Why Wisconsin is better than Ohio State and why they're championship caliber

By John Williams

If you watch the Wisconsin Badgers, you notice that they do all of the small things right. They’re a fundamentally sound team.

Their free throw shooting is impeccable. Their defense swarms and pressures you to take outside shots. They don’t lose on their home hardwood. And they don’t turn over the ball; especially guard Jordan Taylor who went postal on Ohio State this past weekend putting 27 points in the Badgers win, 21 of which were scored in the second half.

Come Selection Sunday, all of this will earn Wisconsin a one or two seed in the tournament.

To see the way Jordan Taylor torched Ohio State guard Aaron Craft, who is a superb defender in his own right, was simply astonishing. In the last nine minutes of the game, Taylor was 6-for-6 from the field including 4-for-4 from behind-the-arch. Not to mention, Mike Bruesewitz – who is fittingly dubbed the Trying Tomato – and Jon Leuer played to their strengths and setup Taylor to get his looks.

What’s even more revealing is Ken Pomeroy’s “Adjusted Offense” calculations. In the past six seasons, Pomeroy’s statistics have proven that the top three teams in the category make the championship game and subsequently win the national championship.

This season, Wisconsin ranks first in “Adjusted Offense” with 122.2 points per 100 possessions. Does this make Wisconsin more of a championship caliber team than the Buckeyes? All I gotta say is that this stat is no accident.

And the help that Wisconsin gets off the bench from the likes of Bruesewitz is so refreshing.

Let’s get to a more intriguing issue.

Apparently, before-and-after the Badgers home victory, fans – specifically the college-aged populace – were allegedly spitting on Ohio State phenom Jared Sullinger. After the game, Sullinger tweeted that no player should be spat on and that he better not see any Ohio State fans do that.

In Ohio State’s newspaper, The Lantern, students and columnists alike addressed the alleged spitting-gate incident. One columnist proclaimed that “the land’s best fans are above that,” of course referring to the ever-loyal Ohio State enthusiasts.

The same columnist said “Wisconsin will get what’s coming,” easily dismissing the fact that the Buckeyes squandered a 15-point lead in the second half and appeared answer-less for nine minutes. Who would’ve known that some good old double teaming on Sullinger would completely unravel the Ohio State offense? Huh. I hope you're watching Big Ten opponents.

Back to my original point, the Badgers did the small things right. The way they worked off of screens to get open looks for Taylor was masterful. It’s the Badgers poise under pressure that sets them apart from the pack.

Originally posted on Monday, Feb. 14.