Baylor, Wisconsin understand their objectives

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Baylor and Wisconsin have never met in a men’s basketball game, and the unpredictable Bears have little in common with the disciplined Badgers at first glance.

Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan and Baylor’s Scott Drew both recognized one big similarity as their teams prepared for their matchup just down the street from Disneyland.

Although they arrive from different directions, they both know what to do when they get to March.

Sixth-seeded Baylor (26-11) and second-seeded Wisconsin (28-7) went through workouts Wednesday at Honda Center before they play today for a spot in the West Regional final.

While the building is unfamiliar, the stakes are not. The Badgers are in the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years, while the Bears have made it three times in the past five. Those are remarkable runs of consistency for any program, let alone two teams without huge national profiles and the recruiting advantages.

Past postseason success is fine, but the coaches know it could fade in the face of Baylor’s baffling zone defense or Wisconsin’s famed intensity.

“I think every coach would tell you they would rather have that experience than not have it, but it doesn’t guarantee you anything,” Drew said. “That’s what makes March Madness. Even if you play well, it might be your last game because there are so many great teams and great players.”

The teams studied their unfamiliar opponents during the break and emerged with mutual respect. The Bears admire the tenacity displayed all winter by Wisconsin, which beat five of its seven Top 25 opponents while playing one of the NCAA’s toughest schedules.

They also believe the Badgers’ reputation as a walk-it-up team is inaccurate.

“Just because of how they play in the half-court, using the whole clock, you would think that they wouldn’t score a lot of points in transition,” Baylor guard Sean Franklin said. “But when you see them on film and see how fast they get out, you can tell they want to score right away.”

Wisconsin is similarly impressed by Baylor’s athleticism and offensive balance. While knocking off Nebraska and third-seeded Creighton last weekend, Baylor also deployed a matchup zone that flummoxed opponents and limited Creighton standout Doug McDermott.

Few teams in recent seasons have been better in March than Baylor, which has won 17 of its 20 postseason games over the past six years.

Although Drew sometimes struggles to get precision out of his gifted roster, he’s likely to have the players’ attention at this stage. Baylor has an added incentive for its weekend in Southern California - and it’s not just the Bears’ late-night trip to Hollywood’s famed Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles after they arrived Tuesday.

With two more victories, the Bears essentially would play the Final Four at home in Arlington, Texas, about 100 miles from their Waco campus.

“Obviously that’s our goal, getting back to Arlington and playing in Texas again,” Bears forward Cory Jefferson said.