Wisconsin beat Idaho State tonight by 2 points at the Kohl

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'll reiterate, they aren't what Wisconsin has been the last few years.  It's a good win for us, but this is not a good Wisconsin team right now, though they may get there by the end of the season. 

Idaho State is now 2-6 and were 20 point dogs tonight.  We need not get fat heads over defeating a fairly average Wisconsin team, at least average at this point in the season.  Bo usually has them playing better after January.

[TallTitan34]

I guess in all fairness, we had to go to overtime to beat Idaho State by 3 points.

And in case you don't remember, the CBE banner in the Bradley Center notes that it took OT to beat them!

[ChicosBailBonds]

I guess in all fairness, we had to go to overtime to beat Idaho State by 3 points.

And in case you don't remember, the CBE banner in the Bradley Center notes that it took OT to beat them!

Very true, but that was a better ISU team, at least on paper, then this one. ISU did beat Utah this year but have several blowout losses and OT losses to average teams.

I'm still picking UW-Madison for 4th or 5th in the Big Ten.  It's not the Wisconsin team of the last few years that each year contended for the Big Ten title and Big Ten tournament title.  They're a few steps behind those teams IMO.

[KoolAidPerry]

The bottom line is theTenn. game will be MU's real test to show everyone where they're at as a team heading into conference play. Tennessee can match MU's athleticism/speed/quickness and they're obviously more athletic/talented than UW. We know MU can win by using their speed/quickness advantage against the likes of Northern Iowa and UW, but can they hang with those teams that are more deeper and just as athletic/quick as them. The Tenn. game will be a good gauge to tell us. MU failed in their first test against Dayton, which was a very athletic team. I really hope they can rise to the challenge against the Vols.

[muarmy81]

The Tenn game will come down to shooting.  If we catch fire from beyond the arc I think we win...if not we better hope they're shooting worse because they're a much longer/taller team than us and they can match our quickness.

[THEGYMBAR]

Wisconsin win by MU was good because of bragging rights. Honestly it was hard getting too excited because the Badgers are weak. The game against TN is a big game for the Warriors. I win gives us wiggle room later in the season and hopefully provides a higher seed. A loss or bad loss could make it tough on this team.

TN game to me is the biggest game left on the schedule.

[JSwarriors08]

TN game to me is the biggest game left on the schedule.

You mean besides all those pesky BEast games, right?

[THEGYMBAR]

Bigger than BE games because the wiggle room it provides. We are in a fight this season and any extra cushion is big help. A win against TN allows for a BE slip up which is bound to happen. This year I sure hope the bar is set high. Beating UW does not impress me. Staying solid all year and getting a better seed hopefully will happen.

[MDMU04]

Bigger than BE games because the wiggle room it provides.

You can't possibly be serious.

If MU wins the UT game, it's great.  It'll be a nice non conference win for the tournament resume.  That's it.

But, come on, it's a freaking non-conference road game in December.  If they lose this game it will be a distant memory by the time the tournament field is selected.

It would be a nice game to win, but to say it is a bigger game than any of the final five games on the conference schedule in late February or March is just delusional.

[NavinRJohnson]

I'll second the orginal post. I don't know if I said it here at all, but I certainly said it at/after the game Saturday...UW looks to be down quite a bit by their standards. They do not look like a very good/talented team. I was quite underwhelmed.

[THEGYMBAR]

MDMU---Of course I am serious. A win against a top opponent in December covers sins later in the season. Obviously a lose the world does not end. Part of MU's seeding issues is not having enough quality wins. Beating UW and TN helps at NCAA time.

We need to be playing for a higher seed this year. The Big 3 get no do-overs. Either get it done this year or be remembered as three talented players that did little as a team. Beating TN is a big spring board to March.

[MDMU04]

MDMU---Of course I am serious. A win against a top opponent in December covers sins later in the season. Obviously a lose the world does not end. Part of MU's seeding issues is not having enough quality wins. Beating UW and TN helps at NCAA time.

We need to be playing for a higher seed this year. The Big 3 get no do-overs. Either get it done this year or be remembered as three talented players that did little as a team. Beating TN is a big spring board to March.

You're putting the cart before the horse.

This is only a big game if and only if MU plays well in those 18 pesky conference games.  If they go out and crap themselves during the conference season, win or lose this UT game won't mean a damn thing.

Even then, with 18 games played between now and then against teams like Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Louisville...how much can one non-conference game in December mean?

What would look better on a tournament resume:  A win against a non-conference opponent on the road in December or a win against a conference rival ranked in the top 10 in late February or March?

To say this game is more important than any of the big time conference games at the end of the season is just completely silly.

The NCAA selection committee can feed you the garbage about body of work all they want, but those games at the end of the year are far more important in terms of seeding and at-large bids than any game that happens in December.

I will grant you one thing.  If they muddle along in the Big East and go 8-10 or 9-9, this game could mean the difference between the NIT and the NCAA Tournament.

But that still does not change the fact that they have to play many more games between then and now with much more potential impact on the team's likelihood to secure an NCAA bid/favorable seed for tournament success.

[NavinRJohnson]

A win againt TN would be nice for the moment, and would beef up the resume in March, but its what you do in conference that matters. That said, I would put our chances of beating UT somewher between 15 and 20%. I just don't see it happening. If its the biggest game on the schedule, we're in trouble.

[THEGYMBAR]

Navin---It is the biggest game on the schedule if we can win it. Again, wins against UW and TN look good in March. I am hoping that win against TN means a 2 or 3 seed rather than a 6 seed. If we need to beat TN because we are on NCAA/NIT bubble we wasted talent.

Not often does a top team have three quality seniors on it. To waste that one chance would be horrible. My goal for this year must be higher than everyone else's. To go to NCAA as a six seed would suck. We have a chance to go elite 8 and then anything can happen.

[Hards Alumni]

Tennesse is not even close to being as important as the Big East conference games.

do you know anything about college basketball?

[77ncaachamps]

Don't sleep on NC State!

[Nukem2]

Don't sleep on NC State!

  Definitely agree.  This is a true road game.  And, NC State is plying well and narrowly lost to Davidson and Curry's 44 points in a game in Charlotte which is like a home game for Davidson wwhich is located near Charlotte.  Also, the wolfpack have good quality size in the frontcourt. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Don't sleep on NC State!

I agree.  Picked as a loss on my predictions.  NC State is a decent club this year.