Wisconsin Basketball: Thank you, seniors

Four seniors will play their final game at the Kohl Center Sunday night.

Record-setting numbers, incredible performances, and the uplifting of the program- the four seniors being honored on Sunday night will leave Wisconsin Basketball with a lot to be proud of.

Nigel Hayes, Vitto Brown, Bronson Koenig, and Zak Showalter will leave the University of Wisconsin with many accolades underneath them, both on and off the court.

On Sunday, the Wisconsin Badgers will host their red-hot rival Minnesota Golden Gophers as they square off for the right to the second seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. Both the Badgers and Gophers are heading in opposite directions, as the Badgers have lost five of six- all to unranked opponents. The Gophers on the other hand, have won eight straight and are looking to finish above Wisconsin in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1990s.

OK, enough about the game for right now. This year’s Badgers team has received a lot of scrutiny and criticism for their recent play. And while it might be correct, because they have played bad- let’s remember that is a team game and that we should never bash or “hate” on any specific player.

There is a difference between talking about taking out players because of lack of flow or poor performance versus saying a player should just “give up on the season.”

Wherever you may stand with certain players, the gratitude Badger Nation should have for these four seniors should be off the chart. Before they came in to the program, the Badgers had one final four since the 1940s.

One.

Following their freshman and sophomore years, all of them had two Final Fours under their belt and had brought the Badgers to a new height in the college basketball world. Yes, they had some NBA and veteran talent on their team, but without the likes of Koenig’s contribution after Traevon Jackson went down or Hayes’ sparks off the bench, who knows how these teams would have finished.

I specifically remember a play by Showalter in the NCAA Tournament two years ago. He was not a major minute-getter yet, but came into the game in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina, a game the Tar Heels were controlling with ease for most of the game. Showalter had a huge steal and layup that turned the game around and the Badgers went on to win. It’s the little things like this that made this core so great.

These four seniors are a great group of basketball players and an even better group of men off the court who have endured social injustices and have been the voice of many. And we cannot forget the man with the voice, Vitto Brown, who has blessed us with many national anthems provided by him and his family.

As Koenig, Hayes, Showalter, and Brown take the floor for the final time at the Kohl Center- remember the expectations they have set for Badgers basketball and before you get mad at the team for not reaching these standards, remember they were the ones who really set the bar.

So, for the final time: Thank you seniors for an incredible four-year run. While the journey in Madison is coming to an end, the story is not over yet.

On, Wisconsin.