T1B

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team had just beaten the No. 2 team in the nation, and Indiana coach Tom Crean couldn’t get through the postgame handshake line quick enough.

Crean’s blow-by handshake caught UW coach Bo Ryan off guard and was one of the lasting images from the Badgers’ shocking 64-59 victory over the Hoosiers last January at Assembly Hall.

When the teams met two months later in a Big Ten Conference tournament semifinal, Crean was much more gracious in defeat despite falling to 3-14 all-time vs. Crean, including 0-10 at Indiana. He gave Ryan a hug and the two spent more than 30 seconds together, with Crean doing most of the talking.

The lovefest continued on Monday morning when Crean praised Ryan and the No. 3 Badgers (16-0, 3-0 Big Ten), who will play the Hoosiers (11-5, 1-2) Tuesday night at Assembly Hall.

“I have great respect for him, I always have,” said Crean, who was 3-4 against UW during his time at Marquette. "I think what I respect about him is he’s one of the great competitors around, and I think he’d be the kind of person that would compete in anything and want to win and I think you have to respect that.

“He’s always been very gracious to me, and I hope he would feel for the most part I have been with him. I have tremendous respect for that entire program. That’s a team when you watch him coach and when you watch them play, you absolutely see his competitiveness, you see his diligence. All those attributes that you would want to say, ‘That’s what a great team looks like,’ I think you can start with Bo, and that’s what a great coach looks like.”

Earlier in the teleconference, Crean spoke about the challenge of stopping UW's efficient offense. The Badgers are averaging a league-leading 82.0 points in Big Ten play.

“They’re not an above-average passing team, they are a great passing team," Crean said. “Where they are so efficient and where they have hurt us in the past and where they’ve hurt so many others is when the game gets into rotation and you’re constantly helping and over-helping or trying to stop the dribble or stop this or stop that, they are such a great passing team. They not only make the next pass, but the pass after that and, if need be, the pass after that.

“The thing about them is they’re so efficient with the ball, it’s the old (Princeton coach) Pete Carril comment that the quality of the shot is directly related to the quality of the pass. And that’s exactly what you see with Wisconsin.”

The Seer wrote:Some valid arguments that I borrowed from another site...

A) The economy. A night at a college game is pretty damned expensive. (At least major colleges. You can still go to a west coast game for $12 and $5 for your kids.) Throw in parking and concessions, and it is easy to spend $200 taking a couple of kids to the game.

B) Season ticket holders. Because of the huge cost in acquiring season tickets, a large portion of season ticket holders are companies and very rich folks. They just don't mind buying tickets they don't use.

C) TV is cheap and easy. No traffic. No uncomfortable seats. Almost every game is televised.

D) Competition. With the proliferation of sports networks, there is a massive amount of sports on TV. It makes every event seem less special.

E) Player turnover. With transfers and early exits, the attachment to the players is less. Who can get all the excited about one & done's when you know he will be gone at the end of the year? The pleasure of watching kids develop over 4 years is greatly reduced.

F) Cynicism. The idealist view of the student athlete is gone. The massive money in college hoops, makes it seem like everyone is for sale.

G) Same suspects every year. Honestly, how excited do you get watching Duke and Kentucky year after year at the top of the rankings.

H) Kentucky. The obscenity that is Kentucky basketball is enough to turn me off to the sport all by itself.

I) Lack of fundamentals. Kids may enjoy AAU basketball with dunks and no defense, but after a while it just looks like a pinball machine. If you love that, you can watch the NBA, where it is done by better athletes.

Goober McTuber wrote:Suck it, bitches.

Goober McTuber wrote:And I think Traevon Jackson could use a little less playing time.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:

Goober McTuber wrote:And I think Traevon Jackson could use a little less playing time.

That guy sucks. Why does Bo play Gasser and Jackson at the same time? Can Gasser not run the point?

Screw_Michigan wrote:Which means he's not that good of a coach. Fuck off already.

Screw_Michigan wrote:Ask me later when I'm not balls deep in your old lady.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:Guys, guys, guys. Is this really necessary?

:|

Goober McTuber wrote: We could all just agree that Bo is the early odds on favorite for Coach of the Year?

Goober McTuber wrote:

smackaholic wrote:Well, apparently I can't read. I could have sworn you said they made 1 S16. They made 5. At least I can admit when I am being a retard. The rest of you fukks should try it sometime.

Serves me right for wandering into this shit forum.

Eject.

Screw_Michigan wrote:Rack Suckaholic for getting over on Gobbles McTubesteak.

What was that you were saying Screwball? Did you have trouble following along with that ballsack repeatedly blocking your vision? Go fuck yourself you cretinous douchenozzle.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:The author left out my #1: game has become a 2.5 hour free-throw shooting contest. I don't want to see things I can do. I want to see things I can't do.