The success enjoyed by head coach Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers basketball program has been well documented, especially as of late with their back-to-back trips to the Final Four and an NCAA runner-up finish just a year ago.
It seems that no matter the roster, Ryan has found a way to field a team competitive enough to make the NCAA Tournament–Ryan’s Badgers have yet to miss the Big Dance since he took over the program in 2001–and show well in the gauntlet that is the Big Ten Conference.
But this year appears to be especially interesting in Madison, as program legends like Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker have taken their games to the NBA, and expectations have been tempered with the uncertainty surrounding players like Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig, about whether or not they are each ready to take the next step in their development and lead UW deep into March.
While they miss a road trip to Columbus in Big Ten play, Ryan’s Badgers will still have to take on the likes of Indiana, Maryland, and Michigan State away from home. Their games in College Park and East Lansing, Feb. 13 and 18, are back-to-back.
Of course, Ryan had previously announced that the 2015-2016 would be his last in college basketball, ending one of the most storied coaching careers to be under estimated in the modern era. However, as of late, Ryan has made comments stating that he’s actually not sure he’ll call it quits after one more year, adding yet another level of intrigue to the season.
