Before Bo Ryan became the coach at Wisconsin, the Badgers had only seven NCAA Tournament appearances. Since he got to Wisconsin, the Badgers have made the NCAA Tournament all 12 years. In those 11 prior years, the tournament has provided thrills for the Badgers which has seen five Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite 8. Here is my list for the top 10 Wisconsin moments from the NCAA Tournament under Bo Ryan.
10. Mike Bruesewitz hits a crucial 3-pointer vs. Kansas State, 2011
After a steal by Jordan Taylor with less than two minutes to play and the game tied at 64, Taylor dribbled up the court and found an open teammate. That teammate was Bruesewitz on the right wing who buried a 3-pointer to put the Badgers in front for good, 64-61. Wisconsin never relinquished the lead as it went to the Sweet 16 with the victory. More from this game coming up.
9. Wisconsin comes back from big deficit to beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 2007
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi scored the first 10 points of the game and took a 25-7 lead with 5:29 left in the first half. Wisconsin ended the first half on a 12-2, led by Alando Tucker's eight points in the run. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi took a 12-point lead, 40-28, early in the second half, but Wisconsin went on a 24-8 run to take a 52-48 lead with a little less than nine minutes left. Wisconsin scored 57 in the second half and pulled away down the stretch as the Badgers avoided the upset with a 76-63 win against the Islanders. Wisconsin would fall two days later to UNLV.
8. Jared Berggren's deflects away Vanderbilt in the final seconds, 2012
With Wisconsin leading by three with 1.3 seconds left, Vanderbilt had one last chance, having to go the length of the court for the tie. Lance Goulbourne looked and tried a long pass, but Berggren got his paw in the way and deflected the ball in the air and celebrated the big 60-57 win in the round of 32 No. 4/5 matchup.
7. Jason Bohannon's crucial 3-pointer vs. Florida State, 2009
With Wisconsin trailing by one point with less than a minute left and the shot clock winding down, Joe Krabbenhoft drove down the lane, but was cut off and passed it to an open Bohannon at the top of the key. Bohannon launched a deep 3-pointer and nailed it to take a 52-50 lead. That set the stage for one of the best tournament finishes under Ryan. More from this game coming up later.
6. Wisconsin comes back vs. North Carolina State, 2005
Wisconsin struggled in the first half against the Wolfpack and trailed by as many as 10 points before trailing 30-21 at halftime. Wisconsin started the first half on a 26-7 run to turn a nine point deficit into a 10-point lead. Alando Tucker scored 12 points in that run, which included an eight point run of his own to help the Badgers build a 47-37 lead. North Carolina State cut the lead to four points, but could get no closer as Wisconsin won the Sweet 16 matchup 65-56 to set up a showdown against North Carolina in the Elite 8.
5. Jon Leuer shoots Wisconsin to victory vs. Wofford, 2010
With less than a half minute left and No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 13 Wofford tied at 49, Wisconsin had the ball and needed a basket. After an offensive rebound by Keaton Nankivil, the Badgers nearly used the entire shot clock as Leuer was open on the baseline and nailed the open jumper to give Wisconsin the 51-49 lead. Wofford turned the ball over on the next possession and Leuer stepped to the line and calmly sank two free throws to give Wisconsin the 53-49 win.
4. Taylor blocks Pullen, 2011
With Wisconsin leading the Kansas State Wildcats 66-63 late in the game, Kansas State star Jacob Pullen pulled up for a 3-pointer to try to tie the game. Taylor fouled Pullen on the shot and sent him to the line for three free throws to try to tie the game. Pullen made two of the three free throws. Taylor made two free throws on the other end, setting up the same scenario. Pullen scored 38 on the night and would certainly get the ball. Taylor knew he would draw the assignment of guarding Kansas State's best player. Pullen received a handoff and tried a 3-pointer from the left wing. Taylor tried to contest the 3-pointer again. This time, Taylor got all ball and the ball floated down to Josh Gasser, who was fouled. He made both and Wisconsin went onto the Sweet 16 with a 70-65 win over the Wildcats.
3. Chambliss to Tucker, 2005
This is the only moment from a losing effort. Wisconsin was a heavy underdog against the eventual National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels. Wisconsin played right with the Heels and used an 11-0 run to tie the game going into halftime. North Carolina tried to pull away multiple times in the second half, but every time North Carolina made a run, Wisconsin answered. Late in the game, Wisconsin trailed by five. Senior transfer Sharif Chambliss executed a beautiful alley-oop to Alando Tucker to pull the Badgers within three points. Wisconsin would get no closer and would lose 88-82, but Tucker's alley-oop is one of the signature tournament plays in Ryan's tenure.
2. Hughes quiets Florida State, 2009
I told you there would be more from this game. Here it is. Florida State controlled the entire first half, leading 31-19 at the break. After Wisconsin took a 10-4 lead, the Seminoles ended the half on a 27-9 run to go into halftime with all the momentum. But Wisconsin stormed out of recess with a 13-0 run, led by sophomore Keaton Nankivil, who scored eight in the run, including a pair of 3-pointers. Florida State would take a 7-point lead on multiple occasion in the second half, but Wisconsin responded each time. After the Bohannon 3-pointer, Florida State star Toney Douglas made a pair of free throws. Freshman Jordan Taylor missed a wide open 3-pointer at the buzzer and the game went into overtime. Wisconsin trailed by one point with 8.3 seconds to play. Tim Jarmusz inbounded it to Hughes and he went to work. The junior point guard drove into the lane and put up a tough shot. He hit it going glass, with a foul on top of it as Douglas grabbed Hughes' jersey. Wisconsin was the lowest seed ever under Ryan in 2008-09, but Hughes made sure it would create some magic before it was eliminated.
1. Owens caps the comeback, 2003
Wisconsin, led by Devin Harris and Kirk Penney, had won its first outright conference title in 56 years. The Badgers struggled with No. 12 Weber State before moving on. Before the second round game against Tulsa, people did not think Freddie Owens would play as he sprained his ankle in the win over Weber State. But play he did, and he sure made a significant impact. Wisconsin was down 13, 58-45 with 4:08 to play. CBS thought the game was over, so it switched to a different game. Wisconsin would go on an 11-0 run to cut it to 58-56. After a Tulsa basket, Harris scored on a layup to cut it to two. Tulsa would turn it over on a shot clock violation on its next possession to set the stage for the thrilling conclusion. With 12.1 seconds left, Harris took the ball up the court. He drove the lane and Tulsa's defense surrounded him. He found an open Owens in the corner. Owens drilled the 3-pointer with one second left and Wisconsin won 61-60 in one of the more improbable comebacks for Wisconsin in recent memory.
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