The 2025 first-round NCAA Tournament matchup of the Montana Grizzlies and the Wisconsin Badgers isn't the first time the teams have faced off in the tournament. This will be their second matchup, and the first one will make Wisconsin fans smile.
Wisconsin has played Montana before in the NCAA Tournament.
— Badger of Honor (@BadgerOfHonorFS) March 17, 2025
2012
Badgers won 73-49.
Wisconsin beat Montana in 2012 with a final score of 73-49
The year was 2012, and Wisconsin had a 24-9 record going into the NCAA Tournament. They had lost in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament to Michigan State, but they still earned a 4-seed for March Madness and were matched up against a 13-seed Montana Grizzlies.
Wisconsin rolled out a starting lineup of Mike Bruesewitz, Ryan Evans, Jared Berggren, Josh Gasser, and Jordan Taylor. They had a solid sixth man, Rob Wilson, coming in off the bench to play 28 minutes in that game. Sitting on the bench and waiting his turn to take a starting role was none other than Frank Kaminsky. Kaminsky played a total of three minutes against Montana in that game and recorded two rebounds.
The game was never really close, as Wisconsin took an early lead and never let it go. The Badgers were leading at halftime 39-29, and their defense was even more stifling in the second half, only allowing the Grizzlies to score 20 points. What would still make Greg Gard smile today was the fact that the Badgers shot 89% from the line.
Wisconsin only allowed one Montana player to reach double-digit scoring, Art Steward, who put up 18 points. Rob Evans matched Steward in points to lead the Badgers. The rest of the scoring was pretty spread between the other Wisconsin players. It was a frustrating day for the Grizzlies, who were outmatched in size and ability.
Wisconsin would lose in the Sweet 16 that year to Syracuse 64-63, ending their season but paving the way for that eventual 2015 run.