That SI Cover Starts To Make Sense

The Kohl Center was rocking yesterday as the Badgers dominated the #2 Pitt Panthers for most of the game - quite a contrast with the snoozer on Wednesday night against UW-Milwaukee. The fans brought their A-Game, arriving with ankles taped and ready to make some noise. At times the Kohl Center can be a pretty quiet place, but not for big games. The atmosphere was close (but not quite) like the Illinois game played for the Big Ten title a couple years ago.

It was the kind of game that reminds you why you go to the games. Pitt is a very good team and will likely go deep in the NCAA tournament - a very good big man in Aaron Gary and a bevy, an array, a panoploy, a bunch, of really good, really quick guards. Brian Butch picked a good day to have the game that Badger fans have waited for three years to see. Pitt's game plan gave Butch room to operate, not a bad bet, but Butch made them pay with 20 first-half points and 27 overall. Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor teamed up on the Sportscenter highlight play on a fast-break, alley-oop, slam dunk. Finally, when Butch and Tuckler took a seat early in the second half, Taylor took over and scored 14 second-half points.

One begins to contemplate just how far these Badgers can go.