 24th? That’s just a testament to the guys that have played before and what they’ve accomplished,” explained Ryan.
If the Badgers are to open some eyes this season, it will be in big part due to the play of senior forward Jon Leuer. For those of you who didn’t know, Leuer spent his summer scrimmaging against Team USA. Leuer played so well that Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright declared Leuer the best college player at the camp.
“He represented the Wisconsin part of it very well (with Team USA). It wasn’t just (the coaches) that I heard from, I heard from the NBA scouts and the other people who were out there. That’s always good for the program,” said Ryan.
In regards to losing Hughes and Bohannon, Ryan knows it will be a tough task, but nothing a little practice and Jordan Taylor can’t fix. Here’s how Ryan plans on addressing the current problem with depth.
“We’re trying to develop that depth right now in every drill in practice,” said Ryan.
You can be rest assured the Badgers will be prepared for a new season of college basketball. They can be seen in action next at the annual Red-White scrimmage held at the Kohl Center this upcoming Sunday.
Do the Badgers have a chance at competing for the Big Ten Title or will they be fighting from the bubble to make the NCAA tournament? Let me know how you feel about Bo Ryan’s Badgers by commenting below!
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