(Over)reacting to Number One

It's the classic admonishment, the finger-waving warning to those who wish to be graceful winners: "Act like you've been there before."

Well, the Badgers haven't been there before, so we get things like this:



Yes, you can go to Bucky's Locker Room, plunk down $18.99 plus tax and shipping, and celebrate the fact that a near-plurality of members of the media thought the Badgers should inherit the number one spot.

After weeks and weeks of enduring complaints of no respect, even the most stalwart complainers had to recognize that the national media are, in fact, paying attention to the Badgers. Everyone has something to say, and everyone is searching for a fresh angle; some frame the #1/#2 tandem of Wisconsin and Ohio State as a point of pride for the conference, others are playing up the takedown factor the opponents are salivating over, but ultimately the news of the #1 ranking becomes the story, and the result is full-on exuberance. In their state of freewheeling euphoria, the mainstream media has even sunk to the level of reviewing the reaction from homers on the internets.

So, excuse us for not acting like we've been here; we haven't.

Also of note: Greg Stiemsma has co-opted the hockey tradition of the playoff beard; Big Ten Wonk urges the Spartans to be wary of turning the ball over and fouling the Badgers; a messy weekend has kept the hockey team's postseason hopes alive; Alando Tucker is good at basketball, even on the road; Nick Polczinski, captain of the 1990 football team, has died at age 39; and MGoBlog takes a hilarious look at a hockey game at Lake Superior State.

Daily Cardinal wins today's headline contest

On the Minnesota game tonight: Valentine's Day Massacre Possible.

They also have a short snippet from Alando Tucker, talking about mega-talented Longhorn Kevin Durant:

It doesn't matter, Tucker said. If you are doing the things to help your team win, if you have all the ability, then I don't think there should be an age limit on that. [Durant] put himself in a position to be a candidate and that's fine with me.

Good, but I would've preferred, "I'm not thinking of Player of the Year. I'm thinking about winning the Tournament with my team."

#4 Wisconsin 72, #5 Ohio State 69

Oh, what a night to have been at the Kohl Center. (Speaking of, why on earth would the UW Athletic Department force students renewing their tickets to go through the same lottery process as first-time applicants? Don't they want to encourage loyalty? What they're doing is alienating future customers. But I digress.)

Anyway, the Badgers looked good in all phases of the game tonight. The slim margin of three points is deceptive; the Buckeyes never got within more than 8 points of the Badgers for a stretch of over ten minutes that spanned from 11:16 to go in the game up until the 0:45 mark, when the Badgers went into a very soft defense that allowed the Buckeyes to get great three-point opportunities. Granted, the last three-point attempt that Jamar Butler heaved up just before the buzzer provided a tense moment for all the Wisconsin fans. But looking at the way the game played out, it is certain that the Badgers were the best team on the floor for 36 minutes. The last two minutes, obviously, is when the Buckeyes gnawed away at the Badgers' lead. The first two minutes provided Ohio State with is biggest lead of the night: 3-0, after their fourth attempt at a triple fell. They held that lead for all of 29 seconds when Kammron Taylor tied it up with a triple of his own. 37 seconds later, a Michael Flowers layup made it 5-3. Once the score ran to 7-6 Wisconsin, the Badgers kept the lead till the very end.

Alando Tucker did his usual big-game thing, scoring 17 points; Taylor had 25. Everyone seemed to make a contribution tonight. Flowers, Chappell, Butch ... they all showed up and added needed blocks, steals, assists, and points. This team needs to maintain its focus, and it can go far.

And Greg Oden should shave his damn beard.