NCAA Bracket 2011 Predictions: 10 Reasons Wisconsin Can Win a Championship

Dr. King once said: "I have a dream."

This is true of many fans of the Wisconsin Badgers at this point.

A dream of that long awaited trip back to the Final Four, followed by an NCAA tournament championship.

However, after a brutal shellacking at the hands of Ohio State last Sunday, the Badgers headed into the Big Ten tournament on a down note.

Things only got worse in the first round of that tournament, as Bucky and fans suffered through the ugliest thing on the court since the shot clock was incorporated.

The Badgers shot a brutal 29 percent from the floor and only made 15 shots in a 36-33 loss to Penn State.

So a run at that championship seems pretty far off, like a dream or a shot from Jimmer range.

However, the Badgers have shown flashes of brilliance this season and still have the potential to make a deep run in the Big Dance.

Here are the 10 reasons why.

10. Mike Bruesewitz

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 11: Mike Bruesewitz #31 of the Wisconsin Badgers drives against Jeff Brooks #25 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 11, 2011 in I

Bruesewitz's mop of flaming red hair may be reminiscent of Carrot Top but don't be fooled.

"Bruiser" plays some quality minutes for the Badgers, but it is not reflected in the stats.

His intensity and level of energy seem to help the Badgers on both ends of the floor when they are sometimes struggling.

In the loss to Ohio State, Bruesewitz delivered the most exciting moment of the afternoon for Badger fans, putting the ball on the floor and delivering a thunderous dunk.

He may look like a completely incompetent side show character, but Bruesewitz can play some ball.

For the Badgers to advance beyond the second round, he will need to contribute.

9. Experience

The Badgers have a wealth of experience across the board.

Forwards Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil are both seniors, as is guard Tim Jarmusz, while Jordan Taylor is a junior, who started several games as a freshman.

Wisconsin has been to the tournament each season these guys have been around but only advanced as far as Bob Knight would in a beauty pageant...they were bounced out in the first weekend each of the last two seasons.

For the Badgers to have any real chance at making a tourney run, these guys have to come together and decide they are going to be leaders and step up the intensity after two rather indifferent performances to end the season.

8. Guard Play

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 11: Josh Gasser #21 of the Wisconsin Badgers falls down after he was fouled going for a rebound against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse o

The one position Bo Ryan has allowed some inexperience on the starting five is at the guard position.

Freshman Josh Gasser has started most of the games this season at this position and is a solid complement to the sparkling play of point guard Jordan Taylor.

While Taylor has the capability to score at will when needed, he is also extremely patient and almost too hesitant to take over games, preferring to function within Bo Ryan's system.

Taylor and Gasser have combined for 24 points and seven assists per game, while only turning the ball over 60 times in 31 games or less than two per contest...

7. Favorable Region

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 10: Jacob Pullen #0 of the Kansas State Wildcats drives with the ball against the Colorado Buffaloes during their quarterfinal game in the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at Sprint Center on March 10, 2011 in K

If there is any bracket that may hold some upsets, it is the Southeast.

And if the Badgers can handle Belmont in Round 1, a likely matchup with preseason top five Kansas State will be in the offing.

However, this region is the one that will cause headaches for office pools everywhere, and the Badgers have a good chance to come out unscathed.

6. Coaching

In spite of the sneer, Bo Ryan is really a pretty likeable guy.

See here.

And since Bo took over at Wisconsin, he has enjoyed immense success.

Ryan was the 56th coach in NCAA history to reach the 600-win mark, and his career winning percentage of .764 is second only to Roy Williams among coaches with 600 wins.

Ryan has the best record of any Big Ten coach, including Tom Izzo and Thad Matta since taking over at UW.

The Badgers are very hard to beat at home, and their style of play makes them a tough out in any venue.

Give Bo Ryan credit for taking his somewhat "old-school" philosophy of basketball and making it work.

Especially in today's NCAA.

5. Defense

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 11: Jeff Brooks #25 of the Penn State Nittany Lions attempts a shot against Keaton Nankivil #52 and Ryan Evans #5 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldh

One of Bo Ryan's points of emphasis is defense.

And it shows.

The Badgers are eighth in the country in scoring defense and 10th in fouls per contest.

They play solid defense, force tough shots and try to take the opposition out of their gameplan.

In the tournament, this will be a key to a deep run.

4. Offensive Efficiency

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COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 06: Jordan Taylor #11 of the Wisconsin Badgers drives around Aaron Craft #4 of the Ohio State Buckeyes on March 6, 2011 at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State won the game 93-65. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Yeah, we've all heard it.

"Watching Wisconsin play basketball is like watching paint dry."

It's true.

The Badgers are boring at times...if you like sloppy basketball.

While they don't score a whole lot, only 69.4 points per contest, the Badgers are one of the most efficient teams in the country when it comes to scoring.

They are first in the country in free-throw percentage and also second in Kenpom's adjusted offensive efficiency, behind only Ohio State.

3. Ball Control

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 11: Head coach Bo Ryan of the Wisconsin Badgers and players Jordan Taylor #11, Keaton Nankivil #52 and Josh Gasser #21 look on as the referee s stand at the scorer's table against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the quarterfi

And while we are on the subject of efficiency, think about this one: the Badgers turn the ball over fewer times than you will here a Michigan fan say "I love Ohio State."

Jordan Taylor leads the country in assist to turnover ration (4.26), while Jarmusz has only turned the ball over 10 times in 694 minutes played.

As a team, UW only coughs it up 7.47 times per contest, and they have the highest team assist to turnover ration in the country.

2. Versatile Bigs

For the first time ever, Wisconsin had two All-Big Ten selections to the first team.

Jordan Taylor was on, while Jon Leuer was the other.

Leuer, a tough matchup for any opponent, has six double-doubles this season and is an assassin with his turnaround jumper on the baseline.

But the thing that makes Leuer and fellow big Keaton Nankivil stand out is their ability to hit the jumper.

Nankivil finished third in the Big Ten, hitting 46.6 percent of his attempts from behind the arc.

1. Jordan Taylor

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 11: Jordan Taylor #11 of the Wisconsin Badgers attempts a shot against Talor Battle #12 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 11, 2

The aforementioned Mr. Taylor is the primary reason the Badgers have a shot at a deep run in the Big Dance.

Taylor has shown a tendency to disappear from games at times, getting lost in the system, but when he is aggressive, he is difficult to stop.

Taylor belongs in the same sentence as Kemba Walker, Ashton Gibbs and the Morris twins as the best juniors in college basketball.

While Taylor's main claim to fame is his assist to to ratio, he is also a dangerous scorer.

In UW's first game against OSU, Taylor scored 28 and then dropped 39 against Indiana a few weeks later.

Guard play is the key to a successful tourney run, can Taylor carry the Badgers?

Stay tuned...