Nothing But Iron: Bubble Busters? March 4, 2009 by Steven R. Lagman, M.D., C.A.S.W. When we last talked about the Badgers, we were hopeful that they might win another game. And then they played Northwestern and it became apparent to those who know enough about basketball to call radio shows and criticize the most successful coach we have ever had here, that they would not. The only logical conclusion on the heels of a six-game losing streak, was that the dismal season would continue its lifeless swirl down the drain and by now we would be floating aimlessly in some muck pit at the sewage treatment plant. I don’t want to gloat–O.K. I do. I said we should not count out a Bo Ryan-coached team that early in the season. As you know now, the Badgers found the drain plug, got to a respectable 18-10 (9-7) fourth-place tie with Penn State. The N-Lions play Illinois next, then Iowa, so we wish good luck to these sister I schools. If the Badgers win at Minnesota tonight, they are a lock for the NCAA tournament. If they lose, and beat Tom Crean’s hapless Hoosiers on Sunday, they will still have a good shot depending on how the other middle-of-the pack teams fare. Just in case, I did reserve home-game NIT tickets when the ticket office sent the offer. I did not do so out of pessimism. Long ago I learned that the selection committee doesn’t care what I think. Given the committee’s tradition of shunning at least one deserving team each year, I am covering all bases; one way or another, I will see seniors Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft play in their final home game. It is hard for me to really believe the outcome of the Big 10 Tourney has much impact on the selection committee’s decision, just because it never seems to. It happens too late to matter much. What helps the Badgers is that the eighth place team in our conference has wins vs Duke and UCLA in its portfolio. There was even expert babble of eight Big 10 teams getting NCAA berths. No way, not gonna happen. It will take a couple or six years of strong NCAA tourney play for the conference to reach eight-team credibility. For now we can assume the country is cautiously respectful or maybe just tolerant of the Big 10. Admit it, you’ll think long and hard before you advance Michigan State to the Elite 8 in your bracket, won’t you? Speaking of the Spartans, I have to admit they are very good this year. Better than Wisconsin by definition, although it would have been nice to get a shot at them in the Kohl Center. And by a shot I don't mean an unnecessary late-game alley-oop dunk, say from Hughes to Landry, although I would enjoy it if that happened. It would be worth it just to get a glimpse of Tom Iz-easily-O-fended’s contorted face. That face makes me want to live to see another MSU misstep. It was the sheer talent of MSU that accentuated the silliness of the pre-game banter. Of the great minds in college basketball, Izzo’s must be one of the smallest. Get over the dunk, Iz. Get over the"dirty" Badgers, Gollum Futon. Otherwise you sound like big fat whiny babies. Yeah like MSU has ever played a clean game against Wisconsin. Can you imagine, in a million seasons, Bo Ryan letting one of his players cry to the press about an opponent playing too hard? Conference title or not, I would be ashamed to wear the green and white if I were a Spartan. Actually, of course I wouldn’t be ashamed at all, but its my column and I can say absurd stuff if I want to. The good news is that the Spartans can finally unfurl that banner in the Breslin Center. Hope it’s not stuck. I am sure the Sparty faithful thought these self-imposed finger-pointing distractions were motivating, but I think they almost cost Michigan State a big win and who knows, maybe a conference title. (Pardon my fantasy.) Remember, for much longer than many would have predicted, Wisconsin was in control; it seemed MSU, though acutely aware of the now-meaningless cheap shots of days past, had forgotten just how good it was. Credit where credit is due: Ultimately the difference was Futon, a ninth-year senior cousin of Brian Cardinal, who played for fourteen years at Purdue. Often in UW-MSU games Futon (not his real name or furniture) has been harmful early, only to disappear when it mattered most. Maybe he worked out this summer, because this year he destroyed the Badgers late. I have to give him credit for overcoming his remarkably weak mind and remarkably weak leadership in time to let his talent take over. Note to coaching self: Remind own players to focus on the very next thing and only that, not immaterial crap that happened in the past. Note to fan self, remind self to cheer for every Big Ten team in the NCAA tourney, but rejoice when MSU is knocked out, hopefully in the early rounds. That would be almost as much fun as watching Tom Crean at the back of the parade shoveling up the elephant poop. Yeah, I know that won’t last long either. Crean will recruit, and I will have two Izzos to despise. At least Purdue will suffer with me. Big UW win against Michigan Sunday. I can’t talk about it because I wasn’t there and I don’t have written permission from the Big Ten Network to publish accounts of the game. I don’t, however, think it counts if I poke fun a the announcers for suggesting that the Vilas Zoo (low blimp shot?) penguins were trying to warm up in the afternoon sun (paraphrased). Dude, they’re penguins. They like cold. As Jim Calhoun might say, "Get some facts and come back and see me." At least the network now has a blonde hot-chick reporter with fake, um, curls, so you know it is trying to be like its big brother who has been shaving for the past 22 years. I know people feel like the Badgers under-performed in that close win, but you have to realize that Michigan, at any given moment can be a great team. I would not want to face the Wolverines in the NIT. By the way, I didn’t go to the game because I had the flu. I got it Friday at 5:36 PM (first clue: rapid onset), but I killed it in about three days with a single dose of Tylenol, three Girl Scout cookies, a bunch of heavy blankets and 28 hours of sleep. The flu made me remember that I was supposed to get a flu shot last November, but I was gone to visit my family in Arizona when the nurse came to vaccinate our group. Then I put it on my to-do list and that got covered up by another to-do list and now I am immune anyway and happy because I did not die or, more importantly, miss any work. Speaking of happy, did I mention that my kid’s team won a share of the Badger South Conference title last Monday? It came down to the final game against Milton, a solid opponent–the last to have beaten three-time defending champ Monroe. Monroe beat us twice this season, and had already clinched its share of the championship. Best we could do was tie, but we were in no position to be selfish. The regular-season finale was intense as expected. I roamed the baseline, trying to conceal my nervousness behind the lens of my camera, dodging officials and taking as many pictures as possible, just in case this would be momentous occasion. It was. We seemed to have a slight edge, but it was close for much of the game. Milton’s best player, a 6-8 first team all conference selection put up 27, but it wasn’t enough. Our big guy scored 25 and we sealed it with free throws and lay-ups in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter to win by 66-52. Students poured onto the court, hugging and yelling and laughing, surrounding the players and each other, riding waves of elation. Another parent reminded me that three of the kids I had coached in grade school were on this team. One of them came to me afterward, hugged me and said, "Thanks, Coach." The girls team won conference too, so the two teams shared in a coed post-game net-cutting ceremony. I came away with 311 pictures, most of them precious. In the old days that would have been 9 rolls of film. Hail to the digital age! Despite having lived in Cuba City (a.k.a. Dynastyville), whose boys and girls are both ranked No. 1 in the state this season, I never played for a conference champion in any sport, so this vicarious thrill was a bit of a novelty for me. There was more icing on the cake: Yesterday I found out that my son, and his friend Derek both received first-team all conference honors. I won’t like it if the Badgers succumb to the Gophers tonight, but something tells me I will get over it. ______________ Nothing But Iron is an amateur sports column published daily and least on these two days. The author, a foreign guy himself, apologizes for the cheap shot–just one in a long series of cheap shots–of making fun of a foreign whiner guy’s name. The action was inappropriate and will not be repeated before the next time Wisconsin plays Michigan State. The author also apologizes to Kelly's Uncle Jerry, who is good friends with Izzo, but hopefully he won't read this. ©2009 DrTM Enterprises. All rights reserved.