It irks Gophers fans to look at Wisconsin’s lineup and see three Minnesotans starting but that’s reality when the two teams open the Big Ten season in Madison tomorrow night. The Gophers are expected to start three or four players who played high school basketball in Minnesota.
The “Minnesota East” versus “Minnesota West” matchup just adds drama to a game that really doesn’t need more emotion. The 11-1 Gophers, a top 25 team, hope for a fast start in the Big Ten Conference race but so, too, does 10-2 Wisconsin, a team that’s close to earning a national ranking and like Minnesota regarded as an NCAA tournament club come March.
And, of course, no matter when Minnesota and Wisconsin play in basketball, football or hockey, emotions soar in the Border Battle. But having all those Minnesota natives on the floor makes tomorrow night’s game more intriguing than usual.
The Badgers are expected to start Jon Leuer (Orono), Jordan Taylor (Bloomington) and Mike Bruesewitz (St. Paul). Leuer, a mobile sharp shooting 6-9 forward, is a future NBA draft choice and could end his senior season as the Big Ten’s MVP. The muscular 6-1 Taylor is among the conference’s best point guards at both ends of the floor. Bruesewitz, 6-6, is a blue collar forward whose scrappiness stands out on a team that knows only one way to write the word hustle, in capital letters.
Minnesota Mr. Basketball chair Ken Lien saw all three Badgers when they were high school players. “I would sure like to see them in the maroon and gold,” he said. “They went there for a reason because Wisconsin showed high interest in them because they fit into the system that (coach) Bo (Ryan) runs over there. …If the coaching situation had been different at the University some of those kids might have stayed home.”
When Leuer was in high school the Gophers coach was Dan Monson. He was fired during Leuer’s senior season. His father, Mike, told Sports Headliners that Jon certainly had interest in Minnesota.
“I think if you go back four years ago it was a little bit tumultuous at Minnesota and there was a lot of uncertainty,” his dad said. “I think Jon wanted to go to a place where he felt it was stable, a good environment and winning tradition. He had a lot of good choices. …Minnesota was high on the radar on the list but when it was all said and done Wisconsin was his best fit and that’s what he decided on.”
Taylor, a junior at Wisconsin, had committed to the Badgers before Gophers coach Tubby Smith arrived here. Bruesewitz, a sophomore, was a high school senior at Henry Sibley the same year Royce White played at Hopkins and Rodney Williams was at Cooper. Three similar forwards and the Gophers preferred White and Williams.