University of Wisconsin Badgers

Big Ten Conference

Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Enrollment: 41,219

Founded: 1848

Nickname: Badgers

Colors: Cardinal and White

Chancellor: John Wiley

Athletic Director: Barry Alvarez

Joined Big Ten: 1896 (charter member)

The Wisconsin Badger Basketball Team has recently become a powerhouse in the Big Ten.  Until the year 2000, the Wisconsin Badgers hadn't made it to the NCAA Final Four since 1941 when they won the National Championship.  The Wisconsin Badgers have made it to NCAA Tournament every year for the last nine seasons (1999-2007).  In the 2001-2002 season, the Wisconsin Badgers tied for first place in the Big Ten.  In 2002-2003, the Wisconsin Badgers won the Big Ten outright, but went on to lose to Ohio State in the Big 10 Tournament.  That year, the Wisconsin Badgers lost to the University of Kentucky in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. 

In 2003-2004, Wisconsin finished second in the Big Ten and went on to win the Big Ten Tournament.  Surprisingly, that was the first and last time that the Wisconsin Badgers have won the tournament since its beginning in 1998.  The Badgers received an NCAA Tournament bid but lost to the University of Pittsburgh in the second round.  The 2004-2005 regular season was a disappointment with Wisconsin finishing third in the Big Ten.  However, in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating Northern Iowa, Bucknell and North Carolina State.  In 2005-2006 the Badgers had a somewhat disappointing season that culminated in a blowout loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, followed by another blowout loss to Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

In the 2006-2007 season the Wisconsin Badgers played very well with huge victories at Marquette and at home against the then #2 ranked University of Pittsburgh.  Their only non conference loss was against Missouri State and the Badgers only road loss was against Indiana on January 31.  However, on February 19, 2007, the Wisconsin Badgers earned their first national #1 ranking in school history with a 26-2 record.  Unfortunately, the next day, the Badgers were defeated by the unranked Michigan State Spartan 64-55 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Then, only a week later, they lost 48-49 to the #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.  The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Michigan State Spartans 70-57 in the first round of the Big 10 Tournament and then defeated Illinois 53-41 to advance to the finals to face #1 ranked Ohio State.  The Ohio State Buckeyes pounded the Wisconsin Badgers 66-49 to win the Big 10 Tournament.  The Badgers then went on to became the highest ranked seed to be knocked out of the NCAA Tournament that year by losing to UNLV in the second round.

Wisconsin legend Dick Bennett has been credited with beginning the turnaround of the Wisconsin Badger Basketball program. During his six-year tenure at Wisconsin (1995-2000), the Badgers had a 91-68 record and reached 20 wins twice.  The Wisconsin Badgers hadn't achieved 20 wins since 1940-1941 championship season.  Current coach Bo Ryan continued where Coach Bennett left off.  He has been in charge since the 2001-02 season and has led the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament every single year. As of 2005-06, the Bo Ryan coached Badgers have compiled a record of 112-49.  His success culminated during the 2006-07 season when he not only achieved his 500th win as a college coach but the Wisconsin Badgers also were ranked #1 in the country for the first time in program history.

The most famous former Wisconsin Badgers in the NBA are Michael Finley, Devin Harris and Alando Tucker.

The Wisconsin Badgers currently play their home games at the 17,190-seat Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.  The Badgers have compiled one of the best home winning records in college basketball at the Kohl Center with a record of 125-11 since 2007. The Kohl Center replaced the UW Fieldhouse in 1998 which only seats 11,500 people but was such a great venue that it was listed on the National register of Historic Places in 1998.

If you are interested in being part of one of the great NCAA Basketball atmospheres in the country, don't delay because Badger Basketball Tickets are extremely hard to find and there have been many Big Ten games in the past where Badger Tickets can't be found at any price.  When at the Kohl Center in Madison, please say "Hi" to Bucky badger for me and make sure to grab a beer at the Memorial Union!