A regular season Big Ten championship. Senior Day for one of the most decorated classes in Wisconsin history. Frank Kaminsky once again loudly making his case for National Player of the Year.
Any one of those narratives makes for a memorable afternoon at the Kohl Center. All three, simultaneously, makes the day an astounding blend of emotion and attainment.
Against an always difficult opponent, the No. 5 Badgers (14-2 Big Ten, 26-3 overall) powered their way to a 68-61 win over Michigan State (10-6, 19-10) and clinched at least a share of the Big Ten Championship, sending away their seniors with as enjoyable a final experience in the Kohl Center as possible.
And it was all foreseeable, at least for one of the team’s biggest leaders.
“When the schedule came out, I had this date circled because I envisioned this exact scenario happening. Senior Day, last home game, closing out the Big Ten against a really good team,” said senior guard Josh Gasser.
Kaminsky most certainly played like he knew it was his last game in Madison, throwing down a season-high 31 points on 11-17 shooting and holding off multiple Spartan comeback attempts on both ends of the floor. He also contributed eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
“My job was easy. Get the ball to Frank and clear out, create space for him to go to work,” Gasser said. “Frank, he is the best player in the country. There’s no doubt about it in my mind and everyone else should just watch him play. He does everything for us and today proved that.”
The Badgers enjoyed comfortable leads for most of the game and only trailed for a minute in the game’s early stages. Michigan State’s best chance at a comeback came when it pulled within 12 points with 5:39 remaining, but two Kaminsky jumpers put any thoughts of playing spoiler to rest. All in all, a fitting game for who may be the best player in college basketball.
“I would like to give my early vote that Kaminsky is, no question, the best player in this country this year,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. “If I wasn’t coaching against him, I would have been standing there clapping.”
Kaminsky and Gasser were two of four seniors honored before and after the game, the others being guard Traevon Jackson and forward Duje Dukan. Jackson attended the game in street clothes as he was still out with a broken foot.
In their combined careers, this group of seniors has scored 3,281 points, grabbed 1,521 rebounds and dished out 740 assists. Additionally, Gasser and Dukan have now been a part of 107 UW wins, the most of any class in program history.
Pretty good for a group who each received an average of two scholarship offers from other Power Five schools. As great as they have been, what they most embody is head coach Bo Ryan’s uncanny ability to find that diamond in the rough who can shoot from anywhere and pull down a rebound no matter their height.
“I was definitely misty before the game, and it didn’t hit me until they started walking out with their parents. Just thinking about the recruiting process of each one of them, the first time meeting them, the first time seeing them, that’s what flashes through your head,” said head coach Bo Ryan. “A book could be written about the four of them.”
Unlike its previous game against Maryland, a deflating loss that saw bad decisions and difficult jump shots forced by the Terrapins, Wisconsin immediately pounded Michigan State inside. The Badgers finished with a 33-24 points in the paint advantage that was undermined by some Spartan garbage time layups.
Sophomore forward Nigel Hayes in particular outmuscled the Spartans inside, finishing with 14 points that all came from layups, dunks and free throws.
This was enough to make simple work of a Michigan State team that was clearly going through an unstable phase of its season. Star senior forward Branden Dawson did not start and finished with four points and two rebounds, drastically below his respective 12.3 and 9.9 per game averages. Nine different Spartans saw at least 10 minutes on the floor and their bench scored 35 total points, a stark contrast from the starter-dependent Badgers.
Once again, Wisconsin relied on its starters to shoulder the vast minute load, all five staying on the floor for at least 33 minutes each. Any time multiple starters were subbed out, it seemed to spark a Michigan State run. This should be at least partially remedied when Jackson returns, but it still makes you wonder if this team will be able to play three games in three days for the Big Ten tournament, where they’ll be the singular favorite.
For now though, the Badgers will celebrate their first Big Ten regular season title since the 2007-’08 season. Instead of fans rushing the court as the final buzzer sounded, the Wisconsin players stormed the student section, jumping into a jubilant mess of high-fives and back slaps.
Gasser and Dukan had to miss the 2012-’13 season with different season-consuming ailments. Jackson had to learn a new position once the point guard spot opened up. Kaminsky had to develop from that lanky, goofy-looking reserve into the most offensively versatile player in the country, then forgo the NBA for one more shot at glory.
Every senior has had a different path, but they all converged for one Sunday afternoon in the Kohl Center. The victory just served as further proof those paths will be remembered as something special.
“[Coming back] was the best decision I’ve made in my life. It wasn’t even much of a decision, it wasn’t hard,” Kaminsky said. “I knew I wanted to come back to school here. It’s days like this that reassure that decision.”
