When you look back on this basketball prorgram it is truly amazing where it has come.
Growing up in Madison and watching the team through college, our only hope was to knock off a good team or two during the season.
The highlight of basketball during my college years was a Michigan game where Ricky Olsen put up 39 and the 1987 triple OT loss to Indiana the year they won the national championship. A board member was nice enough to DVR the game and get me a copy and I watched it recently. Now I know it sounds like sour grapes 21 years later but it was absolutely unconscionable how badly we got screwed by the officiating down the stretch in that game. The team played its heart out and deserved to win that game if not for a few phantom calls for Bob Knight.
Okay, I admit that the shots of a younger and more irreverant BadgerRoy wearing a sweatshirt saying "Indiana Sucks" was fun to see the 3 times I made TV and getting my 4 and 6 year old to ask what "sucks" means (I explained to them it is the same as what we think of the Bears!!!).
But back to the main story. When you look at where this program has come it is something that was unthinkable, even 10 years ago.
We went to the dance in 1994 under Stu Jackson and that was an enormous jump. No expectations, took a big win over Cincy and it took a lights out shooting performance to get us out in the 2nd round. I think the next time we appeared was 1997. Texas kicked our ass out of the tournment quickly in the first round when our starting guard got suspended for the first ten minutes of the game for being late for a meeting.
The next time we went was 1999. The team put up a great record, and we had the highest seed in my lifetime (I think a 5). We proceeded to put up a solid 32 points to set the record for futility against Southwest Missouri State (n/k/a Missouri State). Thankfully Miss Valley State took away our "honor" and posted a 29 spot in the first round this year so that we are only the 2nd lowest score ever (since the shot clock) and the only one from a major conference.
Who would have thought after that 32 point performance that:
1. We would NOT have missed the tournament anytime since.
2. We would make a run to the Final Four the following year.
3. We would make 10 straight tournaments and several trips to the sweet 16
4. We would win multiple Big Ten regular season titles outright
5. We would win multiple Big Ten tournament titles.
We would be considered a "National power"
We can bitch and moan all we want about lack of respect but frankly we have a lot right now. This program is at an amazing level and I think the stream of coaches since 1994 have done a phenomenal job, each in their own way.
So a big thank you to:
1. Stu Jackson--for getting Rashard Griffith and showing that we "could" be a big time program. It put us on the map even if only for a short time.
2. Dick Bennett--constant defensive harassment. Outstanding "team" efforts but lacked offensive skills and systems. Got us a Final Four run for the ages.
3. Bo Ryan--What can we say. Big Ten titles, Big Ten tournament titles, back to back 30 win seasons!!!!
Thank you to all the players that participated.
From the days when a .500 record was an unreasonable request
From the days when a 20 win season was only for schools in Carolina or Indiana
From the days when we put up the lowest school in NCAA history (under the shot clock)
From the days when we were the "worst team ever" in the Final Four and played the "ugliest" half ever.
From the days when a Final Four or a Big Ten title were even more unlikely than a Rose Bowl (which itself was only a pipedream)
Wow. And while I realize this is a basketball board, look back at the Badger sports starting in the 1993 football season and find me a program that has had as much success in both sports on such a consistent level.
We are #1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mo'town will be RED next weekend!!!!
Growing up in Madison and watching the team through college, our only hope was to knock off a good team or two during the season.
The highlight of basketball during my college years was a Michigan game where Ricky Olsen put up 39 and the 1987 triple OT loss to Indiana the year they won the national championship. A board member was nice enough to DVR the game and get me a copy and I watched it recently. Now I know it sounds like sour grapes 21 years later but it was absolutely unconscionable how badly we got screwed by the officiating down the stretch in that game. The team played its heart out and deserved to win that game if not for a few phantom calls for Bob Knight.
Okay, I admit that the shots of a younger and more irreverant BadgerRoy wearing a sweatshirt saying "Indiana Sucks" was fun to see the 3 times I made TV and getting my 4 and 6 year old to ask what "sucks" means (I explained to them it is the same as what we think of the Bears!!!).
But back to the main story. When you look at where this program has come it is something that was unthinkable, even 10 years ago.
We went to the dance in 1994 under Stu Jackson and that was an enormous jump. No expectations, took a big win over Cincy and it took a lights out shooting performance to get us out in the 2nd round. I think the next time we appeared was 1997. Texas kicked our ass out of the tournment quickly in the first round when our starting guard got suspended for the first ten minutes of the game for being late for a meeting.
The next time we went was 1999. The team put up a great record, and we had the highest seed in my lifetime (I think a 5). We proceeded to put up a solid 32 points to set the record for futility against Southwest Missouri State (n/k/a Missouri State). Thankfully Miss Valley State took away our "honor" and posted a 29 spot in the first round this year so that we are only the 2nd lowest score ever (since the shot clock) and the only one from a major conference.
Who would have thought after that 32 point performance that:
1. We would NOT have missed the tournament anytime since.
2. We would make a run to the Final Four the following year.
3. We would make 10 straight tournaments and several trips to the sweet 16
4. We would win multiple Big Ten regular season titles outright
5. We would win multiple Big Ten tournament titles.
We would be considered a "National power"
We can bitch and moan all we want about lack of respect but frankly we have a lot right now. This program is at an amazing level and I think the stream of coaches since 1994 have done a phenomenal job, each in their own way.
So a big thank you to:
1. Stu Jackson--for getting Rashard Griffith and showing that we "could" be a big time program. It put us on the map even if only for a short time.
2. Dick Bennett--constant defensive harassment. Outstanding "team" efforts but lacked offensive skills and systems. Got us a Final Four run for the ages.
3. Bo Ryan--What can we say. Big Ten titles, Big Ten tournament titles, back to back 30 win seasons!!!!
Thank you to all the players that participated.
From the days when a .500 record was an unreasonable request
From the days when a 20 win season was only for schools in Carolina or Indiana
From the days when we put up the lowest school in NCAA history (under the shot clock)
From the days when we were the "worst team ever" in the Final Four and played the "ugliest" half ever.
From the days when a Final Four or a Big Ten title were even more unlikely than a Rose Bowl (which itself was only a pipedream)
Wow. And while I realize this is a basketball board, look back at the Badger sports starting in the 1993 football season and find me a program that has had as much success in both sports on such a consistent level.
We are #1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mo'town will be RED next weekend!!!!
