Mar 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan kisses the net after the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament against the Michigan State Spartans at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
UW earns first 1 seed
The Badgers had one goal in mind entering the 2015 season: Get to the National Championship.
It’s pretty obvious higher-ranked seeds have an easier time in the tournament, and the Badgers quickly went to work building a resume to put themselves in the best situation to earn a high seed.
Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin opened the season strong with seven straight wins — including a Battle 4 Atlantis tournament title — before falling to Duke in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.
The Badgers reeled off eight more wins before falling to Rutgers in a game that Frank Kaminsky sat out and the team lost Traevon Jackson to an injury.
Despite losing their starting point guard, Wisconsin kept rolling, promoting Bronson Koenig into the starting lineup and barely skipping a beat. The Badgers reeled off 10 straight victories before falling to conference opponent Maryland on the road.
Wisconsin closed out the regular season with three wins, swept the Big Ten Tournament, and found themselves in a position to be a one seed.
The Badgers had been a two seed in the past (2007, 2014), were a three seed (2008) and have only been a double-digit seed once under Bo Ryan (12 seed, 2009).
2015 marked a new frontier for the Badgers, as the team earned its first one seed in the school’s history.
Next: Frank Kaminsky cleans up