Coach the Year

Seth Davis has Bo Ryan ranked #3, with his former assistant, Tony Bennett, leading the pack at Wazu. Davis claims that only Tucker is a legitimate pro prospect on the Badgers, with the Polar Bear standing as a arctic size question mark. He's right in suggesting that Bo gets credit for his knowledge of X's and O's, but few props for his motivational tactics. His ability to prepare the team for every game, focusing on going 1-0 every evening, is what impressed me most about Coach Ryan from the get-go. His teams play without fear or overconfidence, the mark of superior preparation.

Ryan has also won his share of recruiting battles with a stumbling Minnesota program that a decade ago was a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Besides beating the Gophers to Kam Taylor, Joe Krabbenhoff, and even the Morley Monster, the 2007 class features John Leuer, and in 2008 Jordan Taylor and Jared Berggren will don Badger red instead of Gopher gold.

A decade ago I rushed the floor at the Fieldhouse when Bucky defeated the Gophers and grabbed a date to the Dance. Hard to believe we've been left out only once since, and that a late-season loss at Williams Fieldhouse tonight would be a monumental upset.

Finally, Davis has Bucky as a #1 seed in the Midwest region, second overall behind Florida. OSU lands a #2 in the West, Marquette a #3 in the same region, and Indiana a #4 in the East.