Orange fever has hit the UW-Platteville campus. Pioneer basketball is once again the talk of campus as our No. 17- ranked Pioneers are primed for another WIAC championship. The Pioneers have run their record to 17-4 overall and 10-2 in the WIAC which is tied for first with UW-Whitewater.

The Pioneers are remeniscent of the Bo Ryan Pioneer teams of the early 1990’s. They are a great combination of speed and size that has given teams trouble all season. Junior center Jeff Skemp and guards Charlie Lohoff and Curt Hanson have led the team through most of the campaign. The trio has paced the team through many of their games and one can usually be found as the leading scorer.

This is not to say that the rest of the team doesn’t do their fair share. The team has incredible depth and experience thanks to returning letter winners such as Josh Langenfeld, Kyle Tetschlag and Bo Richter. The team also has several young contributors in Nick Allen and Mike Shaw.

They have run and gunned themselves to the top spot in the WIAC and don’t look to take their foot off the gas any time soon. The team is undefeated this season on Bo Ryan Court. With the exception of a couple of close games, the team has played incredibly well at home and there is no doubt the O Zone student section helps make the gym even more intimidating to visiting teams.

Their losses include: a loss to the preseason number one team in the country, Washington University in St. Louis back on Nov. 25; a road loss to Point Loma Nazarene by two points; an overtime loss to UW-Eau Claire on Dec. 5; and a narrow 70-67 loss to UW-Stevens Point. So looking at these losses it’s hard to see a bad loss among them. Losing twice on the road in conference, especially a conference as good as the WIAC, is nothing to be ashamed of. And with the other two losses being to road opponents far away from Platteville, the Pioneers have proved their mettle.

Being ranked consistently in the top 25 on d3hoops.com for the first time since the end of the 2004-2005 season has helped the Pioneers grow in popularity on campus. This increased visibility has led to more fans at games and helped the Pioneers protect home court against several quality opponents. And not to say the fun is not just beginning for the Pioneers.

With big games coming up against No. 8-ranked UW-W on Feb. 13 and chances for the Pioneers to avenge losses to UW-EC on Feb. 20 and UW-SP on Feb. 23, the team has it’s biggest bridges still to cross. After these tough match-ups, the Pioneers will need to be prepared for the WIAC playoffs and eventually the NCAA tournament.

It’s evident after looking at the team and its success so far that the team can make a deep run at the national title. They have the things that winning teams need: depth, experience, good defense, size and a desire to win. This young, balanced team has what it takes to go all the way to the top of the WIAC and maybe the country. With a good run to finish this season, along with how they have already played, there is no reason the Pioneers couldn’t be among those cutting down the nets at the end of the NCAA tournament.