As the Big Ten churns . . .
This was late Wednesday night, 70 minutes after Wisconsin had sidled past Purdue with a performance barely more than successful. The Badgers had missed open shots, had been woeful on three-pointers and had done just enough to survive, which they would do again three days later with a late rally at Illinois.
Both victories were attained by will as well as skill, and they preserved their No. 2 national ranking and 5-0 record in the Big Ten. Ignored in favor of sexier teams (think Ohio State, North Carolina and Florida), the Badgers now have a buzz about them, an acknowledgment that they are a team that could play deep into March.
But accompanying that recognition are distractions ready to wreak havoc. Their guises stretch from an abundance of applause to a sense of satisfaction to a blurred focus that fails to recall how that status was achieved.
How does Wisconsin star Alando Tucker think they are coping?
“I say we’ve handled it well,” he said. “We’ve had a game like Northwestern (a six-point victory in Evanston) where in the past we’ve lost when we played like that. A game like [Purdue], last year we would have lost.
“So I say we’ve taken it well because we understand that we have that target [on our backs]. I tell my teammates all the time that we have to still have that mentality that we’re trying to prove ourselves. So we can’t let games slip away.”
Yet every game will be a challenge for the Badgers, threatening to become the first team since Indiana’s 1976 national champions to finish undefeated in Big Ten play. Every opponent will circle the Wisconsin game on its calendar, every one will give the Badgers their best shot and many will emulate the strategy Purdue used by insisting that someone other than Tucker stand out.
“We had to take a couple of risks in our game plan if we were going to have a chance . . . and one of the risks was not guarding a couple of people,” Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said. “Just flat-out leaving them open. I just wanted to give all our attention to Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor.”
But it will be equally important for the Badgers to maintain their mien, ignore the praise and retain that sense of urgency reflected in Tucker’s words.
That’s basically what Quinn Buckner, the leader of that undefeated Indiana team, said two years ago in a conversation about a team in a similar situation.
Our discussion concerned the pitfalls then confronting undefeated Illinois, and Buckner said the most dangerous element was “the hype. Players hear so much now. It’s easy to worry about what people outside the team say and think about you. If you stay committed to your team and what you have to do, you have a great chance. But every moment you worry about the outside, your chances diminish. Those kinds of things can get to you.”
Tucker was asked who was keeping the Badgers’ eyes focused and hat sizes unchanged.
“I’m doing it all the time because I’m the guy everyone looks up at to be the leader,” he said. “They understand I’ve been through all you can go through here.
“I know what it takes to get it done. I know what it takes to win. I’ve been on the end where we were losing a lot. Last year. So I’m keeping them focused, I’m keeping them on an even keel.
“I have a lot of experience, a lot of game experience, so I’m just going to be myself. I think the more I’m myself, the better and more relaxed the whole team is.” . . .
Tucker is a special talent and a special leader, which is why I couldn’t help but think of this when I heard him offer that last sentence. I couldn’t help but think of the many times I’d heard Bob Knight say, “The better a team of mine has been, the closer to my personality the team has been.”
That makes it even more appropriate that it is Tucker’s Badgers who are trying to match that Indiana team coached by Knight.
When considering Illinois’ struggles, here are some things to remember. In the four previous seasons, they had Dee Brown, Deron Williams or both to lead them. Without that pair around, you have players who have been lounge acts being asked to be headliners. All of them, of course, covet the main stage and think they are ready for it. But that’s a big jump not all of them can make.
And finally, game of the week: Indiana at Illinois on Tuesday. A must-win if there ever was one for the Illini.
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smyslenski@tribune.com
