Seasons end. That's what they do. And sometimes they end prematurely.
Ask the 2001 Seattle Mariners if they thought they would lose in the ALCS after winning a Major League record 116 games. Ask the 1999 Miami Heat if they thought they would bow out to the Knicks in the first round of the NBA playoffs, becoming just the second top seed to do so.
Sunday the Badgers became the highest seed out of the tournament. In a year without a true Cinderella, Wisconsin's loss became the top story. Because of Ohio State's Ron Lewis and UNC's Tyler Hansbrough, Alando Tucker, Kam Taylor and Jason Chappell's final game was the biggest news.
It certainly didn't help matters that Lon Kruger's son played like Superman and Jason Terry's half-brother Curtis went from toasting the bench to burning the Badgers. But that's life.
Records were broken: 30 wins and Michael Finley is no longer tops on the Badgers' scoring list. Future stars were found: Jason Bohannon proved that he's not just a shooter.
But we have to ask ourselves, was this really the same team once Brian Butch went down in Columbus? And the answer is obviously no. Bo Ryan would never acknowledge that, saying ""You play with what you have,"" but it certainly was apparent.
The Badgers, as a unit, were so good. They were so smooth when everyone was on the floor. The starting five, the key bench players, everyone knew their role and everyone knew the rhythm.
But where did that rhythm go? Ryan even compared his team to the loveable Steve Martin character in ""The Jerk"", Navin Johnson, who can't snap his fingers nor stomp his feet to the beat, but one night wakes up in the middle of the night with his heels clicking to some jazz he hears over the radio.
And in fact, the Badgers were the exact opposite. They had their heels clicking early on. With Butch in the lineup, opposing big men were pulled out, Tucker had lanes to penetrate and the defense would subsequently collapse and others were left open to create. It was a clear formula that was working to a ""T.""
If you don't buy that, think about last year. Think about the rhythm the Badgers were in first semester and then remember second semester when Marcus Landry and Greg Stiemsma had to take a seat.
Ryan's Wisconsin basketball is like a well-oiled machine that works perfectly when every piece is functioning, every gear is in place and every wire is correctly linked. But when one little piece is out, the machine chugs along, but not without a struggle.
This machine stalled and the season ended.
But the machine can be restarted. Sure key components like Tucker, Taylor and Chappell won't be around. But Badger basketball goes on. Myself and other seniors won't be around to see it up close, but there are plenty of others who will get to see how Bohannon and Landry react to the spotlight and see how Butch responds to finally being a go-to guy.
While perennial favorites may be out of the question, there's never a dull season with coach Ryan. There's always a chance. And although Tucker, Taylor and Chappell will never streak down the Kohl Center court again, others will.
Here's to next season.
Sam can be reached for comment at sepepper@wisc.edu
