Wisconsin Basketball

Decisive Play In Season-ending Loss Provides 'what Ifs

... in four seasons. Stops had been hard to come by all night against the Gators, whose lightning-quick guards and terrific use of ball screens had flummoxed a defense ranked among the top 10 defenses in the nation. But what made possession No. 2,392 so frustrating for the Badgers — junior guard Chris Chiozza ended it with a 3-point runner as time expired, giving Florida an 84-83 overtime win — was the odds were heavily stacked in UW’s favor. There were 4.0 seconds remaining after senior forward Nigel Hayes made two free throws to give UW an 83-81 lead. The Gators were out of timeouts and had to go nearly the length of the floor to tie the game or, as it turned out, deliver a dagger from which the Badgers couldn’t recover. Regrets, they have a few. Let’s pause here to give credit where credit is due: There aren’t a lot of players who can get the ball up the court that quickly, but Florida had multiple players who fit that ...

Heartbreaking Loss Ends Season For Badgers

... will play South Carolina on Sunday in an all-Southeastern Conference regional final. Florida is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014, and for the first time with second-year coach Mike White — the former Mississippi guard who was on the losing end of one of the most famous game-winning shots in NCAA history. White and the Rebels were upset by Valparaiso on Bryce Drew's buzzer-beater in 1998. Does this one make up for that. "Hell yeah," White said. "What a neat game to be a part of.". Eighth-seeded Wisconsin built a five-point lead in overtime, but with star guard. hobbled by a leg issue the Badgers couldn't close out Florida. After Wisconsin's. Khalil Iverson. hit the front of the rim on a breakaway dunk that Florida's Canyon Barry got a piece of, Chiozza drove by the Badgers defense at the other end for a layup that tied it at 81 with 24 seconds left. The Badgers put it in Hayes' hands on their final possession. The senior who scored the winning bucket in Wisconsin's upset of defending champion Villanova, used a spin move to draw a foul going to the hoop. Making their fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance, it looked as if the experienced Badgers had once again ...

Off The Court, This Friendship Runs Deep

... We're both tenacious and relentless. We're not just going to accept failure.". Happ and Brown have lived with. Andy Van Vliet. . They don't have any other roommates this year. Both are into the same video games (Super Smash Bros.) and the same types of music, generally speaking. Brown, an accomplished artist, has sung the National Anthem before games and has taped his own rendition of "One Shining Moment.". Has Happ tried to singalong. "I do," he said, smiling. "But I'm just joking.". "I say, 'Ethan just let them sing,'" Brown said. "Let them sing the song.". While the Badgers were enduring a rough stretch of five losses in six games, Happ was having trouble making free throws and Brown was out of tune at both ends. "That was a time when we had to do our own self-reflecting," said Brown. "We were both struggling. But I was struggling a lot worse than he was and I knew that I had to do some deep thinking about what it is I should be doing different.". Brown has started to come around. He was ...

Florida-wisconsin End Worth The Wait; Other Sweet 16 Thoughts

... were worth the wait. Emphasis on the plural. Down three in regulation, Wisconsin had possession with 6.5 seconds left against Florida. The Badgers’ top clutch three-point threat, Bronson Koenig, was incapacitated by what looked like a pulled or cramped muscle in his leg. So the ball found its way to Zak Showalter on the inbounds, and the former walk-on hit a one-legged, game-tying shot from beyond the arc to send the game to overtime. And after the shot, he turned in the direction one of the more notable Badgers fans in the crowd at Madison Square Garden. And then Zak Showalter discount double-checked Aaron Rodgers. Guys, the massive frustration and pain over an NCAA tournament without a single memorable shot at the horn: It was all for this. It was all for this. And then. Florida’s lead and what seemed like a sure spot in the Elite Eight evaporated with Wisconsin’s 14–1 run over the end of regulation and into overtime. But the Gators lingered, tying it on a Chris Chiozza layup with 24 seconds left, and then faced a two-point hole after Nigel Hayes made two free throws ...

Where Did Nigel Hayes Finish His Career In The Wisconsin Record Books

... basket past Florida Gators forward Kevarrius Hayes (13) for two points during the second half in an NCAA East Regional Sweet 16 game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Friday, March 24, 2017. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Buy Now. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ (22) drives to the basket for two points on Florida Gators forward Justin Leon (23) during the second half in an NCAA East Regional Sweet 16 game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Friday, March 24, 2017. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Buy Now. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Wisconsin Badgers forward Nigel Hayes (10) is fouled by Florida Gators guard Kasey Hill (0) during the second half in an NCAA East Regional Sweet 16 game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Friday, March 24, 2017. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Buy Now. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Wisconsin Badgers forward Vitto Brown (30) steals a pass intended for Florida Gators forward Kevarrius Hayes (13) during the second half in an NCAA East Regional Sweet 16 game at Madison Square Garden in New York, ...

This Wisconsin Team Always Managed To Surprise Us

... NEW YORK — In a way, it ended the way we all kind of knew it would. We figured it would be abrupt. The jarring finality of an NCAA tournament loss always is. Free throws would play a role, we thought. As would momentary judgment lapses. A dramatic three might have a starring role—though little did we know there would be two. In the end, on paper, the mechanics of Wisconsin’s heartbreaking Sweet 16 loss to Florida were exactly what we expected, yet they were delivered to us in the most unbelievable, stunning way possible. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports. When coach Greg Gard, seniors Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes , and Ethan Happ climbed the dais to speak to the media after Friday’s loss, it was exactly what you would expect it to be. Dear Bronson, Nigel, Vitto and Zak: Thank You. It never ceases to amaze me that 20-year-old (give or take) athletes can step out in front of the world after the worst possible outcomes and answer semi-ridiculous (and fully ridiculous) questions with poise ...

Wisconsin's Success In Football And Basketball Still Is Missing Something, Badgers The Underdogs And More

... they were minutes from a national title in basketball, while 1 regular-season loss in 1993, 2006 and 2010 kept them from potentially claiming a title or at least playing for one. But, again, it hasn’t happened. And until it does, all of these great streaks the school is so proud of are simply window dressing covering a massive hole in an otherwise-sterling façade. Still the underdog. Wisconsin took out the top-seeded team in the tournament last Saturday by defeating Villanova, but that doesn’t mean the Badgers are the favorites to make it out of the East Region. According to Vegas __link__ , the Badgers have the third-best odds to head to the Final Four, behind Florida, their opponent Friday night in the Sweet 16, and Baylor, the No. 3 seed. Baylor will meet seventh-seeded South Carolina on Friday night. What helps the #Badgers stay focused ...

No. 8 Seed Wisconsin Stuns The Reigning National Champs

... from title game hero Jenkins and an 0-for-3 effort from point guard Jalen Brunson. Hart also uncharacteristically turned the ball over three times. Had it not been for freshman Donte Di Vincenzo, who had his first double-double in Thursday’s win and scored nine first-half points against the Badgers, the Wildcats would have looked even more lost and would not have hung with Wisconsin for nearly as long as they did. For as well-honed and unflinching an apparatus as Villanova was during its post-championship season, it was jarring to see it look so out of sorts for much of its brief tournament stay this March, often rushing for sub-optimal shots and botching even some quality looks. 3. Size mattered. The talk heading into this matchup was about how the Wildcats, whose interior defense had been suspect and vulnerable all season, would ...

Wisconsin's Bronson Koenig Ready For Madison Square Garden

... “No matter where you play at this time of year, just focus on the 40 minutes,” Gard said. “The rims will be 10 feet high, the court’s 94 feet long. They’ll wear white, we’ll wear red, and go play. “We don’t get too wrapped up in where have we been. It will be hopefully a good game whether we play it here in the Kohl Center or down in Gainesville or anywhere in between.”. Big deal. The Big Ten has three teams in the Sweet 16, tied for the most with the Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC. The Big East has two teams remaining, while the ACC and West Coast Conference have one apiece. After months of getting criticized for being down this season, the Big Ten has made a statement in March. The conference has produced an 8-4 record thus far in the NCAA tournament and has UW, Michigan and Purdue still standing heading into the second weekend. “Our league is very good,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “Obviously, we have very good coaches. Lot of times people compare it. For us as coaches and players, it’s hard to talk about it. You guys seem to get a theme, whether it’s good or bad. “Tell them to go play Michigan. People that don’t ...

Wisconsin's Khalil Iverson Tries To Focus Amid Family Tragedy

... Hokies in an NCAA Tournament first-round game on Thursday night. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Buy Now. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Virginia Tech Hokies forward Zach Le Day (32) attempts a three-point basket during an open practice at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo, N. Y., Wednesday, March 15, 2017. The Wisconsin Badgers will play the Virginia Tech Hokies in an NCAA Tournament first-round game on Thursday night. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Buy Now. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Virginia Tech Hokies guard Seth Allen (4) shoots a three-point basket over teammate Kerry Blackshear Jr. (24) during an open practice at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo, N. Y., Wednesday, March 15, 2017. The Wisconsin Badgers will play the Virginia Tech Hokies in an NCAA Tournament first-round game on Thursday night. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Buy Now. M. P. KING, STATE JOURNAL. Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Buzz Williams, center, leads his team in a prayer as ...

Wisconsin's Vitto Brown Has Quite The Skill Set

... has now come to the same realization — for some, it came when CBS played a clip of Brown singing March’s iconic song, “One Shining Moment,” last week. Plenty of others realized it earlier, remembering Brown from three years ago, when he, along with three other student-athletes, sang the national anthem before playing alongside his Wisconsin teammates at the Final Four in Indianapolis. “That was probably a top-two or top-three moment of college for me, maybe of my life,” Brown said Thursday. “There were 75, 80 thousand people there and millions watching at home; that was in the back of my mind. But to get to start that song off … it was just such a blessing.”. Terrific job on the National Anthem by "Velvet" Vitto Brown. __link__/MQBONLFa AU. — Wisconsin Basketball (@Badger MBB) April 4, 2015. At that point in his basketball career, Brown wasn’t playing much, averaging just over a point and six minutes per game. But his teammates insisted and predicted (correctly) that he’d be an integral piece of this program someday — and not just because of those dulcet tones and the handful of times he and his family would sing the national anthem before ...