On This Date: Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig nails buzzer-beating to push Badgers into Sweet 16

Favorite Wisconsin March Madness memory?

In just two days, Greg Gard’s No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers will look to generate some magic against No. 12 James Madison in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Ahead of its 27th tournament appearance in program history, Wisconsin has experienced its share of electricity during March Madness. Whether it be Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker leading the charge in 2015 or the unexpected Final Four appearance under head coach Dick Bennett in 2000, the Badgers have traditionally known what it takes to win.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

Perhaps the most memorable late-game tournament moment arrived on this day eight years ago when Wisconsin guard Bronson Koenig nailed a buzzer-beater to lift the No. 7-seed Badgers over No. 2 Xavier. The corner snipe clinched the Badgers’ spot in the Sweet Sixteen — a round the program hasn’t reached since 2017.

Wisconsin found itself trailing Xavier by nine points with just under six minutes to spare in the contest. The Badgers would go on to tie the game at 63  after a quick run led by Nigel Hayes, Ethan Happ and Jordan Hill. 

Then, with the game tied and two seconds remaining, Greg Gard called an inbounds play to Koenig in the corner. The rest is history.

Badgers big man having quite the season

Steven Crowl is on the verge of something special

The Badgers men’s basketball team is out to a 16-4 start to the season, 8-1 in the Big Ten, and big man Steven Crowl has been having quite the year. Crowl is averaging 11.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this season.

Brandon Harrison, lead of the Badgers basketball team’s brand communications has pointed out some of the things that that big man has done this year to make his campaign special.

Crowl nearly notched a triple-double in the Badgers 91-79 win over Indiana on Jan. 19, securing 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, becoming the third 7-footer in a major conference to reach those numbers since the turn of the century.

On top of that, the big man is just two assists shy of passing Frank Kaminsky (188) for the most career assists for a 7-footer in the Big Ten in over 20 years.

 

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Former Badgers big man signs with Euroleague team

Frank Kaminsky is heading to Europe

Former Badgers big man Frank Kaminsky announced Thursday that he has signed with KK Partizan, a European professional basketball team based in Belgrade, Serbia.

Kaminsky will head overseas after spending eight seasons in the NBA with the Hornets, Suns, Rockets and Hawks. The 7-footer was selected ninth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft after four seasons with the Badgers.

Amongst the many highlights over his time in Madison, Kaminsky led the Badgers to back-to-back Final Four appearances (2014-2015) and a National Title game in 2015.

In 2015, he also won the AP National Player of the Year Award and the Naismith Player of the Year Award amongst other things.

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Former Badger big man ties the knot

After a legendary career at Wisconsin, current NBA player Frank Kaminsky and his bride Ashley Brewer tied the knot this week.

After a legendary career at Wisconsin, current NBA player Frank Kaminsky and his bride Ashley Brewer tied the knot this week. Kaminsky was a member of the Badgers from 2011-2015, leading Wisconsin men’s basketball to heights they had never reached.

Kaminsky really stepped into his own in his junior season in 2014 averaging 13.9 points per game and 6.3 rebounds, helping lead the Badgers to a Final Four birth, losing to Kentucky. Additionally, in November of that 2013-2014 campaign, he set the program record with 43 points against North Dakota.

The next season he went on to win Big Ten Player of the Year as well as the Naismith Award, averaging 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds. The Badgers went on to defeat the unbeaten Kentucky Wildcats in the Final Four and ultimately lose to Duke 68-63 in the 2015 National Championship.

Kaminsky was selected ninth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets and he currently plays for the Houston Rockets.

Congratulations Frank the Tank!

Former Wisconsin MBB coach honored Wednesday

After what felt like far too long, former Badgers men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan is set to be honored Wednesday in Madison.

After what felt like far too long, former Badgers men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan is set to be honored Wednesday in Madison. Ryan along with multi-sport athlete Gary Buss will be inducted into the Madison Sports Hall of Fame Club.

Ryan was the head coach at Wisconsin for 14 full seasons (12 games in 2015) and produced 364-130 overall record, which is good for an all-time program best 73.7 percent win percentage. Additionally, Wisconsin made the NCAA Tournament in all 14 of the campaigns he was the head coach.

Most notably, the Badgers made two consecutive trips to the Final Four in 2014 and 2015, losing in the National Championship to Duke 68-63 in the latter run.

Ryan helped coach some of the best players in program history, namely Alando Tucker, Devin Harris, Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker amongst others. There’s no denying that he left a substantial impact on the program, the university, the city of Madison and the state of Wisconsin as a whole.

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Two former Badger centers ranked in top 25 since 2000 by ChatGPT

College Basketball Report asked AI software ChatGPT who the best centers have been since 2000, which listed two Badgers in the top 25.

It’s wild the world has come to this point, but College Basketball Report asked AI software ChatGPT who the best centers have been since 2000, and it listed two Badgers in the top 25.

According to the software, two big men from the 2010’s made a big enough impact for Wisconsin. Frank Kaminsky came in at No. 9 while Ethan Happ sneaked in at 21.

Starting with Kaminsky, this ranking comes as no surprise. The seven-footer led the Badger to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2014 and 2015, including a trip to the championship in 2015.

Kaminsky holds the Wisconsin record for the most points in a single season, producing 732 points in 2014-2015. His 43 points against North Dakota on Nov. 19, 2013 is a school record. He also finished with 153 career blocks, which was the program record until Happ passed him in 2019.

The 2014-2015 campaign earned him National College Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year. After four seasons with Wisconsin, Kaminsky capitalized on his great senior, being selected ninth overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2015 NBA draft.

Happ’s career didn’t include as many legendary moments as Kaminsky’s did, but the 6-foot-10 center from Milan, Illinois, left his mark in Madison.

Starting all 139 games over his four-year career with the Badgers, Happ finished with 2,130 points (third all-time), 1,217 rebounds (program record), 154 blocks (second all-time) and 217 steals (second all-time).

Happ’s highest scoring campaign came in 2017-2018, when he compiled 590 points, which is the 10th highest scoring season in Badger history. The following season, he snatched 10.1 rebounds per game, coming down with 342 boards (second most in program history).

His 52 double-doubles and two triple-doubles are the most in Badger men’s basketball history.

Happ did not get selected in the 2019 NBA draft and now plays overseas for Rio Breogán of the Spanish Liga ACB.

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NBA veteran Frank Kaminsky lauds growth of Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr.

Frank Kaminsky: “Since I’ve been here, the person I’ve seen make the most steps is Jabari Smith. I think he’s going to be a really good player in the league for a long time.” #Rockets

Veteran big man Frank Kaminsky joined the Rockets at the February 2023 trade deadline for salary matching purposes. Ultimately, he played very little over the 2022-23 season’s final two months due to Houston’s rebuilding emphasis and a desire to evaluate young players.

Nonetheless, Kaminsky was an active participant on the bench and at practices, where he tried to help the development of many of those highly touted prospects. In a new interview with The Players’ Platform of BVM Sports, Kaminsky says there was one particular standout, at least in terms of improvement over that time.

Among Kaminsky’s comments:

Since I’ve been here, the person I’ve seen make the most steps is Jabari Smith. He’s starting to figure out where his shots come from, and body positioning.

He does need to add strength to his frame, and stuff like that, but just his size, athleticism, and shotmaking ability… you don’t see that very often. You don’t see 6-11 guys that can shoot over the top of people and have a higher release, and shoot the ball at a high clip, like he can. He’s played very well and hit some big shots, a game-winner [against the Pelicans]. He doesn’t back down from anyone, he’s not afraid.

It’s all just really positive, and I think he’s going to be a really good player in the league for a long time.

To Kaminsky’s point, here’s a look at Smith’s statistics from before and after the Feb. 9 trade deadline (when Kaminsky joined):

  • Before (52 games): 11.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 blocks, 38.9% FG, 30.0% on 3-pointers, 78.2% free throws
  • After (27 games): 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 44.0% FG, 32.2% on 3-pointers, 79.3% free throws

Smith, Houston’s No. 3 overall draft pick from the 2022 first round, won’t even turn 20 years old until May. That leaves plenty of time for him to build on that growth in 2023-24 and well beyond.

Kaminsky’s contract expires after this season, so his NBA future remains unclear. His complete interview can be viewed below.

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Wisconsin men’s basketball all-time roster: Badger Legends

A look at the best Wisconsin Badger basketball players of all-time

Over the past few decades, Wisconsin basketball has been one of the most successful programs in the nation.

The Badgers have had greats at all five positions, a legendary head coach in Bo Ryan, and a trio of Final Four appearances since 2000.

We put together Wisconsin’s all-time starting five, backup five, and coaching staff to put the Badgers’ impressive history into perspective.

There were a number of easy choices such as National Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky, and ones that are sure to spark fair debate amongst Badger nation.

Here is a look at our BadgersWire all-time Wisconsin basketball roster:

Rockets, Frank Kaminsky nearing NBA’s March 1 buyout deadline

#Rockets center Frank Kaminsky has been mentioned as a potential buyout candidate, but Wednesday is the unofficial deadline for a decision.

When the Houston Rockets acquired veteran center Frank Kaminsky as part of a sequence of moves at the February trade deadline, his situation with the team was best described as “fluid.”

“Some teams have expressed interest in signing the eighth-year center should he receive a buyout from Houston, but the Rockets value him — both the coaching staff and the front office,” Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported on Feb. 14.

Now, the clock is ticking on a potential resolution, since the deadline for players to receive buyouts while retaining playoff eligibility after signing with a new team is Wednesday, March 1.

That date serves as an unofficial deadline for rebuilding teams like the Rockets to make decisions on the status of their veterans. After all, there isn’t much of a reason for a potential playoff team to sign a player that it wouldn’t be able to use in the playoffs, and there also wouldn’t seem to be much rationale to Kaminsky switching teams just to go to another non-playoff situation.

Thus, if Kaminsky isn’t released by the end of business hours on Wednesday, expect him to finish the season with the Rockets.

Over eight NBA seasons, Kaminsky has averaged 8.9 points (43.1% FG, 34.9% on 3-pointers) and 3.9 rebounds in 20.0 minutes.

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Podcast: Why Rafael Stone and Tilman Fertitta were trade deadline winners

With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leaving Brooklyn and Eric Gordon traded for first-round value, the 2023 NBA trade deadline was a successful one for #Rockets management.

The 2022-23 NBA trade deadline came and went, and major changes came with it for the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets.

Veteran guard Eric Gordon is finally with a contender (the Los Angeles Clippers). Reserves Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando are out the door as well (Atlanta). For general manager Rafael Stone, both deals were made with draft capital in mind.

Sunday’s episode of “The Lager Line” (sponsored by Clutch City Lager of Karbach Brewing) explains why Stone and owner Tilman Fertitta deserve praise for what became a successful week for the franchise in its ongoing rebuilding efforts.

The show, hosted by Ben DuBose and Paulo Alves, also explores the ripple effects of Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn departure and whether it should make the Rockets more or less likely to hold those first-round draft assets from the Nets, which last through the 2027 cycle.

Sunday’s full podcast can be listened to below. Each episode of the show is also available via flagship radio station SportsTalk 790, as well as to all major podcast distributors under “The Lager Line.”

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