More photos » Steve Helber - AP

It's OK. Jon doesn't need to be able to see the basket when he shoots. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

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UW squeaks by Wofford, will face Cornell Sunday

At the end of UW's 53-49 victory over Wofford Friday, three phrases in my notes were written in all CAPS and stood out above the rest:

MISSING: JASON BOHANNON.

TAYLOR STEAL COULD WIN GAME.

JON LEUER IS GOOD.

It's hard to argue with that last one after the junior forward hit the game-winning shot, forced a turnover and then iced the game at the free throw line in a span of 17 seconds.

But at times Friday, it appeared UW was playing 2-on-5 against Wofford. Somehow the Badgers overcame another poor shooting effort and survived their first-round matchup with the Terriers in Jacksonville, Florida because of the two-headed attack of Jon Leuer and Trevon Hughes.

Hughes got to the basket with ease in the first-half, scoring 10 of the team's first 12 points. He finished with 19.

"I felt like the driving lane was open a lot more in the first half," Hughes said. "In the second half, they made an adjustment and they sagged in the paint and forced us to hit some jump shots."

As has been the case lately, those jump shots didn't fall at a rapid pace.

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NCAA Tournament First Round No. 13 Wofford vs No. 4 Wisconsin
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26-8 (15-3 SoCon)		23-8 (13-5 Big Ten)
March 19, 2010  Approx. 1:50 PM CT Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.
TV: CBS (Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg) Radio: Badgers Radio Network, Sirius 125/XM 241 (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas) Opponent Coverage: Spartansburg Herald Coverage: Our Wisconsin-Wofford Game Page
All-time Series: Wisconsin leads 1-0 Last Meeting: Wisconsin won 70-43, Dec. 3, 2007
Probable starters:
Brad Loesing	G	Trevon Hughes
Junior Salters	G	Jordan Taylor
Jamar Diggs	G	Jason Bohannon
Tim Johnson	F	Tim Jarmusz
Noah Dahlman	F	Keaton Nankivil

Welcome into our live game thread for Wisconsin's opening round NCAA Tournament game against Wofford. We hope you will follow along with us all day, whether you are at work or managed to get the day off.

The game starts at approximately 1:50 CT, depending on how long the Temple-Cornell game goes. And speaking of that game, I will be right here watching it and commenting a little bit on the two teams Wisconsin could play Sunday.

Feel free to leave your comments and predictions below!

More photos » Chuck Burton - AP

Wofford players pose around the trophy after their 56-51 win over Appalachian State that clinched an NCAA berth. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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Location: Spartansburg, South Carolina
Conference: Southern
Record: 26-8 (15-3, 1st Place)
Coach: Mike Young (116-125 in 7 years at Wofford)
Enrollment: 1,450 students

The Terriers returned five starters this season from a team that went 16-14 a year ago. Wofford was hoping to make the NCAA Tournament in 2009, but it was upset by Elon in the first round of the SoCon Tournament. On top of five returning starters, Young brought into two transfers from the state of Minnesota who played AAU ball with Noah Dahlman (16.8), the team's leading scorer. Those two transfers, Jamar Diggs (9.4 ppg) and Cameron Rundles (6.6 ppg) became two of the team's top four scorers. Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor is familiar with all three Minnesota natives, having played AAU basketball against them.

Wofford enters the NCAA Tournament on a 13-game winning streak and finished first in the Southern Conference with a 15-3 record.

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More photos » Michael Conroy - AP

Head up, Pop. There's more basketball to be played. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Update (10:26 p.m.): Friday's game vs. Wofford will tip off at approximately 1:50 p.m. CT.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Wisconsin's poor performance in the Big Ten Tournament apparently didn't hurt their seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

The Badgers were handed a No. 4 seed and will play No. 13 Wofford Friday in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Terriers have come a long way since their one and only meeting with the Badgers back in 2007. Wisconsin won that game at the Kohl Center 70-43, but Wofford has since built a pretty decent team and is now headed to its first-ever NCAA Tournament.

School-wise, Wofford is very similar to Davidson, which beat Wisconsin in the 2008 Sweet 16. It's a school with an enrollment of only 1,450 students in the small town of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Of course, Wofford does not have Stephon Curry and even though the Terriers have won 13 straight games, the Badgers should be heavily-favored.

Wisconsin was placed in the East regional, where Syracuse, N.Y. will host the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. Kentucky is the No. 1 seed in the regional and Marquette is the No. 6 seed.

Should the Badgers beat Wofford, they would play the winner of No. 5 Temple and No. 12 Cornell. Both teams will be very tough outs.

More photos » Michael Conroy - AP

The perfect snapshot of Wisconsin's loss to Illinois Friday. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Is it cold in here or is it just the Badgers?

Wisconsin made a courageous comeback in Friday’s Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal game against Illinois, but could not overcome a ridiculously cold shooting day and fell 58-54.

It's hard to even explain how cold the Badgers were at Conseco Fieldhouse, which is known for its tight rims. The Badgers were only 6-of-39 at one point in the second half, shooting only 15 percent. Illinois, by contrast, shot 65 percent in the first half. The fact the Illini only had a 29-20 lead at the half was somewhat surprising.

"It’s very tough to start a game out like that and shoot they way we did," senior Jason Bohannon – who only hit 1-of-10 shots – said. "We got some good looks and they just didn’t happen to fall. We certainly can’t let that affect the way we shoot the rest of the year. We got to get that confidence back."

Bohannon and classmate Trevon Hughes combined to start the game 0-of-17 from the field and Wisconsin trailed by 16 points with 6:45 left in the game as a result.

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LIVE COVERAGE FROM CONSECO FIELDHOUSE

Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals No. 5 Illinois vs No. 4 Wisconsin
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18-13 (10-8 Big Ten)		23-7 (13-5 Big Ten)
March 12, 2010  Approx. 1:30 PM CT Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: ESPN (Dave O'Brien and Steve Lavin) Radio: Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas) Opponent Blog: Hail to the Orange Coverage: Our Wisconsin-Illinois Game Page
All-time Series: Illinois leads 107-75 Last Meeting: Wisconsin won, 72-57, Mar. 7, 2010
Probable starters:
Demetri McCamey	G	Trevon Hughes
D.J. Richardson	G	Jordan Taylor
Bill Cole	G	Jason Bohannon
Mike Davis	F	Tim Jarmusz
Mike Tisdale	F	Keaton Nankivil

More photos » John Dixon - AP

12 days ago: Wisconsin's Jon Leuer, left, is fouled by Illinois' Bill Cole, right, in second-half NCAA college basketball game action at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday, March 7, 2010. Wisconsin defeated Illinois 72-57. (AP photo/John Dixon)

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At least unfamiliarity with the opponent won't be an excuse.

Wisconsin and Illinois face each other for the second time in six days Friday at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, and not much has changed for either team.

The Illini are still desperate for a win to vault them back into NCAA tournament consideration.  The Badgers are looking to improve their seeding in the Big Dance and have a legitimate shot at winning the conference tournament title.  They will also be looking to prove they can consistently beat good teams away from the Kohl Center.

The winner will most likely face top-seeded Ohio State in the semifinals Saturday.

Nowhere has Jon Leuer's impact on Wisconsin been demonstrated more clearly than in the Badgers' two performances against Illinois in the regular season.  Without the junior forward, the team lost 63-56 at home, the only time they fell in Madison this year.  They had trouble generating any offense in the second half and had no answer for Mike Tisdale of the Illini.

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More photos » Andy Manis - AP

Yeah Bo, we were all surprised you didn't win Big Ten Coach of the Year. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

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Coaches in every sport and every level love to take shots at the media and most of the time, it's probably justified.

Now it's time to turn the tables.

I have a number of problems with the Big Ten honors that came out Monday, but before we get to that, can someone please explain to me how the Badgers killed a bad Iowa team at home Wednesday and then dominated a desperate Illinois team on the road Sunday and fell in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll?

Badger fans often criticize the media for disrespecting Bo Ryan's teams, but I'd love to talk to one of the coaches that dropped UW on their poll. Forget the results of the games, did Jon Leuer not do enough to convince you that Wisconsin is a much better team it was just a week before?

OK, on to the All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Team that was released Monday (for reference you might want to review my choices). In the words of Bud Light's ridiculously confusing new slogan, here we go:

How in the world was Evan Turner not a unanimous selection for Player of the Year by the coaches?

Please tell me one of the coaches was not playing favorites when they filled out their ballot. Shall we go over the stats?

Turner finished No. 1 in points per game, No. 1 in rebounding, No. 2 in assists, and No. 2 in steals. How can you be a more complete player?

At the least the media got it right, voting him the UNANIMOUS player of the year. It was the easiest award on the ballot and somehow at least one of the coaches messed it up.

How did Bo Ryan not win Big Ten Coach of the Year?

This one is on both the coaches and the media. And actually, I already know the answer to this question. It's because of the anti-Bo Ryan sentiment that is out there among both the media and other Big Ten coaches.

They can deny it all they want, but I've heard from many credible sources behind the scenes that there are specifically two coaches -- I'm sure you can guess who they are -- that don't really care for Ryan too much. When the mic is on, they praise him, but the truth is that they can't stand playing against Ryan and they certainly can't stand losing to him.

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