UWBadgers.com Senior Writer Mike Lucas is celebrating 50 years of covering the Badgers. Join us throughout the season as we take a look back at some of the most memorable moments from his career in Madison in addition to special moments from the 1999-2000 season, an unheralded dream season for the Badgers.

MIKE LUCAS Senior Writer Related Content • Varsity Magazine

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. — The more Mike Kelley thought about it — Wisconsin wearing special throwback uniforms for the February 9 home game against Ohio State to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 2000 Final Four team — the more he was feeling his age.

"I'm old enough to have throwback uniforms? Holy cow are we old," sighed Kelley, 41, the defensive ringleader of that gritty, selfless group of overachievers. "It's blowing my mind a little bit. It doesn't feel like 20 years. But the calendar doesn't lie."

On March 25, 2000, the Badgers knocked off Purdue, 64-60, in the West Regional Finals at the Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With 13 losses and not a single player earning so much as honorable mention recognition on the All-Big Ten teams, they weren't expected to get past the first weekend.

But after Jon Bryant torched Fresno State with seven 3-pointers in a first-round game, they became the "feel-good story" of the tournament and the personification of March Madness by shocking No. 1 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed LSU with stifling, no-holds-barred defense.

That set up a rematch with the Boilermakers whom they had already beaten twice.

"That was the worst match-up we had because they knew us," Kelley insisted. "We had a pretty fortunate break the three games prior going against teams that didn't want to get physical and play tough. But Purdue was every bit as tough as we were.

"There wasn't going to be the surprise element like we had against LSU — they just folded, they broke. But we knew that wouldn't be the case with Purdue. We had a dogfight on our hands and there was some uneasiness. The advantage we had over the previous teams was not going to be there."

But the Badgers got 18 points from Bryant, 14 from Andy Kowske and 12 from Roy Boone to hold off the Boilers who were playing under the pressure of trying to get their legendary head coach, Gene Keady, to his first Final Four (Keady retired in 2015 without getting to the national semifinal).

"I didn't have any idea that we could be as good as we were actually," said Kelley, who shared the podium with his teammates at a raucous, early morning welcome home rally at Camp Randall Stadium that drew between 30,000 and 35,000 and didn't get under way until 12:45 a.m.

"It was incredible," Kelley said. "I had a roommate who broke a couple of ribs running on to the field after it was over. Every one of us who took a turn at the mic said something to the effect of, 'Let's go riot on State Street.' We wanted the biggest possible party ever and most of the students obliged."

The Badgers were going to the Final Four for the first time since 1941.

But there was a reality check. They were about to face their Kryptonite. Again.

• • • •

Many of them get together every year in central Wisconsin to play a little golf, reminisce about the old days, and catch up on families. The topper is still Anne Bennett's homemade hot fudge.

Her husband of 57 years, Dick Bennett, welcomes them all with open arms, all of his players from that 2000 Final Four team who are able to take part in the annual reunion.

The Bennetts live on Lake Petenwell midway between Nekoosa and Wisconsin Rapids.

"Every summer those guys come up here and spend the day with me — Mike Kelley, Andy Kowske — it varies from anywhere from four or five of them up to seven or eight," Dick Bennett said.

"We play a little golf (at his home course, Lake Arrowhead) and they come over to the house and tell their crazy stories and we have a grand time.

"But one topic that always comes up — and I still lament it as a coach — how could I have prepared them to do better against that Michigan State team?

"I don't say this lightly, but it was probably the best team I've coached against in my years. They were so complete and nobody knows that better than we do having faced them four times that year.

"The best we could do was come close at times. Everything we did well, they did a little better. It was just so hard to figure out how we could crack that nut and we never did to any great extent."

Wisconsin and Michigan State squared off four times during the 1999-2000 season and the Spartans swept the Badgers, including wins in the Big Ten title game and Final Four semifinals.

"A lot of times they say, 'It's hard to beat a team three times,'" proposed Kelly. "Whenever anyone says that I say, 'It's easier to beat them four, because if you beat them three, you're probably just better than them' and that was the case with Michigan State.

"They could play fast better than fast teams and they could play slow better than slow teams. They ran great stuff and had great leadership and so many weapons, they just wore you down."

That was illustrated in their Final Four collision at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Morris Peterson scored 10 points in Michigan State's defining 13-2 run at the start of the second half.

But the Badgers kept scrapping and battling and grinding until the clock ran out on them — taking their cue from the feisty Bennett who was not about to go down without a fight.

"You have to give them a lot of credit," said Spartans point guard Mateen Cleaves. "They're going to stay in your face, they're going to bump you, and they're going to be very aggressive.

"Right now, I'm just happy that I won't have to face them again. Ever."

Michigan State went on to beat Florida in the finals — Cleaves was the most outstanding player and Peterson the leading scorer — the last time a Big Ten team has won the national championship.

"What if we would have played Florida or North Carolina on the other side (of the bracket) instead of Michigan State?" Kelley pondered. "It's a nice 'What if scenario?'"

Here's another. What if Iowa State had closed out Sparty after taking a seven-point lead with five minutes left in the Elite Eight? Instead, the Spartans countered with a 23-5 run to advance to Indy.

It's food for thought every summer when the former Badgers reconnect with their head coach. What could they have done to alter their ultimate fate during that memorable season?

"We talk about that and they all have different theories," Bennett said. "A lot of them are now in coaching and it's interesting how different ideas come up.

"Probably the one that emerges the most is the ball screen. We didn't do it as much in those days, but it's such a big part of today's offense.

"We had personnel that could have done it. Mark Vershaw was capable of stepping out or going inside. We could have probably used him on more ball screens. But it was not part of what we did."

During these golf outings, Kelley is usually more focused on hot fudge than hot takes.

"They have us over to their house afterwards and Anne is famous for making her homemade hot fudge for hot fudge sundaes," he said. "She did that on recruiting visits when we were 18.

"And now in the summer, she still does it when we come over and tell stories."

Kelley, like his old teammates, cherish these yearly visits.

"It's neat because now we've gotten to know Coach Bennett in a different light than it was when we played for him," he said. "What's really neat is that he loves hearing about us and our families.

"So much of what he taught us, especially the five pillars — humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness — we've carried forward to our kids and the next generation."

Mike and the former Kelly Auger have four children, three of whom are in high school. Their youngest is in eighth grade. The kids have plenty to be proud about.

In 2018, Mike and Kelly were the first husband-wife team inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Both starred at Milwaukee Pius XI.

To this day, Mike Kelley is still in the UW record book for most career steals. He was so adept at his craft that his sister had a bumper sticker that read, "My brother can steal the ball from your kid."

In 128 games, he had 275 steals, 58 more than the runner-up, Ethan Happ.

Also to this day, Kelley has been one of the caretakers of Bennett's principles: "Know who we are" (Humility); "Do not be lukewarm" (Passion); "Do not divide our house" (Unity); "Make teammates better" (Servanthood); and "Learn from each circumstance" (Thankfulness).

All applied to that Final Four run.

"I don't spend a lot of time worrying about what we could have done different (against Michigan State)," Kelley said. "I'm more grateful for all the things that went our way. We don't get there if it wasn't for coach's leadership and his vision and the fact that he wouldn't waver.

"Think about it. How many coaches would have freaked out after the Southwest Missouri game and maybe changed their identity and tried something different?"

In the opening round of the 1999 NCAA tournament, the Badgers set a record for offensive futility in an embarrassing 43-32 loss to No. 12 seed Southwest Missouri State (coached by Steve Alford).

"I think in many ways," Kelley said, "because Coach Bennett was who he was and didn't waver, we got to the Final Four and then that paved the way for the next 20 years of being unapologetic about what Wisconsin basketball is and what makes it tough. It wasn't always pretty.

"I know 'gritty, not pretty' was what they were saying about themselves after one game recently. Not a whole lot has changed after 20 years. It's a lot of good fundamentals and good defense. And when we do it right, we win. And when we don't do it right, we lose.

"The margin of error is never going to be huge with our team."

Bennett's son, Tony, won a national championship with that formula last season at Virginia.

"Tony was there for our Final Four run," said Kelley, noting Virginia had its Southwest Missouri State moment losing as a No. 1 seed to No. 16 Maryland Baltimore County in 2018. "The parallels from father to son and from disappointment the year prior to triumph a year later is amazing."

Tony Bennett was a Wisconsin team manager in 2000.

"Most fathers would understand that I've always wanted more for my son," Dick Bennett said. "I was blessed in so many ways just to be able to coach and enjoy seeing programs turn. Being a part of the Wisconsin situation will always remain special to me to my last days.

"But seeing what my son's team did even ranks a little ahead … you just always want your kids to have the chance to go a little beyond you and do a little better — or a lot better than you did. I know my father was that way. And I certainly have been that way about my children, especially Tony."

Over the last few years, Dick Bennett and UW coach Greg Gard have struck up a friendship.

"I have a very high level of confidence in Greg — I've witnessed their practices and we've talked — he's doing the right things, he really is," Bennett said.

"The recruiting year they had I think will augment what they have (returning). This season has been one of those roller-coaster years, not unlike a number of them that I've had.

"I'm hoping the best in them is yet to come. One thing I'm sure of …

"I started coaching and coached most of my career when not only high school, but intercollegiate basketball was as much of an educational experience as it was a business experience.

"I haven't seen many better who's good for the people around him, those most involved in the program. Those kids are not being shortchanged in any way by the job that Greg is doing."

Perseverance is one of those unspoken pillars.