The Wisconsin Badgers were on the practice floor in Madison on Tuesday. Wednesday will be the final time this season they practice in their own facility.
Then they leave for the Final Four in Indianapolis.
Their practice there is on Thursday and Friday prior to Saturday night’s national semifinal game against top overall seed and unbeaten Kentucky.
Coach Bo Ryan said Tuesday that Kentucky is a different team from the one that beat Wisconsin by a point on a late 3-pointer. They have even more blue chip talent than a year ago.
“I think it’s easier for them to look at us than it is for us to look at them. I looked at 10 films today. A couple games that I only looked at a half but no they are different. They are undefeated for a reason,” Ryan said.
Staying Loose
Anybody worried about the Badgers getting too tight under the bright lights of the Final Four wasn’t watching Tuesday’s televised news conference. There was plenty of joking from the players and stories from Bo Ryan about his pinball prowess.
The team should remain plenty loose and relaxed until it’s time to get down to business.
“It’s like being a kid again, being around these guys. But when we get out on the floor and we do anything basketball-wise, I never have to worry about them. They can separate,” Ryan said.
Making a Difference
The Badgers return pretty much the same team, but one guy who doesn’t want the same performance is Nigel Hayes. The then-freshman was a non-factor with just 2 points, zero rebounds and playing a mere 7 minutes.
“I didn’t contribute to help the team in the way that I should have,” Hayes said. “All I had to do was be average for us to win, and I was below average statistically. And I think this year, a year of being better, a year of more ups and downs, more situations in the game of basketball and especially situations like Final Fours and the games that we played in and hopefully it will show.”
