A horrendous regular season finally came to an end this weekend for Wisconsin, one that could bring about some major changes in the offseason.
The Badgers entered the 2014-’15 season with the highest expectations in program history. A team fresh off a Final Four appearance that lost only one major contributor will create that hype.
MIDWEST
CHICAGO—With their thrilling Big Ten Tournament Championship, No. 6 Wisconsin earned its first NCAA Tournament 1-seed in program history, and enters a region that’s going to carry a whole lot of deja vu.
March Madness is the best playoff system of any sport at any level, and it isn’t even close. The combination of a huge number of teams and the single-game elimination system makes it unpredictable every year. So unpredictable, in fact, we haven’t seen two No. 1 seeds make the championship since 2008, the only year where all four No. 1s made the Final Four. And there haven’t been multiple 1-seeds in the Final Four since 2009, when Connecticut and North Carolina were the only two.
Wisconsin’s Big Ten Championship win gave all watchers a preview of what college basketball in March is going to bring.
For the eighth time in program history, Wisconsin is headed to the Frozen Four. The Badgers dominated Boston University in the NCAA Quarterfinal, defeating the Terriers 5-1 to set up a rematch with rival Minnesota next Friday.
After putting together arguably its best half of the season to cruise past Purdue, the stage is all set for Wisconsin.
The situation was worrisome at halftime. Purdue led 35-30 and had held off an impressive UW push to tie the game going into the locker room. The Boilermakers’ star center A.J. Hammons was dominating on both sides of the floor, scoring 10 points and holding Big Ten Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky to just four points. Purdue had played an excellent half of basketball and it was definitely possible they could keep it up and shock the nation.
CHICAGO–While shooting around before the game, Duje Dukan received a warm welcome from a group of United Center security guards. That moment was just the beginning of what ended up being a special homecoming for the redshirt senior forward, who grew up in the Chicago area.
In the last tournament before the conference schedule begins, the Wisconsin Badgers (9-12 overall) will look to continue their momentum following last weekend’s success with five games in the College of Charleston Invitational in Charleston, N.C., starting Friday.
Despite not having a season worth remembering, Wisconsin’s seniors will take the ice looking to come away with a win in their final home games.
It’s not often that two conference rookies of the year face each other in the same game. That’s what’s happening Saturday as Annie Pankowski and Wisconsin take on Victoria Bach and Boston University in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.
Working to become the top dog in the Big Ten is a tiring task, but it carries a reward UW will be grateful to have as it embarks upon the next step of becoming one of this program’s great teams.
Students and fans alike know just where to look for him: in the same bottom row seats off the corner of the ice. He’ll be there, most likely wearing the same white sweater and red turtleneck that have become almost his trademark.
Spoiler alert, the Badgers are the odds-on favorite to win their first Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament since 2008. Here are how the rest of the tournament’s top seeds stack up against UW.
When you think of Wisconsin athletics, several things immediately come to mind.
As a redshirt senior, Frank Cousins has seen the best and worst of Wisconsin wrestling. In his redshirt freshman year, the Badgers turned in a strong season with four All-Americans and a 10th place finish in the NCAA Championships only to turn around and go winless in Big Ten competition the next year.
For much of the season, eight teams—Kentucky, Duke, Virginia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Villanova, Kansas and Gonzaga—have dominated the NCAA men’s basketball polls and storylines. These teams have combined for just 22 total losses, with Kansas owning seven of those against the nation’s toughest schedule.
After quite possibly the most successful regular season in program history, the Badgers were appropriately rewarded by the rest of their conference in the Big Ten basketball honors.
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