Is it wrong to look ahead? In a little over two weeks, on Dec. 6, the University of Wisconsin basketball team plays Marquette for the 121st time, and fireworks are the rule, rather than the exception.
The game will be at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, which will be swollen at the seams with thousands of Marquette fans and a bunch of red-clad Badgers fans.
With due apologies to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay, this game is for coronation as the king of college basketball in the state. Wisconsin has won this game 65 times, and Marquette (can I still call them Warriors?) have won 55 times.
To say this rivalry has been passionate is like saying Luciano Pavarotti could carry a tune.
It would be easy to run down all of the special moments that have happened in this rivalry, but there is one that best symbolizes the adrenaline rush. It was February 1974 when Maurice Lucas made a long last second shot to give the Warriors a victory by one point at the Milwaukee arena.
Marquette coach Al McGuire jumped up on a table and frantically led the crowd in its standing ovation. Directly in front of McGuire a man with glasses and a light shirt stood up and gave McGuire the finger, angrily. The man was Glenn Hughes, father of Kim and Kerry Hughes who were the twin towers for the Badgers.
Every year there are a lot of predictions and arguments about who is going to to win and what the drama is. This year there is plenty of drama.
On one hand you have Badgers coach Bo Ryan, who has been a head coach for 30 years. He’s won over 700 games. At Marquette you have Steve Wojciechowski, who is in his first year as a head coach.
About the only thing similar between these two is that both of them were point guards in college.
The other big thing on the table here is that the Badgers are ranked as one of the best three teams in the country.
Wisconsin was 30-8 last season. Marquette was 17-15. Wisconsin made it to the Final Four, Marquette didn’t get in the tournament. Buzz Williams walked away from Marquette after last season while Ryan is going into his 15th with Wisconsin.
Marquette has nine eligible players. Wisconsin has 16. The tallest player on Marquette is 6-feet, 7-inches. Wisconsin has nine players taller than that. Marquette is going to rely on the jump shot. Wisconsin is going to rely on layups.
Hello David, my name is Goliath.
But strange things happen in this series. There have been surprises aplenty and fans of each school know this one is for all the Wisconsin marbles.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
