UW had memorable run to share of title
MADISON – Wisconsin fans won’t ever know whether Greg Gard’s team could have made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA’s decision to cancel the tournament in response to the spread of coronavirus ended the title hopes of UW and all other teams in position to qualify for the 68-team field.
“Every other team in the country has to face this ending,” Gard said. “It wasn’t just directed at us.”
Nevertheless, the UW staff and players demonstrated for fans the value of perseverance, belief and selflessness this past season.
The result was a 14-6 Big Ten record, good for a share of the program’s first title since 2015, and a 21-10 overall mark.
So many highlights, but here are five that stand out:
New face in starting lineup
UW opened its home schedule with a 65-52 victory over Eastern Illinois. Kobe King led the way with 18 points and Nate Reuvers contributed 14 points, 14 rebounds and nine blocks.
But the highlight of the night came before tip-off. UW officials held a stirring ceremony to honor stricken assistant Howard Moore, who lost his wife and daughter in an auto accident Memorial Day weekend. Moore’s parents were there, but the star was his 13-year-old son, Jerell.
Jerell, wearing his father’s uniform No. 34, was introduced as UW’s sixth starter. The smile on his face, as well as the smiles on the faces of the UW players, lit up the Kohl Center.
“We’re just trying to help make his life as normal as possible,” Gard said after the game. “We can’t replace his mom. We can’t replace his sister. But we can try to do a lot of other things to help the kid out. I can’t imagine, at 13 years old, what that kid has gone through.”
Road warriors
The Badgers were 1-1 in the Big Ten and 8-5 overall when they traveled to Columbus to take on No. 5 Ohio State. They were also 1-5 away from the Kohl Center.
With Reuvers scoring six points in the final 1 minute 54 seconds, UW rallied for a 61-57 victory. That gave Gard five victories over top-five teams in five seasons and sent a message that UW would not be a pushover this season.
“The thing with this group is they have had to figure out how to mature and grow,” Gard said. “I haven’t been the easiest guy to put up with but they’ve responded.”
Life without King
Three days after suffering an embarrassing 19-point loss at Purdue, UW took the court against Iowa without King. The redshirt sophomore guard had left the team, though he hadn’t announced his intent to transfer.
UW blew a 12-point lead in the second half and suffered a 68-62 loss to drop to 5-5 in the Big Ten but, considering the circumstances, Gard left Carver-Hawkeye Arena hopeful.
He was encouraged by how hard his team played just three days after getting out-worked by Purdue and without King, who was UW’s leading scorer in league play at the time.
“I commended them on how hard they played,” Gard said. “We had a totally different vibe to us than what we had at Purdue. We’ll watch the tape and learn from it. But they competed tonight.”
Making a stand
Gard’s faith was rewarded five days after the loss at Iowa when UW hosted No. 14 Michigan State without King, who by then had announced his desire to transfer, and without Brad Davison, who was serving a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul committed in the loss at Iowa.
Playing inspired ball, UW shot 57.7% in the opening half in building a 16-point lead. The Badgers held on for a 64-63 victory that started a run of nine victories in 10 games.
“We got our (expletive) kicked today by a team that played for their coach and played for their school and played for each other,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “That is a great example of a group of people playing for their coach and their school.”
Rallying to win a title
UW’s regular-season finale – which turned out to be the season finale – came March 7 at Indiana. The Badgers took the court knowing they could secure at least a share of the Big Ten title with a victory.
Fittingly, the Badgers did it the hard way, by wiping out a nine-point deficit in the second half for a 60-56 victory to finish 14-6 in the league.
The big plays came from up and down the roster. D’Mitrik Trice hit just two shots but both came in the final 5:56. Micah Potter’s offensive rebound and subsequent three-point play forged a 51-51 tie with 5:08 left. Davison’s three-pointer, after Potter grabbed an offensive rebound, gave UW a 54-51 lead with 4:07 left. Reuvers’ put-back with 24.6 seconds left gave UW a 58-54 lead. Davison’s two free throws with 7.1 seconds left secured the victory.
The celebration in the locker room was incredibly emotional and served as a catharsis for players and coaches who had endured a tumultuous season on and off the court. Afterward, Gard brought his three assistants – Joe Krabbenhoft, Dean Oliver and Alando Tucker – to meet with reporters because they had played an integral role in guiding the team to a title.
“I can’t be more proud of these three guys,” Gard said. “They have been to hell and back the last nine months.
“They’ve stuck together. They’ve been phenomenal. I don’t have words to describe how good they’ve been and the team has been a reflection of the leadership and the guidance they’ve got from these guys.”