Wisconsin Basketball: A look at the Badgers' success this century

Wisconsin Basketball: A look at the Badgers’ success this century

Apr 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players run on the court after the 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Championship semi-final game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Lucas Oil Stadium. Wisconsin won 71-64. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 2, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers mascot Bucky Badger poses for the camera during the game with the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center. Iowa defeated Wisconsin 69-67. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /

2007 – 2010: Hughes and Bohannon take the backcourt

2007-2008: 31-5 (16-2 Big Ten), Sweet 16

Behind the best scoring defense in the country (giving up just 54.4 points per game), the Badgers went on to have one of their best regular seasons ever. Along with senior big man Brian Butch, Trevon Hughes entered the fray as a sophomore averaging 11.2 points per game. With a tremendous record in the conference, Wisconsin won the Big Ten outright. On Selection Sunday, they were named a three seed and made it to the Sweet 16 before falling to the Baby-Faced Assassin (Stephen Curry) and Davidson.

2008-2009: 20-13 (10-8 Big Ten), Second Round

Following the graduation of guard Michael Flowers, sharpshooter Jason Bohannon took over the starting shooting guard position next to Trevon Hughes. Both of them scored in double figures in addition to senior forward Marcus Landry. In a “down” season for Bo Ryan’s Badgers, Wisconsin finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference and made the NCAA Tournament (again) as a 12 seed. Thanks to a spinning layup by Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin upset five seed Florida State, but couldn’t pull a second upset off, falling to the four seed Xavier in the second round.

2009-2010: 24-9 (13-5 Big Ten), Second Round

In the last season of the Hughes/Bohannon duo, they were joined in double figures by a junior (Jon Leuer) and a sophomore (Jordan Taylor). With three wins against top-25 teams, this was another very solid season. Due to their volume of quality wins, the Badgers landed a four seed in the NCAA Tournament before getting upset by Cornell, who pulled off an upset in the first round as a twelve seed, in the second round. Even though this was the second straight year not making the Sweet 16, it is important to note that this ’09-10 campaign marked the twelfth straight Big Dance for the Badgers.

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