Badgers Open Season Tonight at Penn
November 21, 2003 | Men's Basketball
The two-time defending Big Ten champion Wisconsin men's basketball team tips off the 2003-04 season tonight at 5 p.m. CT against Penn at the legendary Palestra in Philadelphia. The game will be televised live by CSTV and can be heard on the Wisconsin Radio Network (WTSO 1070 locally in Madison) and on uwbadgers.com.
UW won a school-record 24 games last season and advanced to the 'Sweet 16' of the NCAA tournament. Of Wisconsin's probable starting five, guards Devin Harris and Freddie Owens and forward Mike Wilkinson started all 32 games a year ago. Senior center Dave Mader, who has started 37 games in his career, and sophomore guard Boo Wade, who will be making his first career start, are also expected to start.
Penn is coming off an undefeated Ivy League campaign in 2002-03 and lost to Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Quakers return two starters from last year's squad, guard Jeff Schiffner and forward Tim Begley. Schiffner earned unanimous first-team All-Ivy League honors and led the nation in three-point shooting last year. Begley, who was third in the Ivy in three-point percentage, was an honorable mention all-league selection.
The game marks a homecoming for UW head coach Bo Ryan. Ryan grew up in Chester, Pa., approximately 10 miles southwest of Philadelphia. He played four games in the Palestra during the 1965 state tournament. Ryan and Chester High won three games before falling in the state quarterfinal.
The Badgers are ranked 14th in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and 15th by the Associated Press. Penn is not ranked.
UW is 78-27 all-time in season openers, including 11-11 on the road. The Badgers are 1-1 under Bo Ryan in season openers, defeating Eastern Washington last year at the Kohl Center but falling at UNLV in Ryan's first game as head coach.
Wisconsin leads the all-time series with Penn 4-0. The two teams have not played since Dec. 27, 1967 at the Quaker City Classic in Philadelphia. The Badgers are 15-6 all-time against Ivy League teams, with the last meeting coming against Brown on Dec. 7, 1996 (a 52-30 Wisconsin win).
