Normally, when a list is thrown out of the top moments of the year, there are 10 of them.
However, the UW campus saw a lot more than 10 events this year. In that spirit, The Daily Cardinal presents the defining dozen moments that captured the imagination of the campus in 2001-'02.
For one magical night in late February, the city of Madison became a basketball hotbed. Racing off to a 48-23 lead, the UW men's basketball team never looked back as it cruised to a 74-54 victory over Michigan Feb. 27, to clinch a share of the Big Ten title. It was the first time a Badger team owned a share of the Big Ten Championship since 1947.
With some prognosticators predicting Wisconsin would finish last in the conference, the victory seemed sweeter to the sold-out Kohl Center crowd. As the clock hit zero, hundreds of students poured out onto the court to watch Head Coach Bo Ryan and his players cut down the championship nets.
An era of Wisconsin hockey ended at the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five March 14, when Badger Head Coach Jeff Sauer retired with a career record of 655-532-57. Not long after, UW Athletics Director Pat Richter ended his search for a replacement by hiring legendary Wisconsin forward Mike Eaves to replace Sauer.
With Michigan and Wisconsin tied at 17 in a Nov. 17 contest, Wisconsin kicker Mark Neuser missed a chance to get the Badgers a lead. After the miss, the Wolverines were driving for what appeared to be a winning score. However, the Badgers' defense stepped up and seemingly forced overtime.
But appearances were deceiving, as Badger freshman defensive back Brett Bell did not see the punt hit his leg. This put the ball in live play and the Wolverines recovered. Michigan kicker Hayden Epstein nailed a 31-yard field goal to give Michigan a big road victory and shut the Badgers out of a bowl bid.
Life seemed good for the UW women's basketball team early in the 2001-'02 campaign. With their solid play, they had a record of 16-1 and were ranked in the top five in the nation.
Then one evening, it all changed.
In the Jan. 20 game against Minnesota, hyped as \Cram the Kohl,"" the Badgers fell short 92-85. The Badgers were not the same afterwards, as they faltered down the stretch with the low point coming in the regular season finale, where they committed 32 turnovers in an 82-55 pounding at Ohio State.
Shaken after a loss at Penn State, the Badger men's basketball team wound its way to East Lansing Jan. 12 to take on a Michigan State team sporting a 53-game home winning streak. Coming within 30 seconds of accomplishing the feat last year, the Badgers held a precarious one-point advantage with six seconds left.
After failing to convert on two shots, the Spartans had the ball with 0.2 seconds left in the game. Calling a play for sophomore guard Kelvin Torbert, the Spartans' best player knocked down a turnaround jumper from the free throw line.
However, UW Head Coach Bo Ryan screamed that the shot should not count since one cannot catch and shoot a basketball with less than 0.3 seconds left in a game. After moving the Spartan crowd back off the court, the referees announced that the shot did not count and the Badgers were awarded an improbable 64-63 victory.
After making it to the NCAA title match the previous year and returning two all-American caliber players, expectations were sky high for the UW volleyball team entering the 2001 campaign. If they felt the pressure, their play certainly did not reflect it as the Badgers ripped through the Big Ten, posting a 19-1 regular season record and becoming the first squad in school history to win back-to-back Big Ten titles.
Take one knee, add Astroturf, sprinkle a tough catch and what do you have? Losing Lee Evans, Wisconsin football's best player, for what likely will be the entire 2002 season after suffering a severe knee injury April 20 in the spring game. Somehow, the Badgers must find 1,545 receiving yards and a great pair of hands to replace an elite-level player.
After a 63-32 blowout at the hands of Indiana, people wondered if the Badger football team could respond. Finding themselves down 17-0 in the first half against Ohio State Oct. 13, gave many of the UW players a sense of d??j?? vu.
Two years earlier, the Badgers were in the same position, down 17 on the road. Just as they had done before, Wisconsin rallied to score the final 20 points of the game to take home a 20-17 upset win over the Buckeyes.
When a basketball team is behind on the road, it looks to its leading scorer to help spark a rally. Enter junior guard Kirk Penney. Scoring only three points in the first half, the Badgers found themselves down by 14 points midway through the second half.
Then Penney got hot. Scoring from all places on the court and in different ways, the Auckland, New Zealand native rattled off 27 points in the second stanza to propel the Badgers to a 67-62 victory. This gave confidence to the team that they could win a big game on the road.
It is said that a two-goal lead in hockey is the toughest lead to protect. What about doubling that advantage? That was the situation presented to the Badger hockey team with 14 minutes remaining in the third period as they trailed North Dakota 6-2.
However, the Badgers woke up and scored four times in 12 minutes and held off a near goal by Fighting Sioux senior defenseman Aaron Schneekloth with four seconds left to force an overtime session. Continuing the momentum of the final period, the Badgers scored on a goal by junior forward Rene Bourque and an ecstatic Kohl Center crowd left with an incredible 7-6 victory.
While the Badgers entered the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament as the No. 1 seed, the emotional story of the weekend was the return of Iowa senior guard Luke Recker. Battling turnovers and attempts to make the perfect pass, the score was still tied 56-56 with 16 seconds left when Iowa got the ball back for one more shot.
Recker took the ball, dribbled to his left and put up a jumper from 17 feet to win 58-56 and end the Badgers' Big Ten Tournament title hopes.
While most of the year was a low for the football team, there was one game in which the Badgers played a complete 60-minute football game.
Traveling up to Happy Valley, Pa., in the first game since the Sept. 11 tragedy, Wisconsin senior defensive lineman Wendell Bryant had the game of his career.
Playing in front of a national audience, Bryant even impressed announcer Brent Musberger as he terrorized Nittany Lion quarterbacks for five sacks and numerous other quarterback hurries in Wisconsin's 18-6 victory over Penn State.
