The Wisconsin Badgers entered the Ravens’ Nest Aug. 21 marching in step and brandishing bold red and white t-shirts marked “Rise To The Occasion.”
But the Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) team left defeated, with head coach Bo Ryan leading his team in military stride back to the locker room to discuss their 95-82 loss to the Carleton Ravens.
After the game, Ryan admitted he expected nothing less from the defending Canadian national basketball champions.
“[Phil Scrubb and Tyson Hinz], we knew that they were good players. It was exactly what I expected, their timing and execution, it’s so far ahead of our guys. That’s why I wanted to make this trip here with my young guys,” he said.
Before tip-off, the NCAA Big Ten powerhouse had a huge size advantage on the nine-time Canadian national champions.
But from the moment the Ravens went on a 12-0 run in the first half, they never left any doubt as to whether they could compete with the bigger Badgers.
“[Carleton] exploited what we were not very good at yet,” Ryan said.
The Badgers were playing into the Ravens’ hand. The crossover to a 24-second shot clock in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), compared to the NCAA’s 35-second clock made for a significant change in the pace.
Along with lacklustre performances of Ben Brust and Josh Gasser, with the latter recently coming back from a year-ending ACL injury, the inexperience of a young Wisconsin team added to the difficult matchup against the veteran Carleton squad.
“Defensively, we have rules, and until you get in the heat of battle you don’t know them,” Ryan said.
But for Ryan, the three-time Big Ten coach of the year refused to make excuses for losing to a Canadian school.
“[Carleton is] good enough to play with a lot of teams we play,” he said.
Phil Scrubb put up a game-high 30 points to lead the Ravens to victory, and Tyson Hinz had 25 points and 10 rebounds to help the Ravens frontcourt.
Victor Raso, a recent transfer from McMaster University, provided an energetic six minutes of playing time, resulting in three defensive rebounds.
“From a competitive standpoint and how hard you work here at Carleton, its fantastic. I’ve never been surrounded by so much talent and athleticism,” Raso said.
Acting coach Rob Smart, stepping in for brother and Ravens head coach Dave Smart, was pleased with a win, but put the exhibition game victory into perspective.
“They’ll say the same thing, ‘They’re not trying to win now, we’re not trying to win now.’ The score doesn’t matter, it’s how we play,” he said.
Nevertheless, Smart said getting a win over a high-profile American school is a big deal for the program.
“We knew they were going to be tough, so to be honest we probably weren’t expecting it.”
