NEW YORK — Inevitability, Wisconsin’s consistent poor free-throw shooting was going to rear its head out at the worst possible of times.
NEW YORK — After sinking a pair of free throws with four seconds to play in overtime to put Wisconsin (27-10) up two points, senior forward Nigel Hayes looked to yet again be the Badgers’ hero in March.
NEW YORK — Moments after knocking off No. 1 overall seed Villanova 65-62 in Buffalo last Saturday, No. 8 seed Wisconsin (27-9) senior forward Nigel Hayes went over to the crowd to find his family.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — It wasn’t supposed to end this way for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — As Zak Showalter watched the final seconds of No. 8 seed Wisconsin’s (27-9) 65-62 win over No. 1 seed Villanova (32-4) tick off the clock, his arms shot up toward the sky.
After winning just 12 games over the last two years, Wisconsin rebounded from a dismal stretch with a 20-win season in Tony Granato’s first year at the helm.
BUFFALO — When the clock hit 0.00 redshirt senior guard Zak Showalter’s two hands shot up into the sky.
Get pucks to the net and good things will happen. It’s nearly a piece of hockey gospel; a line repeated ad nauseam by players and coaches as a way to deal with the luck inherent in their sport. And if getting pucks to the net is gospel, then Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson is one of the primary disciples.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — After picking up his fourth foul just over seven minutes into the second half, No. 8 seed Wisconsin (27-6) senior guard Bronson Koenig sulked as he headed to the bench. After the game, the senior guard said that he knew after picking up the foul, that he had to come out of the game.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — A year after rewriting the NCAA record books, Wisconsin’s senior goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens became the third netminder to win women’s collegiate hockey’s most prestigious award. Desbiens was announced as the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award Saturday, in her second year as a top-three finalist.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — When Ethan Happ, Zak Showalter and D’Mitrik Trice watched tape in preparation for No. 8 seed Wisconsin’s (26-9) matchup with No. 1 seed Villanova (32-3) Saturday afternoon, they recognized what they were seeing. “They remind us of us,” Trice said.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — After falling in the semifinals the past three seasons, No. 1 Wisconsin (33-2-4) began the season with an all-in mentality towards a national title.
The No. 2-seed Badgers (20-14-1) battled No. 3-seed Ohio State (21-11-6) for the fifth time this season and broke a 2-2 series tie with a tight one-goal victory to advance to the Big Ten Championship.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — After missing the final two games of the Big Ten Tournament due to multiple deaths in his family, sophomore swingman Khalil Iverson returned to the floor in style Thursday night. Literally.
The Badgers had set themselves up perfectly. Sitting on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin went into two hostile environments in Minneapolis and State College and earned two straight splits.
BUFFALO — Like elite runners in a 4-man relay race, the No. 8 seed Wisconsin Badgers (26-9) know the importance of a good handoff. Senior guard Bronson Koenig might have carried UW’s baton for most of its 84-74 victory over Virginia Tech (22-11) Thursday night, but when the Badgers needed a play most, Koenig passed the baton off to senior forward Nigel Hayes and let Hayes take Wisconsin to the finish line. Leading by only one point with 2:25 to play, Hayes received a pass from sophomore swingman Khalil Iverson on the left block.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bronson Koenig has made some big three-pointers in the NCAA tournament throughout his four years at Wisconsin.
In each of the last three years, Wisconsin has advanced to the Frozen Four, needing just two wins in three days to capture a national title. And in each of those three years the Badgers have lost to archrival Minnesota. It’s a history that’s inescapable for Wisconsin (32-2-4 overall), even as they prepare to face a new semifinal opponent, the Boston College Eagles (28-5-5). It’s also a history that the team has embraced in their preparations for this year. “We're running stadiums in the summertime and our strength coach is yelling about doing one more just to make it past the semifinal game,” senior defenseman Jenny Ryan said.
Saturday afternoon’s action saw the No. 33-ranked Badgers host the No. 32 Golden Gophers in an exhilarating matchup fitting for a meeting of two highly ranked teams. Though it came in ranked one spot below Minnesota, Wisconsin’s confidence was put on full display as it has been all season.
BUFFALO, NY — With blistering winds and constant snowfall, No. 8-seed Wisconsin’s (25-8 overall) trip to Buffalo certainly isn’t the most warm or inviting location for a Spring Break trip.
Solutions by The State News
