A Pivotal Year for Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers

For the past 13 years, Wisconsin basketball has been lead by coach Bo Ryan. In 2001, Coach Ryan inherited a rising program and led the Badgers to a share of the Big Ten regular season title.  Ever since Ryan’s first season at Wisconsin, his tenure can be best described in one word. Consistency.

Since his start at Wisconsin in the 2001-2002 season, Coach Ryan has led the Badgers to an NCAA tournament bid in every season. At 13 straight tournament appearances, only Mark Few (15), Tom Izzo (17), and Mike Krzyzewski (19) have longer tournament appearance streaks among active coaches. During this time Wisconsin never finished lower than fourth in the Big Ten, and earned a double-digit seed only once.

These are impressive stats for any coach, however it wasn’t until 2014 that Coach Ryan brought his team to the highest level of college basketball. In his first 12 seasons, the Badgers received a seed better than fourth on just two occasions. Unsurprisingly during this time period Wisconsin had only a single Elite Eight, and no Final Fours.

That all changed in 2014 when Ryan coached the Badgers to the Final Four. Leading by two points with less than seven seconds left, the Badgers were in terrific position for a National Championship Game appearance until a heartbreaking three point shot ended their season.

For Coach Ryan, regardless of the outcome he walked away with his head held high. At the tail end of his career Coach Ryan is at the top of his game, but now his focus is on cementing a strong legacy. Entering the 2014-2015 season Wisconsin has national championship expectations and are a likely preseason top-five pick. Wisconsin returns the bulk of their team including Sam Dekker, Josh Gasser, Nigel Hayes, and Frank Kaminsky. The stars are aligned for another strong season for the Badgers. Wisconsin will enter the season with an amount of Final Four experience that only a handful of teams can match.

To make a second consecutive Final Four would be a huge boost to Ryan’s coaching legacy. For the Wisconsin basketball program, consecutive Final Four’s would be a huge upgrade for the prestige of the program. It would be a sign that Wisconsin has arrived on the biggest stage and capable of being a major factor in college basketball. This translates into stronger recruiting and would only help the program grow. Wisconsin has already achieved the regular season consistency to do this, but until recently they lacked the postseason consistency to jump up the college basketball pecking order.

Heading into the 2014-2015 season Wisconsin isn’t just looking for a Final Four, they are looking to build themselves into a name brand basketball program that can attract talented coaches/players in the post-Ryan era. Half the problem for aspiring athletic programs is not so much winning, but how to maintain their level of success after a coaching change.

Apr 5, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan talks with his players during the semifinals of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin weathered the storm when they lost former basketball coach Dick Bennett shortly into his sixth season. But to replace Ryan and continue his consistency is a more difficult task considering the length of his tenure.

I don’t expect Wisconsin to be considered as competitive as Duke on a regular basis in the near future. I do, however, see them as a program that can potentially become one of the top 15 or top 20 destinations in college basketball for players and coaches.

The Badgers have come along way since the 1948-1993 era when they failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin can make sure an era like that never happens again if they further elevate their program with a second straight Final Four run.