Why A Wisconsin National Championship Would Be Good For College Basketball

[Tugg Speedman]

Despite what he says below, I still think he seems to be saying if the "white guys" win that would be good for college basketball?

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Why A Wisconsin National Championship Would Be Good For College Basketball

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogergroves/2015/03/15/why-a-wisconsin-national-championship-is-good-for-college-basketball/

arning It The Old Fashioned Way While Still A Novelty:

The Wisconsin Badgers are 31-3 on the season. They won the regular season conference championship. They won the Big Ten tournament championship. All of which earned them a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

But they did not get that way through the instant recruiting of the top McDonalds’ All-Americans. They had a core group who prioritized academics and continued to grow physical and academic maturity each season. At least two, Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker could have become impatient with this process and become millionaires via the NBA draft last year. But they came back for all the right reasons – a degree and a championship – presumably in that order. It would be nice to provide the ultimate prize for that – a National Championship.

They are not the only team with these characteristics, or with the items mentioned below. But Wisconsin is not a perennial like Duke. Wisconsin even playing for a national championship would be a novelty factor that is off the charts, as would the ratings against say, Kentucky.

Playing the game the way it should be played:

The Badgers are methodical. They are mature. They do not lose their mind in difficult circumstances. To the contrary, they are mentally stronger than many of their opponents.

Saliently, they are so fundamentally sound they do not beat themselves. The Badgers did not have a single turnover until 5:28 left in the semifinal game of the Big Ten Tournament against Purdue. By then they had a 15 point lead, and lost their edge. Shame, Shame – run the bleachers.  They ended the game with just two turnovers in a 20-point blowout against a very good Purdue team. They were down to Michigan State by 11 points at a critical stage in the second half in the championship game. Yet Michigan State made critical turnovers down the stretch that Wisconsin did not make, and the Badgers found a way to win despite being outplayed.

Low turnover ratios are merely the offspring of discipline, unselfishness, and playing with a sense of togetherness and well-coached offensive schemes that includes precise floor spacing, passing perfection, and recognition and response to defensive schemes.

Senior Rewards:

Frank Kaminsky is the best poster child for everything good about college athletics. He is a freakishly nimble athlete, with outside touch and inside moves, who happens to be a 7-footer. In other words, he defies the myths. Let America see him shine. He is also the College Player of the Year in the minds of several experts. He would trade the accolades for a championship. It would be nice to see him get his wish.

Traevon Jackson, dubbed by his teammates as a great teammate and leader, played virtually injury free for his first three years. He was as much a stalwart for this team as anyone over that span. But a foot injury sidelined him for several games late in the season. He could return for the first game of the NCAA tournament. A reward for him too would be well deserved fate.

Only hoops aficionados say Bo Ryan is one of the best coaches in college basketball. Ryan has led the Badgers to more Sweet 16 appearances since 2003 than everyone except Duke, Kansas and Michigan State. And for those with amnesia, his team made the Final Four just last year. Yet few can form their lips to say he’s among the elite coaches in America.

The excuse that “he’s never won the big ones” would be extinguished. No excuses for an objective mind would remain.

And Ryan’s program has been without major scandal. They can speak of high graduation rates without the one-and-done stigma among historic purists of the college game.  So for the Badgers to win the crown would be validation that playing the “right way” is indeed the way to winning it all. Other teams may even mimic them instead of the one-and-doners.

Cross Cultural Economics

Wisconsin is one of the few elite level teams where the majority of the star players and bench players are white. Yet I suspect too many people suffer with an undiagnosed implicit bias that somehow they are less athletic because of it. I hope America gets to see these very talented players defy those myths.

And then there are the economic benefits of growing an audience across cultural boundaries. The majority of America is white – for now. So are the majority of advertisers, business interests connected with the game. I would like to think for the majority of those college constituencies, those racial dynamics do not matter. But it would not surprise me, and I could understand why there may be a heightened sense of self-interest for some if Wisconsin made that magical run to the championship, much like when Larry Bird was playing for it against Michigan State and Magic Johnson.

No one should be surprised if the March Madness media frenzy has a little extra pop if Wisconsin makes that run. Higher TV ratings and higher advertising rates would not be far behind. Capturing the “imagination” of the overall public would not be surprising either. And any time the viewers can grow beyond traditional boundaries, it’s a good thing.

[GGGG]

Oh...my goodness....that is awful.

I was going to bitch about the "playing the game the right way" line.  There are many different ways to play basketball.

But the whole white thing crosses cultural boundaries?  Ick.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

The Badgers as methodical white boys is a total cliche. I've said it before, but what Wisconsin has become is what Indiana once was...a true "program." Nothing to do with skin color.

By the way, Virginia is much more methodical than Wisconsin.

[brewcity77]

Would you believe the writer of the article is black?

[Dawson Rental]

Despite what he says below, I still think he seems to be saying if the "white guys" win that would be good for college basketball?

That's what he's saying.  From a racial stereotype perspective, he's arguing that a Wisconsin win would reduce rather than increase stereotypes.  When you read his discussion of what makes Wisconsin a great team, however, it could be implied that he is doing the opposite.

I'm skeptical that his argument that the audience for the tournament would be expanded is correct.  I don't necessarily see that the tournament will pull in a larger white audience with a Wisconsin run.  The majority of Marquette players are African-American.  Are the majority of Marquette fans?  That hasn't been my experience.  I believe that the base of college basketball fandom is largely college graduates (or at least attendees) who developed their love of the sport in school rooting for their school's team.  Are a group of Illinois State fans (whose team just missed the tournament by losing a conference tournament final game) going to be more likely to follow the NCAA tournament just because Wisconsin made it as a high seed this year?  I don't see it.  For the most part thinking that the tournament will suddenly appeal to non college basketball fans is delusional.  You'll get a state pride related pickup in fans from Wisconsin, but that's all that I think can reasonably be expected.

[Dawson Rental]

Would you believe the writer of the article is black?

If the writer was white, I'm skeptical that the article could have been published.

[CTWarrior]

I think the author is way off base.  I would think a school like Butler with their back to back Final Four runs would do a lot more to attract the audience that the author says Wisconsin would.  They were a true underdog with four year kids that built a program by playing the "right" way. 

I honestly don't know because I'm not too interested in TV ratings.  Were Butler's Final Four games particularly highly rated?

At any rate, since I don't live in Wisconsin I can appreciate what UW does because I don't have to deal with their fanbase.  I coach at a low level and profess to love back door cuts and the extra pass leading to layups, but I often find myself kinda bored when I watch Wisconsin, though they undoubtedly play a very smart style.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'm firmly of the belief that avoiding all the one and dones is a good strategy unless you are a Kentucky or someone that can get many of them and just reload.  Wisconsin has continuity, very little roster shifting, they don't take JUCOs very often, the kids learn the system.  It's old school, and it's paying remarkable dividends.  If a Diamond Stone one and done happens along, sure you take him, but some of the higher profile programs are learning the hard way with all the early exits, primma donna players demanding time and disrupting chemistry, transferring, etc.

You need talent to win, but you continuity works wonders as well, especially for programs that aren't going to get 5 stars all the time.  My two cents.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Terrible article riddled with factual errors.  Wisconsin graduates there players?  Checkout this link from last year:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/03/17/ncaa-men-basketball-tournament-teams-see-record-graduation-rates/P3QxfXSFvfLBDJUmDDmLML/story.html

For those who didn't click through it says the Wisconsin Men's Basketball Graduation rates are:

Black: 0.0
White: 100.0
Overall: 44.0

Purdue is a good team?  I'd say mediocre but that's an opinion, not fact.  Dekker and Kaminsky returned for degrees?  Well Dekker is a junior so unless he's set to graduate early he didn't return for his degree.  Let's see what happens this year and what he thinks of coming back for his degree.  Improving draft stock and winning a national championship were probably the biggest factors for their return.  Let's see if Kaminsky has time to finish while going through the draft process.  Some do, some don't.

And I haven't even touched on the racial comments at the end of the article.  Regardless of the writers race, saying essentially "White people want the white people to win" is a sad commentary on the perception race plays in American society.  I don't give two $h*t$ if the National Champs are predominantly white, all black, or purple & green!  For the record, I'm white.  And I'm insulted!

[Eldon]

This argument is both tired and false.

Anyone remember when people were making this claim (white players fill the seats/TV ratings) about the Timberwolves a few years back?

[CTWarrior]

This argument is both tired and false.

Anyone remember when people were making this claim (white players fill the seats/TV ratings) about the Timberwolves a few years back?

It amazes me that people think this way.  Anybody involved in professional sports should know that by far the best way to boost attendance is to win, and win a lot.  Everything else is noise level by comparison.  If you are a regular winner and still don't draw (I'm looking at you Tampa Bay Rays) you need to think about moving.

[bilsu]

Any team besides the usual Blue Blood winning the NCAA tournament is good for college basketball. However, I will be rooting for Kentucky, if they play again. Actually, I want Kentucky to win it all, because I am sick of hearing how Indiana was the last team to go undefeated.

[GGGG]

I'm firmly of the belief that avoiding all the one and dones is a good strategy unless you are a Kentucky or someone that can get many of them and just reload.  Wisconsin has continuity, very little roster shifting, they don't take JUCOs very often, the kids learn the system.  It's old school, and it's paying remarkable dividends.  If a Diamond Stone one and done happens along, sure you take him, but some of the higher profile programs are learning the hard way with all the early exits, primma donna players demanding time and disrupting chemistry, transferring, etc.

You need talent to win, but you continuity works wonders as well, especially for programs that aren't going to get 5 stars all the time.  My two cents.

I agree with you, and I think that is the main reason college basketball has suffered over the past few years.

However, I don't think many white people say "Man, I would really get into this more if more of the players were white."

I also don't think many people, regardless of race, say "I love watching this Wisconsin team.  They are so methodical!"

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I don't want Wisconsin winning anything in basketball!

That goes for Notre Dame also!

[MUfan12]

However, I don't think many white people say "Man, I would really get into this more if more of the players were white."

You'd be surprised. I have heard far too many complaints from people in WI about MU's team being "too black."

[GGGG]

You'd be surprised. I have heard far too many complaints from people in WI about MU's team being "too black."

Yeah I probably would be.  But that is why I used "many" instead of "most."  (Something an English composition prof taught me first semester, freshman year in some classroom deep in the bowels of the Schroeder Complex.)

[The Man in Gold]

Assuming one accepts his racial premise ... You'd think Wisco's Final 4 run would have been enough to rally White America last year?  Or is losing to UK not enough time for everyone to hop on the white team bandwagon?

More broadly, I don't understand most of this article 1) because its generally nonsensical and 2) considering that Wisconsin is in almost the exact same situation as last year.  Shipped out to the West Region, high seed, projected Rd 32 game against Oregon, elite 8 vs. Arizona and Final 4 vs. Kentucky if chalk holds.  This is literally deja vu from last year.

[Tugg Speedman]

Terrible article riddled with factual errors.  Wisconsin graduates there players?  Checkout this link from last year:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/03/17/ncaa-men-basketball-tournament-teams-see-record-graduation-rates/P3QxfXSFvfLBDJUmDDmLML/story.html

For those who didn't click through it says the Wisconsin Men's Basketball Graduation rates are:

Black: 0.0
White: 100.0
Overall: 44.0

Given the size of Bucky's endowment and these numbers, I shocked that Jesse Jackson has not tried to shake them down.

Maybe I'm speaking too early.

[#UnleashSean]

If the writer was white, I'm skeptical that the article could have been published.

^^^
This says it all. This race thing is a one way street.

[Pakuni]

^^^
This says it all. This race thing is a one way street.

White people got it tough in this country, amirite?

[GGGG]

^^^
This says it all. This race thing is a one way street.

Exactly.  Really, as a white, middle class male, I have it so rough.  Good thing I have Badger basketball to help me cope.

[#UnleashSean]

Exactly.  Really, as a white, middle class male, I have it so rough.  Good thing I have Badger basketball to help me cope.

No, its Methodical basketball.

[Johnny B]

White people got it tough in this country, amirite?

What. Smh

[Anti-Dentite]

On a personal level as one who resides in Wisconsin, the rodents winning it all would be catastrophic. I'm convinced it would lead to my early demise. I will buy the jersey of any team that knocks them out and wear it in any public setting where there is a chance it would piss somebody off.

[breadtree]

Terrible article riddled with factual errors.  Wisconsin graduates there players?  Checkout this link from last year:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/03/17/ncaa-men-basketball-tournament-teams-see-record-graduation-rates/P3QxfXSFvfLBDJUmDDmLML/story.html

For those who didn't click through it says the Wisconsin Men's Basketball Graduation rates are:

Black: 0.0
White: 100.0
Overall: 44.0

Either Ryan Evans, Jordan Taylor, Rob Wilson are white, or that Boston Globe article is wrong.  

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/051812aaa.html

JD Wise: also white http://host.madison.com/sports/college/basketball/men/badgers-men-s-basketball-high-bench-marks-for-dan-fahey/article_e2fbec4c-7a34-11e2-895f-0019bb2963f4.html