26 // VARSITY March 13, 2014
I
n assessing Wisconsin's offensive effectiveness
during an historic 16-game winning streak, Indi-
ana coach Tom Crean unwittingly gave headline
writers something to work with ― "Success is More
Than Passing Fancy for Badgers" ― by extolling their
skills to pass the basketball.
"They are not an above average passing team, they
are a great passing team," Crean said. "Where they
are so efficient is when the game gets into rotation
and you are constantly helping and over-helping (on
defense) or trying to stop the dribble or stop this or
stop that …"
Noting that this was one area "where they have
hurt us in the past and have hurt so many others"
under Bo Ryan's watch at Wisconsin, Crean went
on to say, "They not only make the next pass but the
pass after that and, if need be, the pass after that."
Ironically, Crean made his comments on the week-
ly Big Ten coaches teleconference the day before the
Hoosiers handed the Badgers their first loss, 75-72,
in Bloomington, Ind. That halted UW's win streak at
16, the longest to start a season in school history,
erasing a pair of 15-0 starts in 1912 and 1914.
After the Badgers returned the favor in late Febru-
ary with a 69-58 win over Indiana at the Kohl Cen-
ter, Crean reiterated, "Not only can all their starters
shoot the ball, but they can pass the ball. A lot of
times you're getting ready for one or two guys to be
very good passers. Their whole team is."
The importance of sharing the ball ― making the
extra pass ― can't be emphasized enough as Wiscon-
sin enters postseason play Friday as the No. 2 seed
in the Big Ten tournament with the goal of not only
winning a league title in Indy but collecting a No. 2
seed, at the very least, in the Big Dance.
"Early-on when I was a freshman, and you're
watching teams in the non-conference games get-
ting fast breaks and alley-oops," said Sam Dekker,
a UW sophomore from Sheboygan, Wis., "people
would say to me, 'You're not going to get that come
"NOT ONLY CAN ALL THEIR STARTERS
SHOOT THE BALL, BUT THEY CAN PASS
THE BALL," CREAN SAID. "A LOT OF TIMES
YOU'RE GETTING READY FOR ONE OR
TWO GUYS TO BE VERY GOOD PASSERS.
THEIR WHOLE TEAM IS."
STEVE
GOTTER
