I’m From a College Town, But This is Different

Is it all about the Badga?

Oh, sorry, I meant the Badgers.

Do all roads lead to Bucky?

It seemed that way as I drove through snow-covered streets this week, dodging college students running in full snow running gear (like the happy person shown on this blog). This isn’t any Midwestern town. This is, clearly, a college town. This is Madison, Wisconsin.

In the middle of January, everyone in town is sporting their cold-weather gear. Half of the cold-weather gear I see is adorned with either a picture of a proud Badger or a red or white W for Wisconsin.

“I guess we aren’t very imaginative,” says one local when I ask about the proliferation of Bucky and university apparel throughout the state’s capitol.

A popular shirt around the Kohl Center

In San Luis Obispo, we tend to see a lot of Cal Poly paraphernalia around town.  People have alumni license plates and there are plenty of students wherever you go. The difference, however, in a Big 10 city, is deafening.

In Madison, a mid-season conference home game vs. Northwestern on a Wednesday evening (with an 8:00 PM start to boot) means that it’s time for over 15,000 people to come and root on their Badgers. Make no mistake — this is big-time college basketball.

Northwestern’s roster is depleted on this night. They have 9 players, only seven of which are on scholarship. Their coach, Bill Carmody, says after the game that “I always play seven guys anyway,” but  it is clear that over a 40-minute game, the Wildcats are outmanned.

Wisconsin starts the game hot. Like three 3-pointers in their first three possessions hot. The sea of Kohl Center red and white is teeming like a Badger-colored beehive. Northwestern, though, is game and fights back to take the lead.

As Wisconsin guard Ben Brust lines up for a three-pointer early in the shot clock, all 15,000 fans groan as one, knowing the likely outcome.  The shot clangs off the rim, affirming what the fans knew all along – that it was a bad shot. The interesting this about this crowd is that they would have chastised Brust and shown their displeasure even if the shot had gone in. They know that it is a poor shot to take in Bo Ryan’s offense and by their reaction, they are almost doing Ryan’s job for him.

With the Badgers down by three points late in the first half, the collective unrest is almost palpable. The next time down the court, Mike Bruesewitz lines up a three-pointer from about the same place as Brust did a moment ago. This time, the shot is clearly within Ryan’s offensive scheme and, low and behold, there is no audible groan from the masses. The shot is pure, It ties the game and sends the sea of red into a mini-frenzy. 17,000 coaches/cheerleaders who seem to be able to see into the future.

Throughout the game, more groans come when Wisconsin makes bad plays. Even when they get away with it on the court, the fans voice their displeasure. I wonder if every Big 10 game is like this.

Like a Cayucos wave on a sunny day, the sea of red picks up the team on play after play, propelling them constantly forward. They are a true “6th man.” Bucky nation wills its beloved Badgers to a 7-2 run to end the first half. This is a true home-court advantage.

A view of the Kohl Center before Wednesday night’s game. Photo by Owen Main

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While we’re on the subject, the Kohl Center is BEAUTIFUL. If you are ever in Madison, I highly recommend catching a game here. The seating is steep, going up three levels, and I can’t get over the knowledgeable fan base.

Even the halftime show of 5^th graders doing group dribbling, passing, and shooting demonstrations is as fun and family-friendly as you could ever ask for. You can feel the best of Midwestern culture in a place like this.

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The second half is a runaway. Nine Northwestern Wildcats versus 17,000 hungry Badger fans is no contest. Up by 18 points late, Ryan’s crew rewards the crowd with an alley-oop worthy of multiple replays. The dunker is junior swingman Ryan Evans, who has put up a monster second half for Wisconsin. Evans and his flat-top fade provide a perfect ending to a great second half for the Badgers. His picture on the big screen makes me wonder if the fade is coming back. Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon has one. I like the look, but I digress.

The following night I am at a bar in Madison. The place is on an acutely-angled corner directly down the road from the state capitol building. The temperature is exactly two degrees outside and for this thin-blooded California-boy, the “cold” winter weather in San Luis Obispo looks pretty good right about now. While the bar was described as kind of “hipster,” it didn’t stop Bucky Badger from making many-an-appearance. Apparently, Madison hipsters are down with Bucky.

I am there with a friend of a friend who grew up in Madison and has recently moved back and am trying to explain what my first Big-10 basketball experience was like.

“The whole state really gets behind the Badgers,” he said. And how.