Wisconsin Doesn't Care About What You Like

Odds are, you don't know a single player on Wisconsin's basketball team. Because nobody does.

Their starting lineup, to put it kindly, lacks high-profile players -- believe it or not, Brust and Berggren and Brusewitz aren't yet household names. There are no future draft prospects to be found on the Badgers roster. Elite high school talents never go to Wisconsin. And honestly: why would they?

Even watching them play is a chore. People tune into basketball games to see offense. Wisconsin doesn't know what that word means. Most of the time, the Badgers use up the entire shot clock before going to the basket. They never get out in transition or take quick shots or frantically run up and down the court. They don't have great athletes or creative scorers. Their goal isn't to entertain -- it's to limit the number of possessions in the game and win by playing defense and not turning the ball over. Earlier this year, the Badgers beat Nebraska but only scored 47 points. In other words, Wisconsin basketball is boring.

Indiana, on the other hand? Indiana provides the exact brand of basketball that most fans want to see. The Hoosiers are ranked #2 in the country thanks to their offense, which scores 85 points per game, tops in the nation. That average goes up when they play on their own turf, Assembly Hall in Bloomington, which provides one of the strongest home field advantages in sports. Here are some of the ridiculous scores the Hoosiers have produced at home: 99-45, 101-53, 100-69, and so on. As a team, they shoot over 50% from the field. There are multiple NBA prospects on the roster, including Cody Zeller, the preseason favorite to win the National Player of the Year Award.

On Tuesday night, the Wisconsin Badgers traveled to Bloomington to play Indiana on their home court. Cody Zeller made all eight of his first eight shots and scored 18 points in the first half, but the Hoosiers led by just one point after twenty minutes. In the second half, Zeller faded, and so did the Indiana offense. They struggled to get the open looks that usually come so easily. They settled for contested jumpers against Wisconsin's tough defense. The Badgers were the far more patient team on offense. They forced Indiana to defend for all 30 seconds, wearing them down until an easy basket -- sometimes even an open lane for an emphatic dunk -- materialized. They opened a 47-39 lead with twelve minutes to go. That was the largest deficit Indiana faced this season.

Indiana made a late charge, capped off by Yogi Ferrell's three-pointer that nearly brought down Assembly Hall and pulled the Hoosiers to within one. But the Badgers responded with a pair of long contested jumpers that somehow went in, and suddenly the lead was back up to five. They never lost their poise, hit their free throws, and eventually won in a shocking 64-59 upset. Wisconsin held the Hoosiers to less than 60 points, the first time anyone has managed to do that this season. This was also the 11th consecutive time that Wisconsin has beaten Indiana.

The Badgers are now in first place in the Big Ten, a minefield of a conference that has a whopping six teams ranked within the top 25 in the nation. Over the last eleven years -- Bo Ryan's tenure as the head coach -- their worst finish in the final Big Ten standings was ... fourth. They are well-positioned for their 15th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, an impressive active streak that currently trails only Kansas, Duke, and Michigan State in length. The Wisconsin basketball program has found remarkable consistent success that just isn't recognized nationally because tenacious defense, methodical offense, and grinding out ugly victories doesn't make for good TV. It's not a popular brand of basketball. It's not even likable. But Wisconsin doesn't care about what you like.