The ups and downs of a season can take a toll. Just ask Wisconsin Badgers men's soccer coach Jeff Rohrman.

From a promising nonconference start to a punishing Big Ten Conference schedule, with twists and turns in between, the Badgers have come close to establishing themselves this season, only to stumble.

"I feel like I've aged 20 years in the last three months," Rohrman said. "Welcome to the life of coaching."

UW has another chance to pull things together this weekend when it hosts the Big Ten tournament at the McClimon Complex. The seventh-seeded Badgers play No. 2 Michigan at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the last of three quarterfinal games.

No. 4 Northwestern plays No. 5 Penn State at 10:30 a.m., and No. 3 Indiana plays No. 6 Ohio State at 1 p.m. Top seed Michigan State has a bye into Friday's semifinals.

The Badgers won only one of their six Big Ten games in a round-robin schedule, but they tied the Wolverines, giving the team a good feeling about its chances Thursday, Rohrman said.

Wisconsin actually considered the Sept. 27 1-1 home draw with Michigan like a loss because it led until conceding a penalty kick with 24 seconds remaining in regulation.

"It's just been one of those bumpy rides," Rohrman said. "And as a coach, you can't let the highs get too high and the lows get too low, and you've just got to keep moving forward and preparing for the next opponent."

The tournament field includes six of the top 36 teams in the Ratings Percentage Index, which in part determines who will get at-large bids to the NCAA tournament. Michigan is sixth; Wisconsin is 36th.

In other words, anything can happen this weekend.

"The parity in our conference, which I've alluded to for the last two, three years, is unbelievable," Rohrman said. "I don't think there's one team that anybody truly fears. I think every team is fully capable of making a good run. ... And I think this weekend's going to be an exciting weekend for the Madison soccer fans."