After three rugged games in three days in the Big Ten Conference tournament, the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team was hoping to start NCAA tournament play on Friday.

"There was a rumor out there, they were going to take care of the Sunday teams, especially the team that plays the latest," Badgers coach Bo Ryan said on Monday. "But there's just too many factors. It's OK."

The Badgers' 61-48 victory over Illinois in the Big Ten tournament title game in Indianapolis finished only about 20 minutes before the NCAA brackets were announced. UW opens play against Cal State Fullerton at 8:40 p.m. Thursday in Omaha, Neb.

The weary players had a light practice Monday, mostly shooting and free throws. One good thing about this week, students are on spring break, so at least the players don't have to worry about classes.

"Obviously, it's nice coming off playing three games in three days, not having to jump right back in (a class) on a Monday morning," assistant coach Greg Gard said. "They had some time, they were able to rest, so we should be fresh and ready to go on Thursday night."

This is the Badgers' seventh straight trip to the NCAA tournament under Ryan, who has a pretty good system in place and sees no reason to change it.

"What you do, you want to get routines that are good for athletes," Ryan said.

That includes everything, down to the times when the players eat. During the season, Ryan described how players always eat a meal 4 hours before a game. So, if there's a Saturday game at 11 a.m., Ryan also will schedule a breakfast on Friday at 7 a.m., to get the players used to the routine.

"You just want to make sure their bodies are ready to perform at their peak," Ryan said.

After expressing a desire to play on Friday, Ryan spent no time lamenting the Thursday game, after it flashed on the TV screen. He was asked if he would have preferred to play on Friday and Sunday, if it meant traveling farther than Omaha.

"It doesn't matter," Ryan said. "Once (the games) are up there, it's, 'Here we go.' "

UW players were not made available to the media Monday, but that's been their mind-set all season, as well. They trailed Michigan State by 12 points with 8 minutes, 15 seconds remaining and came roaring back to win 65-63 in the Big Ten semifinals.

"They're a very mature group," Gard said. "They've handled things exceptionally well all year. Nothing seems to faze them. I think we've seen that by the games and the scores.

"The Michigan State game, getting down, they just didn't get rattled. It's a group that refuses to get off course or off track from what they want to accomplish. Nothing so far has really fazed them. They really understand what this is about and what they need to do to be successful."

Fullerton got the automatic NCAA berth that came with winning the Big West Conference tournament title, also playing three games in three days. But it got an extra day off, beating UC Irvine 81-66 on Saturday night.

The Titans play at a break-neck pace, averaging 82.6 points per game.

"I was looking at one game film (Monday)," Ryan said. "I must have blinked, they were laying it in at the other end, after a (made basket). It must have been a slow blink."

The Titans are made up almost entirely of transfers from four-year colleges or junior colleges.

Shooting guard Josh Akognon, a transfer from Washington State, was named the MVP in his conference tournament. While playing for the Cougars two years ago, he scored 27 points, including a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, to beat No. 10 Washington. He scored 25 points, all in the second half, in a loss to No. 11 UCLA.

Forward Scott Cutley, the Big West Co-Player of the Year, transferred from Kent State. He has three double-doubles in the past six games and had 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the title game to help clinch the Titans' first NCAA berth in 30 years.

One thing that helps the Badgers' preparation, with a quick turnaround, is not much changes with them, regardless of the opponent, or the playing style.

"We don't play six different defenses, so it isn't one of those where you go through your Rolodex and say, 'OK, this is what we're going to play against this team,' " Ryan said. "We try to do the same things all the time, we just try to do them as well as we can."