Twenty-five years ago, the Wisconsin Badgers accomplished something the basketball program had not done since 1941. With an air-tight defense that allowed 55.8 PPG under fifth-year head coach Dick Bennett, the Badgers stunned the college basketball world as they reached their first Final Four in 59 years. That 2000 team will be honored in a pregame ceremony this Saturday before the Badgers take on Oregon.
Honoring our history on Saturday!
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 20, 2025
We're bringing back our 2000 Final Four team for our showdown with the Ducks.
Make sure to be in your seats by 10:45 a.m. for our pregame ceremony. pic.twitter.com/tqwOtDV7Pc
Wisconsin finished the regular season with a pedestrian 16-12 record and 8-8 in conference play. With five wins over ranked teams and an appearance in the Big Ten tournament championship game, the Badgers made the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.
What happened next was a March Madness run that made Wisconsin no longer a Cinderella team.
The Badgers squared off against Jerry Tarkanian’s nine-seed Fresno State Bulldogs, who had the nation’s leading scorer in Courtney Alexander and had won the WAC tournament. Tarnkanian’s Bulldogs deployed a zone defense, but Wisconsin guard Jon Bryant dismantled that with 21 points, leading the Badgers to a 66-56 first-round win.
Up next was the fourth-ranked and one-seeded Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats, who featured future NBA players Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, and Luke Walton, saw their fast-paced offense come to a screeching halt. Led by Mark Vershaw’s 15 points and clutch three-pointers from Maurice Linton, the Badgers stunned the regular-season Pac-10 champions and advanced to the Sweet 16.
Fun fact, in all three Final Four seasons, Wisconsin defeated Arizona, making the Badgers a permanent enemy for Wildcat fans.
The four-seed LSU Tigers was the next opponent to crumble under Wisconsin’s defense. The Tigers, who featured 2000 NBA Draft lottery pick Stromile Swift and future NBA veteran center Jabari Smith, were frustrated by Wisconsin’s man-to-man defense. The result? A 61-48 Badgers win to advance to the Elite Eight. It was the lowest amount of points the Tigers scored all season.
In the regular season, the Badgers finished 2-1 against the Purdue Boilermakers, including a semi-final win in the Big Ten Tournament. The Boilermakers were looking to make their first Final Four under Gene Keady, but they had to go through the Badgers again.
It was a tight game, as Purdue and Wisconsin were tied at 52 until an Andy Kowske layup at the five-minute mark gave the Badgers a lead they would not relinquish. When the final buzzer sounded, the Badgers had won 64-60 and did what many considered almost impossible: reach the Final Four.
Throughout the 21st century, the Badgers have been one of the nation's most consistent college basketball programs. While this year's Badgers squad is known for their prolific offense, Wisconsin's basketball program this century was defined by its defense, which all started in 2000.