Last Wednesday against the University of Minnesota, the Wisconsin Badgers forced only one turnover in the first half. They allowed 45 points. Their defense was pillow-soft. Their energy was nonexistent. On nights like this — and there have been several of them this season — it is impossible to think that Wisconsin can become a great team.
To be sure, Wisconsin isn’t a great team, and isn’t likely to become a great team in the time left in this season. No one who has been following the Badgers since early November needs an explanation of why this is the case. However, is it IMPOSSIBLE for UW to become a great team?
Watching the last 10-plus minutes of the first half against Ohio State on Sunday offered a glimpse of the Badgers which showed them at their very best. If their defense wasn’t anywhere to be found in Minneapolis, and if they were similarly AWOL against Purdue, with no muscle or vigor on the boards, the Badgers completely flipped the script against Ohio State in the last 10 minutes of the first half.
Has Wisconsin’s defense been better at any point this season than it was in the final 10 minutes of Sunday’s first half? Maybe the end of the Michigan State game, but that might be about it. Even though Wisconsin bottled up the Spartans on Feb. 1, it has to be said that MSU big man Xavier Tillman went 3 of 15 and missed some shots he normally would make. Against Ohio State, the 31-7 run produced by Wisconsin was much more the product of total dominance. It was fitting that the 2000 Final Four team was on hand for that game, because the airtight defense of the Dick Bennett era — which has remained in the Wisconsin program ever since — was very much on display against Ohio State. The throwback uniforms worn by the Badgers carried powerful symbolic significance versus the Buckeyes.
The big reminder about Wisconsin is the big reminder worth reemphasizing about nearly every NCAA Tournament-quality Big Ten team: The question really isn’t if this team can play well; it’s if this team can play consistently well, over a few weeks. Wisconsin, Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, and more teams all look great when everything is going right. They look horrible when playing a bad game. If any of them can play their best ball for a few weeks, a March run suddenly becomes a lot more realistic.
Can Wisconsin play great basketball? Yes it can. Retaining that identity is the hard part.