BLACKSBURG, Va. — Ask just about anyone associated with the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team about Tim Jarmusz, and you'll probably get a similar response.

They'll rave about his basketball instincts, gritty style of play and toughness. They'll talk about the way he hustles and his willingness to do anything for the good of the team.

Of course, all that usually comes with a disclaimer — that the 6-foot-6 sophomore swingman isn't the most athletic player, that he doesn't have top-end quickness, speed or jumping ability.

And that's an assessment Jarmusz doesn't dispute.

"I know there's a bunch of guys on this team that are like that way," he said. "Obviously there's going to be more athletic people, there's always going to be people that are quote-unquote better than you. But you've got to deal with that and play."

And Jarmusz figures to once again play plenty off the Badgers' bench Monday night when 25th-ranked UW (5-1) faces Virginia Tech (4-2) at Cassell Coliseum as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge (6 p.m., ESPN2).

He enters tonight's game averaging 20.5 minutes per game, easily the most of any non-starter — sophomore forward Jon Leuer is next at 15.3 — and more than starting sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil (18.5).

After not cracking the Badgers' rotation until the second half of last season, Jarmusz has played at least 15 minutes in every game so far this year.

He's made the most of those opportunities, too, averaging 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and showing an improved jump shot. He's 10-for-15 from the field and has made six of his 10 3-point tries.

"He's more confident with it now, and last year maybe he was hesitant at times to let it go, and this year he's definitely, if he gets opens, he's going to let it go," UW associate head coach Greg Gard said.

But the bigger reason why Jarmusz is playing an expanded role this season after seeing 89 minutes in 22 games as a freshman is because of his ability do a variety of things. He's shown a knack for chasing down offensive rebounds and loose balls and good anticipation on defense.

Badgers coach Bo Ryan called Jarmusz "cagey" before the season.

"He's always in the right place at the right time," Gard said. "So I think that's why he got a scholarship here. It wasn't because he won a dunk contest or beat anybody in a sprint. He's not the most fleet of foot guy, but he's right place, right time, not afraid to stick his nose into places and get himself on the floor. I think he leads the team in floor burns, and that's something we want to see."

Jarmusz credits some of that toughness to playing against his older brother Adam, a recent West Point graduate, growing up. And he points to some of his past coaches — former Indiana player Todd Meier, who coached him in club basketball from elementary school on, and Steve and Lance Randall, the two coaches he played under at Oshkosh West.

They appear to have taught him well.

"You've got to be tough, you've got to take care of the ball and you've just got to play smarter than the other team, and that's how the winning percentage at Wisconsin's been so high is because we've just outsmarted the other teams," said Jarmusz, who led Oshkosh West to back-to-back WIAA Division 1 state titles as a junior and senior. "And that's what you need and that's a great thing to have."