That phrase, often spoken by Bennett, is not a compilation of hollow words. Defense is emphasized in every imaginable phase of the program. Defense is daily emphasized in practice, and when the team plays poorly on offense and loses a close game, it is defense that is emphasized at the next practice. As already noted, when the team faltered, and lost five of seven games, Bennett used the off week to concentrate almost entirely on defense. Offense was an afterthought, even though nearly everyone else in Madison, and the team for that matter, believed that offense was the team's problem. The message was unmistakable to his players. Defense Matters! They had to accept that fact if they were going to play for Dick Bennett.
(from A Season with Coach Dick Bennett, by Eric Ferris)
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