You thought we were done? Nope. That Badgers Football article was only part one. A warmup for a much more heartbreaking article. Badgers Basketball is where I truly became the callous, untrusting fan that I am today. No one has consistently gotten me to say "We can do this" and then shattered that hope like Wisconsin. It's "Friday Night Lights" with Matt Saracen and Julie Taylor- no matter what Julie does, however she breaks his heart, however many times she stares at lifeguards, Matt always comes back to her, ready to be broken again. In this slog of an article that apparently will take you 12 minutes to read (sorry, no self-control), I break down how rough this decade has truly been.
WARNING
(Those Badger fans of the faint of heart may want to avoid this article for it may bring on such side effects as crying, anger, nausea, cursing at the sky, sudden urges to float around in a dirty hotel pool for hours contemplating the meaning of life, and a need to drink the pain away by drowning yourself in Schlitz)
2010 - 2013 Wisconsin Men's Basketball Team
Ah, a time of wonder and excitement, where every year the Badgers played well all season, especially in the Big 10. During this 4 year period, they went 50-22. Led by the likes of big Wisconsin names such as Jon Leuer, Jordan Taylor, Josh Gasser, Ben Brust, Duje Dukan, and these guys called Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky. The staple of these four years was having a great regular season followed by falling apart in the Tournament. I am going to speed through these because we have bigger, better heartbreaks to get to.
2009-2010 - After beating #6 Duke, #4 Purdue, and #5 Michigan State in the regular season, the Badgers went into the Tournament with a 4 seed, only to get upset in the 2nd Round by 12 seed Cornell.
2010-2011 - Wisconsin beats the Undefeated AP Poll #1 Ohio State in the regular season and earns itself another 4 seed. The Badgers reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since they were upset in 2008, when Steph Curry found out that Wisconsin's weakness was playing one of the hottest players in tournament history. The Badgers were upset again this year by No. 8 Butler.
2011-2012 - The Badgers roll through the regular season yet again, and yet again, the Badgers were rewarded a 4 seed in the tournament. Facing 1 seed Syracuse in the Sweet Sixteen, Wisconsin stands its ground against Jim Boeheim and the great Micheal Carter-Williams. Inevitably though, Wisconsin falls just short, 63-64.
2012-2013 - Sam Dekker's Freshman year. Frank Kaminsky's Sophomore year. The uniting of possibly the two greatest Badgers Basketball players ever. These two had such an impact that
This season was marred by Josh Gasser tearing his ACL in October and missing the rest of the year. After losing in the Big 10 Tournament Championship, Wisconsin earned a 5 seed in the tournament. The Badgers shocked the world... in a bad way, by losing in the first round to 12 seed Ole Miss.
2017-2018, 2018-2019, and I assume 2019-2020 Badgers Basketball
Long fart sound, but Ethan Happ did quote tweet my tweet comparing him to Cillian Murphy, so win for me. 2017 was the year the Badgers ended a 19-year streak of making the NCAA tournament. I also, one time, saw Brad Davison walking in front of me to class. I would write more, but this article is already too long, sorry Kobe King. I also want to make it clear Ethan Happ is one of my all-time favorite Badgers. I love him.
2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, and 2016-2017 Wisconsin Basketball
2013-2014 *cue the "High School Musical" music* "This is the start, of something new, it feels so right to be here with you". Junior year for Frank Kaminsky and Sophomore for Sam "The Savior of Wisconsin" Dekker and this duo was hitting their stride. Joined by Freshman Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, and Vitto Brown, the Badgers were seeking to redeem themselves from the first-round loss last year. The Badgers dropped their first game against a Canadian team called Carleton. Canada. The Land of Maple Syrup and Steve Nash. Basketball may have been invented by a Canadian, but most definitely was not perfected. Wisconsin then went on a 21 game win streak, including a 43 point game by Frank over North Dakota. They climbed from unranked to #4 in the country. Then they dropped 5 out of 6 games, falling again to unranked. To finish the regular season, they won 8 out of 9 games, getting back to #12. Big 10 tourney came and went with Wisconsin getting bounced in the second round. Tourney time. Badgers had gone 25-6 in the regular season and got a 2 seed in the West. Game one against American was rough, a 75-35 win, leading straight to a match against 7 seed Oregon. Kaminsky put up 19 points and Dekker snagged 15 boards in an 85-77 win. Sweet Sixteen, here we come. Frank came ready to play putting up 19 again for a 69-52 win over 6 seed Baylor. This is it, one of the most thrilling basketball games I have ever seen. 1 seed Arizona vs. 2 seed Wisconsin. The game Frank did his best 2007 Lebron and took an entire basketball team and put them on his back. He led the game with 28 points, with Traevon Jackson the only other Badger to reach double-digit points with 10. Wisconsin shot 39% from the field, which would have been a bad thing but Arizona also only shot 39%. Tied 54-54 after two halves, this game went to OT with every Badger fan on the edge of their seats. 4 years of disappointment had all led to 5 minutes to get us to the Final Four. Frank scored six, leading the way to a 64-63 win that sent UW into a party mode like it was, well really just a normal Friday. If you take away Frank's 11-20 shooting night, his supporting cast went for 13-41 (31%). Not great, but for the first time since 2000, the Badgers made the Final Four. Kentucky vs. Wisconsin Part One (aka Rocky 1 with Wisconsin being Rocky, proving they were meant to be there but ultimately falling short to the Kentucky powerhouse, aka Apollo). In a much better shooting night (46%) the Badgers were able to spread the scoring around, getting 4 players in double digits this time. Kentucky took 5 threes. 5. In the Year of our Lord 2014. They also 14-21 (67%) from the line while Wisconsin went 19-20 (95%). We shouldn't have lost. Frank went 4-7 - how does the man who single-handedly won us the last game take 7 shots in 32 minutes? I can't talk about this game anymore. Kentucky won 74-73.
2014-2015 The year that broke me. I have never recovered. The only shot Wisconsin Basketball will ever have at winning a National Championship. Frank Kaminsky was extremely undervalued coming out of high school. He was a three-star recruit coming out and rose all the way to winning Big 10 Player of the Year. Sam Dekker was a 5-star recruit out of high school and chose Wisconsin because he was born and raised in Sheboygan and, as anyone who follows him on Twitter can tell you, loves all things Wisconsin sports. The absolute perfect storm. Add in amazing role players Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Vitto Brown, Zak Showalter, and most importantly Matt Ferris and Aaron Moesch. Anyway, blah blah blah regular season, loss to #4 Duke somewhere in there and finished the regular season 28-3. Big Ten Championship Game vs. Michigan State goes into overtime. All I can think watching is "Of course Wisconsin is going to lose this game after being amazing all season". Tied 69-69 going into OT, my thoughts turned dark. Wisconsin then outscored the Spartans 11-0 in OT. Nigel Hayes went for 25 points, showcasing how deep this team is. The Badgers claimed a one seed in the tournament for the first time ever. Wisconsin started out strong with an 86-72 win over Coastal Carolina. Then followed it up with a 72-65 over 8 seed Oregon. A seven-point win over 4 seed North Carolina meant that there would be a rematch with Arizona in the Elite 8. Kaminsky went for 29 points in the win over the 2 seed. This lead to the greatest game in my Wisconsin fandom. Kentucky, headlined by Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns, was undefeated coming into this game. I am uncertain any Badger fan had much hope coming into this game. We lose this game 9 times out of 10 (this was Rocky 2, Rocky/Wisconsin had proved they belonged last year against Apollo/Kentucky, and proved they were better this year). With 5 minutes left, Wisconsin was down four after an 8-0 Wildcats run. A body blow by Apollo, sending Rocky to the mat. But then Dekker hit a jumper, Nigel hit a layup, Sam hit a three to give us the lead, and then Sam hit a free throw to cap off our very own 8-0 run. Rocky rises from the mat and delivers a flurry of hits to knock Apollo to the mat. The next four minutes gave at least one Wisconsinite a heart attack that Chris Farley's "Da Bears" character would be proud of. Wisconsin goes up four, Kentucky hits a shot, Wisconsin hits free throws, Kentucky hits free throws. Wisconsin never loses the lead but they come as close as they can. It is a 2 point game with 17 seconds after KAT hit his free throws. The Badgers go 5-0 to finish it out and win 71-64. I have been chasing the high of this win ever since, coming close a couple times with the Brewers, but never the same. It is the single greatest game in 21st century Wisconsin history. We were world-beaters, nothing could stand in our way. This was the Badgers year, they were the team of destiny, we were going to win the National Championship and no one could stand in our way. Of course, except for 11.8 points per game Tyus Robert Jones. UW Wisconsin vs Duke, April 6th, 2015. The true underdog vs the alpha. Coach K vs Bo Ryan. I watched this game surrounded by at least 12 people who all hated the Badgers because Minnesotans have terrible little brother-itis [editor's note: Tyus Jones is from Minnesota]. After one half, the game was tied 31-31, a true edge of your seat, puke from the nerves kind of game that March Madness thrives on. Wisconsin comes out of half time with something to prove, going up 48-39 with 13 mins left for the largest lead of the game by either team. Grayson Allen then goes for 6 straight points in 40 seconds to cut it to 3. Then comes a 5-minute span of Duke making buckets, but the Badgers responding to every shot. With 7 minutes left, Tyus Jones ties the game at 54. Duke takes its first lead of the half with 5 and a half minutes to go. Sam and Frank both respond to put Wisconsin up 2. Then it happened. One of the few plays that I can remember everything about, where I was, where the Badgers defenders were, how I felt a pain in my heart that I assume is akin to getting stabbed by a rusted cutlass.
Including this shot, Tyus Jones had 6 and Jahlil Okafor had 4, leading to a 10-0 Duke run. In a microcosm of the Badgers existence, Wisconsin brought it back to a three-point game with 50 seconds. They give you that hope that it's not over, even though every part of you is telling you it is. Jones ices the game with two made free throws and the Badgers never respond. Duke wins 68-63. Life is pain. We are but a dust speck on a flower on a star in a galaxy with billions. To think is to be, but to feel pain is to be human. It do be like that sometimes.
2015-2016 I'm told that people like short articles, whoops. I'll make this shorter. Technically Bo's last season, though he only coached 12 games and then resigned so that his long-time assistant Greg Gard was guaranteed the job. For the sake of coolness, just forget those twelve games and say that Bo Ryan's tenure ended on Wisconsin's one and only National Championship appearance. This mostly was a "replenish lost assets" year. The Badgers welcomed Khalil Iverson, Brevin Pritzl (The pride of De Pere), Alex Illikainen, redshirt Freshman Ethan Happ, and Charles Tomas IV. These young bloods got to learn under all-time Badger Vets Vitto Brown, Nigel Hayes, and Bronson Koenig- all of whom were Juniors. Also, Aaron Moesch and Matt Ferris were there. This is where we realized we had something special with Happ. He averaged 12.4 points, shot 54%, and hauled in 8 rebounds a night. He was the Patron Saint of Post Moves, with deadly spins and back downs, the man could score at will in the paint.
That video perfectly sums up Ethan Happ. He was Kevin McHale reincarnated, except better because he was not a Gopher. I mean, just watch this McHale video and then the Happ one back to back.
Legend has it if you play this over your house speakers, 50-year-old white men will materialize out of thin air and talk about how this is how basketball was supposed to be played. Bill Simmons may also appear, but he will mostly just talk about how the '86 Celtics were the greatest basketball team ever. Celtics tangent aside, Ethan Happ was good. The Badgers go 20-11 in the regular season, featuring a signature win over No. 2 ranked Maryland (Melo Trimble, all-time Timberwolves great). The Badgers lose in the second round of the Big 10 tournament to Nebraska. The Badgers gain a 7 seed in the Tournament and win 47-43 in their first-round game over Pitt. Happ led the team in points, rebounds, and assists in that, I don't know how else to describe it, pure Wisconsin basketball game. If you win, great, but if you win while also scoring less than 50, then that's perfection. In the round of 32, Wisconsin did what it is supposed to do in the tournament and upset 2 seed Xavier 66-63. Wisconsin was down 9 points with 6 minutes left. They battled back and made it a three-point game with 12 seconds left. Koenig hits a three to tie it at 63. Xavier turns the ball over. Wisconsin calls a timeout with two seconds left. Bronson hits the most important shot of his life. This video has it all. Brewers play by play announcer Brian Anderson had a magnificent call, Bill Murray looked lost, Xavier players were crying, Badger players were in a mosh pit. I love the Tournament.
Now that the Badgers had succeeded in winning a game against a high seed, their job was done. They drop their next game against 6 seed Notre Dame but no one cares because all anyone remembers from this tournament is that Bronson Koenig shot.
2016-2017 The Last Hoorah of the glory days of Badger Basketball. From 2010 to 2016, the Badgers could constantly be relied on. This was the Senior Year of the old guard, those guys who started as role players on the Frank and Sam teams and then were thrust into leadership roles once Sam and Frank left and excelled. Notable: freshman D'Mitrik Trice joins the team, the Badgers lose no key contributors from the 2015-2016 season, and Zak Showalter goes from 34% from three on the season to 40%. It was a great regular season, right up until they lost 5 of their last 7 games, all to unranked teams. The Badgers head to D.C. for the Big Ten Tournament 23-8. I just so happened to be in D.C. at the time and was able to catch the second round. I remember watching Michigan and thinking, "Man, that DJ Wilson could be a solid player in the NBA and should be averaging more than 9 minutes in his third season and has shown flashes of having what it takes to make it so I don't know why Bud isn't playing him in non-garbage time scenarios but meanwhile Dragan Bender played 14 minutes against the Bulls, but DJ only gets 2 minutes?" Also, the Badgers played Northwestern in that second round and Julia Louis-Dreyfus was in the building to watch her son Charlie Hall ride bench. Great brisket at the Verizon Center. Anyway, Badgers lose in the championship game to Jordan Poole and the Wolverines. Badgers get an 8 seed in the Tournament and beat Virginia Tech round one. Once again Wisconsin does its job and upsets 1 seed Villanova 65-62. Down 7 with 5 minutes left, Wisconsin scores 7 unanswered to tie it all. The Big Ragu Donte DiVincenzo tried his best to not lose this game, but a clutch Nigel Hayes layup and Vitto Brown going 1-2 on free throws puts the game away. Wisconsin wins 65-62. This sets up for a sweet sixteen matchup with 4 seed Florida. Aaron Rodgers in attendance, riding the high of knocking off a 1 seed, the Badgers seemed primed for another Final Four run. It was a close game all the way through, and with 3 seconds left, Zak Showalter hit a three that made absolutely no sense to tie the game, he then turned to Aaron in the crowd and did the discount double-check belt. Born and raised in Germantown, Zak just completed every Wisconsin kid's dream. I cannot imagine a better moment to experience, a moment that guarantees Showalter's name will be remembered, not for being the greatest Badger player ever, but for being the Wisconsinite who made it. Then OT happened. Badgers got up 78-73 with a minute forty left in OT, and were able to respond to all of Florida's punches. Nigel Hayes hits a pair of free throws to go up 83-81 with 4 seconds left. Then...
I dropped to the floor in sadness, and just stayed there, not willing to accept that's how we were sending off the Seniors. Nigel Hayes deserved better, Vitto Brown deserved more opportunities to sing national anthems, Bronson Koenig was there too. It seemed unfair, this is how we beat people, not how we get beaten. Jon remembers this game fondly as a triumph for Badger haters [aka rivals], and for that, I will never forgive him. The person I feel the worst for is Zak. We win that game and his shot lives on forever in Tourney history, but thanks to Chiozza one-upping him, he is a sidenote that only Badger faithful will remember, a shining speck of light in a dark depressing night.
This went way longer than I thought. My soul left my body after day 2 of 7 of writing this. I am but a vessel of meat roaming this great planet searching for meaning to life. Hope you enjoyed my suffering.
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