As preseason-ranking hoopla has given way to a slew of solid non-conference matchups, a few teams appear to be better than advertised. In Madison, Wis., it's clear that Bo still knows best, regardless of what the pundits may say. And at Syracuse, Jim Boeheim's club has looked unbeatable after a shaky start in the preseason.
Coach Bo Ryan already has his Badgers playing at a much higher level than expected. With wins over Arizona, Maryland and Duke, Wisconsin has shown that it is better than the team most predicted to finish toward the bottom of a very deep Big 10 conference.
Led by senior guards Trevon Hughes and Justin Bohannon, the Badgers have played a style that, while certainly not flashy, contrasts with their typical image as a slow, grind-it-out type of team. So far, they've only finished under the 60-point mark once, and that was a 58-42 win over Summit League-favorite Oakland.
Wisconsin's impressive backcourt is joined down in the post by junior forwards Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil, who are averaging 13.9 and 8.1 points per game, respectively. Leuer, for one, came up huge in the home win against Duke on Dec. 2 in the Big 10/ACC Challenge, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds.
As for this year, the Badgers must compete in a Big 10 conference that is as stacked as it has been in recent memory. Purdue and last year's national runner-up Michigan State should lead the way, while Illinois will be tough as always and Minnesota is primed to make some real progress in coach Tubby Smith's third year.
Wisconsin fans, however, should put their trust in Ryan, who has never had a Badger team finish outside of the conference's top four and has never missed an NCAA Tournament while in Madison.
If their early non-conference wins are any indication, the Badgers should be ready to make an impact in March. In a Nov. 24 win over Arizona, Hughes took over by scoring 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and five steals, while in a 78-69 victory over then-No. 22 Maryland, Bohannon and Leuer combined for 36 points as Wisconsin showed it could contend with the conference's elite team. The 73-69 win over the Blue Devils was just the icing on what has already been a stellar 2009 for the 6-1 Badgers.
Another big name left out of the AP preseason top 25 was Syracuse. Before the regular season even got started, the Orange looked like it may be in for a tough year, losing a home exhibition matchup against Div. II Le Moyne.
Since then, however, coach Jim Boeheim's squad has yet to lose, climbing into the top 10 of the national rankings in the process. Syracuse made a couple of huge statements in Madison Square Garden at the 2K Sports Classic in November, with blowout victories over California and North Carolina.
With the departure of quicksilver point guard Jonny Flynn, the Orange has gone through an identity change. The majority of its scoring has come from the frontcourt, with junior forward Wesley Johnson leading the way with 17 points and a little over seven boards per game. Johnson went off for 25 points against the Tar Heels' impressive front line, leading Syracuse to a blowout 87-71 win over the then-No. 4 team in the nation.
Senior Andy Rautins has stepped up at the point guard position, dishing out 5.5 assists per game this year to go along with almost 10 points and a notable 3.8 steals per contest. He is joined by freshman shooting guard Brandon Triche, who had a coming-out party with 21 points against Cornell on Nov. 24. With a number of solid performances already, Triche should get plenty of minutes as the season progresses.
Aside from the early matchups in New York City, Syracuse has yet to play any other top 25-caliber teams. Nevertheless, the Orange is a talented team that will always be a threat with Boeheim on the sidelines. What's more, Syracuse has eight players averaging over seven points per game so far this season. In the always-brutal Big East, depth — and the wide array of lineups that come with it — is invaluable.
The Big East is also a guard-dominated league, and aside from Rautins, the Orange doesn't have a ton of experience at the position. So while Syracuse may level out a bit as conference play gets going, don't underestimate the potency of a deep, well-coached team that can score in a number of different ways.
Syracuse and Wisconsin both prove the mantra true: Don't always trust the preseason prognostications.
