Quick. Guess which coach, from either Marquette University or the University of Wisconsin, said this during the week:

Maybe you’re not the quickest, maybe you’re not the tallest, maybe you don’t have the longest arms, maybe you just don’t have this or don’t have that, but how can you be a good player or a better player if you are not as athletic as somebody else. Again, it goes back to, don’t get beat by the things that don’t take any talent: block out, ball fake, make good passes, handle the ball.

At first blush, it seems like it was a perfect sound bite from Steve Wojciechowski as he met the media for his first taste of the Marquette-Wisconsin rivalry, a state series that dates back to 1917.

After all, his Golden Eagles have been undermanned and undersized through the first month of the season.

But no, that was Bo Ryan on Wednesday after his previously undefeated and second-ranked Badgers fell, 80-70, to No. 4 Duke in a rare loss at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Wisconsin may return almost their entire team from the group that advanced to the Final Four last year, they may have two future first-round 2015 NBA draft picks in Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky, and they may be one of the top five programs in the country this year, but that’s how Ryan and his squad approaches each game: master the basics, and get better.

It’s something that is happening off 12th Street as well – though it may have taken the Golden Eagles leaving Milwaukee for it to truly come together.

After an uneven start to the year, which included a road defeat at Ohio State, a surprising home loss to Nebraska-Omaha and a home nail biter victory over NJIT, the Golden Eagles found something during their tournament trip to Orlando.

They beat Georgia Tech and Tennessee to finish third in the tournament, only losing to Michigan State.

Simply, "We’re a much better team now than we were when we headed to the airpot for Orlando" Wojciechowski told the media on Thursday afternoon.

Eight of the nine players on Wojciechowski’s bench are seeing at least 12 minutes of action per game, and redshirt freshman Duane Wilson emerged in Orlando as a go-to option on offense. The Milwaukee native leads Marquette in scoring at 14 points per game and is shooting 87.5 percent from the free throw line.

Senior transfer Matt Carlino (13.1) and senior Juan Anderson (12.9) are the only other Golden Eagles who have reached double digits in scoring. Anderson is also leading the team in rebounding at 6.3 per game.

Wojciechowski felt his team played the hardest of the group of programs in Orlando, but allowed that in order to compete night in and night out, that needs to be the case every game – and he hopes the execution of the offensive and defensive systems continues to improve along the way.

What’s working is that the players recognize that, too.

"I think we got a lot better down in Orlando," Anderson said. "I think we still have a long way to go. We haven’t, and this is just me being confident in my team, I don't think we’ve put everything together."

Anderson felt the team was perhaps 65-70 percent "there" in terms of reaching its potential.

"I don't think everybody clicking yet but i think that’s because of our youth," he said. "We have a lot of young guys. We don’t have a lot of guys that don't have experience like this, that never had these type of roles."

Wisconsin does, however.

While the Badgers have a full roster, Ryan has a relatively short rotation – only seven players average over double digits in minutes played, but all at over 20 minutes per game.

Kaminsky, a preseason All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year, is leading the team in points (16.6) and rebounds (8.8) followed by emerging sophomore Nigel Hayes (12.4 points, 7.5 rebounds).

Dekker (11.8 points) and point guard Treason Jackson (10.5) are the other Badgers scoring in double figures.

"Look, they’re as good as anyone out there in the United States," Wojciechowski said. "They present problems in a whole host of areas.

"It’s going to be a huge test for us, but these are the reasons you come to Marquette, to play in games like this against outstanding programs. I think our guys are excited by the opportunity."

At this point, the Marquette coaching staff and players have recognized their limitations regarding matching up with an opponent’s height and length. They know they need to team rebound. They know they need to stay out of foul trouble. And, in this specific instance, they know they cannot put together a scout squad that can even compare to the Badgers’ physical attributes and experience in its offense.

So, "I think we have to be a pitcher that throws multiple pitches," Wojciechowski said of the defensive strategy he may employ. "We’re not going tot be like Duke per se, and throw fastballs the whole game. We’re going to have to throw a fastball, a changeup, maybe a knuckleball. We’re going to have to mix and match because that’s where we’re at."

But, he is hoping his team can get a little extra boost from the rivalry aspect.
"It puts you on a stage where you can reach another level," Wojciechowski said. "Hopefully we’ll be able to find that for our group."