Dec. 23, 2010
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan
On performing after a lay off:
“I think our guys are ready to compete whether there are finals or not. I liked their demeanor in practice. I liked some of the things we did. We didn’t concern ourselves with the type of team we were playing, their quickness or what kind of zone or kind of traps they’ve shown. What we concerned ourselves with was that we were getting better in some areas, and I thought we did. I know we’ve got more size in our next opponent. We have this, we have that. I understand that, but everybody plays these games at this time of the year. There are a lot of teams out there that didn’t have a whole lot of success in the past week. But I am glad we finished this one out. ”
On improvement tonight and 3-pointers:
“The cover-uncover situations, that’s the best job I’ve seen us do. Not one of those 3s was forced. Jordan Taylor made one at the end of the shot clock, but he came off a screen by Jon Leuer and everybody knows you can screen against zones and if you’re not, you’re in trouble. Other than that, it was getting into position with the triangles that you create in your zone offense where one guy has got to guard two, he’s got to make a quick decision. Either he’s got to cover the ball or uncover the ball, fake with the ball or go to the next pass, especially when you go to side, top side. It also looks good when the ball goes through the net. They were open. Those were definitely open 3s. They’re so quick doubling down on the post, they’re hands were so quick. We were still able to get some stuff in the paint, but I liked the patience. Some teams will shoot that many 3s and a lot of them will be one pass and shoot them, but those 3s were taken with ball movement and body movement.”
On the bench performance:
“They went in and made things happen. They were active. Each individual has strengths and each individual has weaknesses, and we just keep probing for the strengths. To try and get guys to understand what they can do when they come in. Everybody knows that Ryan Evans is not shooting the ball that well, but his defense and play was pretty active otherwise. I feel that he’s starting to figure out a few things. It is just so important that we have guys ready to go in certain situations, when you get in foul trouble when you get some nicks. So entering the Big Ten season hopefully we’ll stay in the position that we are, in that guys just keep working. The bench, you’ve got to have it. Nobody plays five guys and you’re not going to be successful without it.”
On preparation for Big Ten:
“We’re as prepared as we’ve been any other time. The Big Ten is just maybe veteran-wise at a little higher level. The Big Ten has taken a couple hits here recently, but overall if you take a look at the record of the Big Ten schools and who we’ve played, I would say 75 percent of the league has played a pretty tough non-conference game. If you break down any league you’re going to find a lot of games where you go, ‘Boy that doesn’t look good for the league’ but I think on our ledger and some other teams in the league that we’ve got some teams that makes the Big Ten look pretty strong.”
On team’s approach this season:
“If people are doing things that are positive, it’s showing that it’s there. You’re going to play teams with maybe a little longer wingspan, maybe a little more experience playing together. The fact that the guys are looking for one another, the fact that the guys are trying to set good screens, whenever you have players doing that you’ve got a chance. You’ve got a chance for that next forty minutes. That’s the only way I’ve ever approached a season, a conference, a nonconference. Just try to put your players in a position where they feel that if they do these certain things, that they can have success.”
Senior F Jon Leuer
On his start tonight:
"I was able to knock down the first couple and got into a rhythm. My teammates were finding me in open spots, and I was finding myself open a lot against that zone. I was just picking spots where I knew teammates could find me, and I just knocked them down."
On how he feels entering the Big Ten season: "I think we are very prepared. I think through the non-conference season the team has grown a lot and has taken a lot of strides in the right direction. We still feel like we can get better. That's what we're going to keep working on everyday in practice, just keep taking steps in the right direction. I think this team can do a lot. We have a great group of guys. Now that we're entering the Big Ten season, that's our goal to win a Big Ten Championship. We feel like that's a realistic goal for us."
On whether he had ever had a start to a game like Thursday night:
"Maybe when I was playing my dad one-on-one. He doesn't get his hands up very high. But no, I was just able to get in a rhythm right away and my teammates were finding me in spots. We were getting a lot of good looks after that. We realized we were going to get some good looks against them and how they play defense. Everyone was shooting the ball well."
Junior G Jordan Taylor
On getting those open looks against Coppin State's zone: "Coach [Lamont] Paris had us prepared coming into the game. He was doing the scout, and he stressed to us that there would be opportunities where we could pass up a good shot for a great shot. There were times when we didn't do that and there were times when we did do that. I think most of us realized that about two minutes into the game when there were shots that we would normally have but we'd pass them up because someone else is wide open and could knock it down. Guys that were called upon when they were open stepped up and knocked them down."
On how this team has made steps in the right direction early this season: "I think doing little things. We obviously have a lot of things to still work on, but just doing little things. We shot a lot of [3-pointers] today, but I think we were pretty good on the offensive glass. Guys were finishing underneath the basket, Rob (Wilson), Jon (Leuer), Mike (Bruesewitz), all those guys are doing a good job. I think individually and collectively we've come a long way in a lot of different area. There's a lot of good teams in the Big Ten and we're ready for the challenge, especially starting off against Minnesota."
Senior F Tim Jarmusz
On his offensive performance with his brother being at the game: "Today was just one of those nights where I felt like anything I threw up was going in. Adam was here but he's been to a couple games before. We just worked really well at moving the ball in the zone and find people. I was just able to knock down shots when I was open."
On where his brother was positioned overseas:
"He just got home a couple of weeks ago. He was on the boarder of Pakistan and Afghanistan for the first six or seven months and then he went to Kandahar for the last of his tour.
It's great for him to be able to come home over the holidays. Spending Christmas with him and having the whole family around is really special. I'm glad he did go over there and I'm proud of him, I love him for it, but I'm glad he's home and safe and able to spend Christmas with the family."
Sophomore C Jared Berggren
On his performance tonight: "I just tried to come in and play hard and bring some energy off the bench. I ended up making a couple of plays and it felt nice. But I was just trying to bring the energy up from the bench and contribute anyway I can."
Coppin State Head Coach Ron 'Fang' Mitchell
Opening Statement
"Well coming into tonight, playing a team like the Badgers, what we were trying to do is we were trying to get back on track shooting the basketball, and that's the wrong team to play to do that against. They did a nice job defensively, it is what they do to all the teams that come in here, especially in this place. Their length and their discipline defensively really makes it difficult for teams and it made it difficult for us tonight. We never really got a chance to get our inside game going at all, it was null and void, and we just couldn't get anything going down there and that was the key."
On what the Badgers did to neutralize Anthony Hill:
"Well he got touches. Until I get a chance to go back and watch some of those early shots, I think some of their earlier post touches were some of the ones that were our best opportunities to maybe get to the free throw line. Then as we got into the middle part of the game, I think he (Anthony Hill) got a little discouraged, started taking some shots that weren't as strong. But I thought some of those early touches were the ones where we had the best opportunities and when those don't happen, he just got a little discouraged and then we had to get a little more perimeter oriented. Keaton Nankivil just did a nice job of staying between him and the basket and you are going to have to have to make a decision, is it a good play or is it a foul. They didn't call fouls, so I have to assume that it was good defensive play."
On how they struggled with assist-to-turnover ratio:
"Of course, when you can't throw it into the post and get a post feed and a score, you are not going to get an assist. And when you are playing defense on the perimeter and they really jump out and they make you take an extra dribble, that's going to take some of the assists away. 15 turnovers, and they had 13, of course that is a couple too many, that's five too many in my opinion, I would like to be right around that 10 mark, but they were over the mark too. This is a team that I think is averaging around eight turnovers a game, and they had 13. I thought on both sides of the basketball, it was kind of two teams just trying to make someone have to do something off the dribble. So many times in their possession it was Jordan Taylor going off the dribble. But yeah, way too many for us and we have to correct that."
On differences between this Badger defense and those of the past:
"They are a little longer, they are a little louder as a group, and then when they do bring in #2 off of the bench, (Wquinton) Smith, I have seen him on tape, he can really just get into guys and create charges, so they really make it difficult. I think with (Jon) Leuer being as long as he is, you are really not sure if he is a three or a four sometimes, and when they switch his length is tough. And on the other hand, when you are talking Leuer, he just makes shots that really aren't defendable for us. He catches it in the post and just turns and shoots over the top. I mean other than not allowing him to catch the ball, I am not sure what else we can do, maybe tickle him or something when he catches it, I don't know. But yeah, their defense is good because they keep you in front with their length, they make you have to make some of those shots. We got our fair share of short jump shots, but it was off of a dribble or two which is going to eliminate the assists."
