W
isconsin senior Mike Bruesewitz threw out a number: 5,000.
Maybe, he ventured, it was closer to 6,000. He was not estimating the number of times that he
has dived on the floor during his college basketball
career, though it was a seemingly plausible figure
given his rough-and-tumble nature.
���Defensively, I���ve probably seen 5,000 or 6,000
more possessions of basketball in our system than
those guys have,������ Bruesewitz said of Traveon Jackson and George Marshall, who have shared the
point guard position this season, ���and that���s just
because I���ve been around that much longer.������
Noting that he shares that longevity with fellow
seniors Jared Berggren and Ryan Evans, whereas
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FEB R UA RY 14, 2013
Jackson and Marshall have been in the UW program
for only two years, Bruesewitz stressed, ���They���re
moving along on the curve and they���re picking up
stuff pretty quick.������
Bruesewitz was responding directly to a question
about team defense. But he was also shedding light
on why the Badgers have overcome some offensive
limitations and kept improving in the midst of a
typical second-half run at a Big Ten championship;
typical, that is, for a Bo Ryan-coached team.
Even though he boasts the highest winning percentage in Big Ten history at 71.1 percent, Ryan���s
numbers actually get better late in the season. In
regular-season games played on Feb. 1 or later, Ryan���s teams have gone 76-25 (.752) over his 12 seasons. The Badgers are 3-0 this season.
