The Voice: Unlikely end to an unpredictable season
March 28, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Credit Wisconsin for a tremendous run when few would have forecast Sweet 16 trip
BY MATT LEPAY
Voice of the Badgers
MADISON, Wis. — Oh, the emotional swings of the NCAA tournament. Last week it was a topic. This week, it cannot be avoided.
As much as we might wish otherwise.
Nigel Hayes recalled the spot-on words of wisdom from his high school coach, who told the junior forward the further you go, the higher the stakes. It is a simple, and oftentimes cruel, reality of athletics.
Last Friday's loss to Notre Dame marks the third straight year, and fourth in five NCAA tourneys, that the elimination game doubled as a gut punch. In 2012, the Badgers fell one point short against Syracuse. Two years later, there was the Final Four heartbreaker against Kentucky. Last year, Wisconsin took the national championship game with Duke to the final minute. Last week was, well, you know.
Head coach Greg Gard admits what happened in Philadelphia will sting for awhile. It is a very understandable statement. Coaches will work to correct. Players will work to improve.
For the rest of us, it might be a good idea to focus less on how the season ended, and more on how those seasons extended as far as they did.
Since 2012, the Badgers have played 18 NCAA tournament games. Thirteen of them went down to the wire. In the last two years, it was eight out of nine. The last Badgers tourney game lacking drama was their opener last March against Coastal Carolina. Since then, it has been eight straight nail-biters.
And they won six of them. From the 72-65 thriller against Oregon in Omaha, to Bronson Koenig's mic-drop 3 to beat Xavier in St. Louis, the Badgers have played one game after another that resulted in fans having much higher than normal pulse rates.
It is why we love the NCAA tournament.
Especially games the Badgers play. The 2000 Final Four run. Freddie Owens' shot against Tulsa in 2003. The Sweet 16 rally against North Carolina State in 2005. Trevon Hughes' game winner against Florida State in 2009.
Then you have the last three years. The Final Four runs are obvious, but one could argue this latest Sweet 16 appearance surprised more people than last year's group that advanced to the final night of the college basketball season.
Performing to unexpected levels is what has made this team so enjoyable to watch. I should mention the term "unexpected" applies to those outside the Wisconsin locker room. The whole #MakeEmBelieve thing is better suited for this year than last. When the Badgers were 9-9 overall, and 1-4 in the Big Ten, there were precious few believers.
Remember, this team was on the brink of dropping to 9-10. In the final half minute against Michigan State, the Badgers were down by four. Then Koenig stuck a long 3. What followed was a forced turnover that changed the course of the season. Applying full-court pressure, Khalil Iverson and Ethan Happ put a trap on the Spartans' Eron Harris, who stepped out of bounds. It gave the Badgers the chance for a game-winning bucket, which Happ provided.
It is a bit ironic that turnovers will forever be a storyline to the season — from jump-starting a team that went on to win 11 of 12 games, to the 17 miscues that proved costly in Philadelphia.
Gard and his team will continue to focus on ball security. History tells us that far more often than not, the Badgers protect the basketball as well as any team in America. It is no small reason this program consistently makes — and advances — in postseason play.
For now, the most recent game is what we remember. In time, perhaps it will be better to recall a group that had a .500 record and was on the ropes against Sparty. Until a turnover sparked a turnaround.
Let us not forget how the 2015-16 Wisconsin Badgers earned the right to play as long as they did, and the thrills they gave us along the way.
Thank you for allowing me to share a few thoughts this season. Hope to see you at Miller Park this spring and summer. Otherwise, catch you in September at Lambeau Field.
