Final-Four

Close was an assistant coach at Iowa in 1993 when the Hawkeyes took on mighty Duke at Cameron during their bye week of the Big Ten Conference season. Led by the strong, athletic Chris Street, the Hawkeyes forged a 28-28 halftime tie against the Grant Hill-led Blue Devils and stayed in the game until a late surge gave Duke a 65-56 victory.

"They were the defending national champions and we went in there in the middle of the Big Ten season and just went toe to toe with them," said Close, who is an assistant with the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team that is playing Duke tonight in a Big Ten/ACC Challenge game at Cameron. "We knew then we had a pretty good basketball team."

Two days after that game in 1993, the popular, talented Street was killed in a car accident just outside Iowa City.

"That was extremely difficult," said Close. "It changed you forever. There was no question about it."

Close remembered Street having "played phenomenally" against Duke. The forward finished with a team-high 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He also had eight rebounds, including four on the offensive end, and two blocks while playing 33 minutes. Nobody on either side put up better numbers.

"Our team dramatically changed after that," said Close of the emotionally ravaged Hawkeyes, who were 11-7 after Street died. They were 12-3 prior to his death.

Street will certainly be on Close's mind as the Badgers (5-0) prepare to take on Duke (6-0) tonight in Cameron. "I'm sure I'll be thinking about it because that was the last time I was there," he said. "But once the balls goes up, I'll be ready to get after it."

N.C. woes: The state of North Carolina has not been kind to the Badgers over the years. They have played five games in the Tar Heel state and have lost four of them. The most notable was a 43-32 loss to Steve Alford's Southwest Missouri State team in the first round of the 1999 NCAA tournament in Charlotte.

One year later, the Badgers lost at Wake Forest 67-48 in a game that then-coach Dick Bennett would use as a teaching tool for his team that went to the NCAA tournament's Final Four that season.

The Badgers have been to North Carolina one other time since Bo Ryan became the coach. They lost at Wake 91-88 in 2005.

The Badgers' victory came in 1980 when the Bill Cofield-coached team made a trip to play Davidson and UNC-Charlotte on consecutive nights. Wisconsin lost at Davidson 67-63 and beat UNC-Charlotte 71-63. Bo Ryan was an assistant coach on that team.

Butch agrees with critic: Senior forward Brian Butch's problems scoring around the basket has made him fodder for another TV commentator. This time it's the Big Ten Network's Tim McCormick, who called Butch a mediocre finisher.

When Butch was a redshirt freshman, ESPN commentator Doug Gottlieb drew the ire of Ryan when he called Butch overrated.

"I'll agree with them this year," said Butch after he was informed of McCormick's comments.

"I'm trying to do too much at times," he added. "You just have to concentrate on finishing to the basket. It's an easy game but sometimes you make it more difficult. That's probably what I'm doing right now. I'm making a couple of my shots more difficult than they should be."

Ryan wasn't as harsh on his senior forward who is averaging a double-double (14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds).

"What (McCormick) meant is that he gets in the post, he gets shots inside-outside, but he just needs to focus and protect the ball a little bit better," Ryan said. "That's what he's working on. He just has to keep working on it. He's better than he was. He's getting some free throws."

Ranked: The Badgers cracked the top 25 of a national poll for the first time this season. They are 20th in both the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and Associated Press poll.

Matching up: ESPN analyst and commentator Jay Bilas believes Duke's freshman forward Kyle Singler will be the most difficult player for the Badgers to guard tonight, while Close gave the nod to guards DeMarcus Nelson and Gerald Henderson.

Close likened the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Nelson to former UW star Alando Tucker. "He might be a hair-better shooter than Alando. It's not a huge difference," Close said. "Alando might be a little better post-up but there's not a huge difference there, either."

If the Badgers hope to slow down Duke and force the Blue Devils into a slower-paced game, Close said they have to limit Duke's penetration.

"That's where they break you down. That's where it begins," he said. "If it happens, you have to keep them from getting really easy baskets. If it means giving up some jump shots, that's what you have to do because they'll just kill you, overwhelm you if you allow them to get to the rim time after time."

Old coaches never die ...: Ryan first met Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski when he was an assistant coach at UW and Krzyzewski was the head coach at Army.

"I've known him since the '70s. It's good to see there's somebody that I knew in the '70s still coaching," Ryan said. "Most of the guys I knew in the '70s aren't coaching anymore. So Mike and I are pretty lucky."

With love, from Sparty: Ryan smirked when he was asked about preparing his team to playing at Cameron.

"We've got to get into UWM, we've got to get into Texas," said Ryan, referring to upcoming road trips for the Badgers. "I don't know how many places will have a welcome wagon out there for us when we go on the road into the Big Ten."

CONNECTICUT: A virtual lock for a No. 1 seed and likely the favorite in Vegas to take home the top prize. UConn has the nation’s best starting five and a deep bench of capable contributors.

Why you should: The Huskies are the best team in the nation’s best league. They are battle tested and have no real weakness on which their opponents can focus. Though there is plenty of scoring balance, several players are capable of taking a game over. Oh yeah, and Rudy Gay is a star.

Why you shouldn’t: Because they are big, quicker teams can beat the Huskies with dribble penetration. UConn also is turning it over more than its opponents, and isn’t exactly shooting lights out at the free throw line — 68%. Given that March is dictated by guards, UConn can’t be considered a 100 percent lock, even though it is the closest thing to it.

DUKE: The Blue Devils are in a very familiar position. They’ve already sewn up a No. 1 see and are essentially guaranteed to spend the first weekend in Greensboro. Their coach has a pretty good track record in March, too.

Why you should: J.J. Redick and Sheldon Williams form the best inside-outside combination in recent memory. Redick is the most dangerous offensive weapon in the country, and Williams would have to rank as the most intimidating defender. The development of Greg Paulus at the point, along with the steady improvement of Josh McRoberts and DeMarcus Nelson, gives the Devils additional firepower.

Why you shouldn’t: The Devils have struggled against long, athletic teams with big men who can take Williams away from the basket. Duke has proven beatable off the dribble when opponents spread the floor. See Georgetown and Florida State. And though Paulus has steadily improved, he’s still a freshman.

VILLANOVA: Nova’s return to the elite has been one of the better storylines this season. Unlike the Cats’ run in 1985 under Rollie Massimino, a Final Four appearance by this bunch wouldn’t be met with surprise.

Why you should: Guards. Winning in March is very much about guard play, and nobody has a deeper backcourt. The Wildcats have four players 6-4 and under who average double-digits in scoring. Randy Foye and Allan Ray also have the ability to take games over.

Why you shouldn’t: Guards. Villanova may have too much of a good thing, especially when matched against bigger, more physical foes. The Wildcats surprisingly out-rebound their opponents, but it will be interesting to see if that trend continues if matched against low-post minded teams.

MEMPHIS: Gonzaga East made easy work of a weak Conference USA, strolling through the league slate with no bumps in its path until it hit a big pothole at UAB Thursday night. Despite the stunning loss to the Blazers, the Tigers are deep and should be fresh come tournament time.

Why you should: The Tigers are long, athletic, and versatile. They have one of the nation’s best wings in Rodney Carney, to go along with one of the top floor generals in Darius Washington. That’s a nice luxury come March. Having something to prove adds the grit.

Why you shouldn’t: Memphis has played against only two legitimate clubs in the New Year — Texas (L) and Tennessee (W) — and has seen its strength of schedule take a nosedive during C-USA play. The Tigers’ also can be impatient at times on offense, settling for three-pointers too early in a possession. That could send them packing early if they go cold behind the arc.

TEXAS: The Longhorns are at least in the argument for the nation’s best starting five, but the nod here still goes to UConn. Even so, it’s hard to complain with an inside duo like LeMarcus Aldridge and P.J. Tucker, along with a backcourt tandem of Daniel Gibson and Kenton Paulino.

Why you should: Balance. The Longhorns can score inside or out and can distribute the load evenly if needed among their starting five. Keying on one player isn’t necessarily a solid solution for opponents defensively. That Tucker kid is pretty good, too.

Why you shouldn’t: Perimeter defense hasn’t been the Longhorns’ strong suit. That could spell trouble against teams with good guards, of which there are many. There also isn’t much scoring punch on the bench, so foul trouble or an injury could become an issue. Remember what happened against Duke when Brad Buckman came up lame?

OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes have flown under the radar almost the entire season. But any team that makes it through the tough Big Ten gauntlet with only four losses has to be considered one of the top threats in March.

Why you should: OSU is battle tested. The Buckeyes lost only once in February (78-73 at Wisconsin) and have beaten Illinois, Michigan State, and Michigan during the month. They also shoot the ball well from the floor and behind the arc (48% and 40% respectively) and take relatively good care of the basketball (12.5 turnovers per game).

Why you shouldn’t: Ohio State lacks the firepower of the other Big Boys, and there really isn’t anyone who can shoulder the load in tight games. This also is relatively new territory for the Buckeyes, who lack the Tournament experience of their peers.

College basketball’s rumor mill insists Robert Vaden and D.J. White, sophomore stars not the least bit happy about the way the Mike Davis situation was mishandled, soon will bolt Bloomington for good. What it’s not revealing is who could or should be Indiana University’s next men’s basketball coach.

At the moment the Hoosiers have a direction commonly referred to as wayward, which is unfortunate considering the NIT-lock program of two weeks ago is flexing some true NCAA muscle with an impressive three-game win streak.

Watching IU’s second-half trey-fest at Purdue Wednesday night kick-started memories of another Hoosiers ballclub determined to do something special in an NCAA Tournament some skeptics felt they shouldn’t even have made.

Remember 2002? Remember Indiana riding the 3-point marksmanship of Dane Fife, Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby and the inside presence of Jared Jeffries all the way to the Final Four in Atlanta before losing to Maryland, 64-52, in the championship game?

IU had only advanced to the Sweet 16 when Davis made the most-famous quote of his six-year run on the Hoosiers’ bench: “We’re going to shock the world.”

They did, and who’s to say lightning can’t strike twice in four years?

One has to dig a little, but there are similarities between the 2002 Hoosiers and the ’06 model.

In 2001-2002, the Hoosiers, smarting over the premature departure of Kirk Haston, sputtered out of the gate with a 7-5 record. This team waved bye-bye to high-scoring guard Bracey Wright and his NBA dreams and lost to, gulp, Indiana State in Game 6.

Indiana in the latter stages of the ’02 season played hungry, with unscripted exuberance as if out to prove to every Davis hater that there is life after the almighty Bob Knight. Current IU players might be embracing a similar mindset now that Davis is a lame duck doing laps on a cream-and-crimson pond.

Then there is the ‘3’ factor, basketball’s great equalizer when all else fails.

This season’s Hoosiers have nailed 234 of 574 3-point field goals, which represents 84 more makes and 104 more attempts than the opposition. Led by Vaden, Marshall Strickland and Rod Wilmont, IU averages launching 22 treys a game, which is oh so ’02-like (remember the 15-of-19 long-range brilliance against Kent State in the Elite Eight?).

Indiana’s crisp ball rotation in recent wins over Penn State, Michigan State and Purdue has led to better looks and .418 accuracy beyond the arc (33 of 79). Compare that to the .309 frostbite (38 of 123) suffered during the five-game losing skid that proceeded it and, well, you get the point. Or is it three points?

Regardless, with the 6-9 White injured and on the shelf for the season and the erratic Marco Killingsworth flying solo as a viable scoring option inside, the Hoosiers have little choice but to hope a prowess along the perimeter carries them to bigger things.
It did once. It can again.
Besides, if Hoosiers players feel a burning desire to leave athletic director Rick Greenspan and every other university administrator twisting in the wind, making a furious charge to the Final Four might do the trick.

This year’s event unfolds inside the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, far too close to Bloomington for Greenspan to avoid the inevitable whys and how comes. Close enough for Davis haters to feel a tinge of guilt.