Badgers vs. Wildcats: A look back at their four meetings in the NCAA Tournament
MADISON – Wisconsin and Arizona have met on the basketball court just seven times, including four times in the NCAA Tournament.
UW (7-2), No. 23 in The Associated Press poll, faces No. 1 Arizona (7-0) at 2:15 p.m. Saturday in Tucson.
A look back at those four NCAA games:
Bo Ryan heads to his first Final Four at UW
UW was seeded No. 2 in the 2014 tournament. Arizona was No. 1.
The teams met in the regional final in Anaheim, California, and the Badgers needed one last stop to prevail, 64-63, in overtime. The victory gave Bo Ryan, who won four NCAA Division III titles at UW-Platteville, his first Final Four berth.
Nick Johnson had the ball last for the Wildcats but his jumper – which missed – came after the buzzer.
Frank Kaminsky scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Traevon Jackson added 10 points and five assists for UW. Kaminsky scored the go-ahead basket with 2:21 left in the game and had six of UW’s final seven points.
What made the victory even more poignant was that Bo Ryan and his father, Butch Ryan, attended Final Fours together for three-plus decades.
Bo Ryan had to go it alone at the 2014 Final Four because his father had passed away before the start of the season.
“I remember after that game after we beat Arizona,” said Greg Gard, who was UW’s associate head coach at the time, “looking up in the stands and somebody had a big cardboard sign: This one is for Butch.
“Those moments in time are obviously special.”
Sam Dekker, Frank Kaminksy help the Badgers end Arizona's season again
One year after the battle in Anaheim, the teams met again in the reginal final in Los Angeles.
This time, UW was seeded No. 1 and Arizona was No. 2.
Kaminsky scored 27 points and grabbed six rebounds. Sam Dekker hit 5 of 6 three-pointers and 8 of 11 shots overall en route to a 29-point performance in UW’s 85-78 victory.
“Two terrific (games) that came down to the wire,” Gard recalled of the back-to-back meetings with the Wildcats. “Final Four-level games with high-level play on each end.
“You talk about two teams that… that could have been a national championship match-up in either one of the years.”
Dekker hit all 5 three-pointers in the second half, when UW hit 10 of 12 shots from beyond the arc and scored 55 points.
“I give tremendous credit to Wisconsin,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said after the loss. “Their offensive execution and their ability to make shots in the second half…it was like a video game.”
Dick Bennett's upstart Badgers stun the top-seeded Wildcats en route to the Final Four
UW entered the 2000 NCAA tournament seeded No. 8 in the West Regional under Dick Bennett. After a 66-56 victory over Fresno State in the opener, the Badgers forced 17 turnovers and had four players score in double figures in a stunning 66-59 victory over the top-seeded Wildcats.
Mark Vershaw (15 points, four assists), Maurice Linton (14 points), Andy Kowske (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Jon Bryant (12 points) led UW. Mike Kelley added eight points, five steals and four assists for UW, which held a 50-33 lead with 8 minutes 7 seconds remaining.
Arizona bounces UW and Bo Ryan in the opening round of the tournament in Philadelphia
The Badgers entered the 2006 tournament seeded ninth but scuffling. After losing reserves Marcus Landry and Greg Stiemsma at semester break, UW went just 5-9 heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Arizona jumped to a 24-8 lead over UW and won comfortably, 94-75.
Hasan Adams scored 21 points to lead Arizona, which shot a season-high 59.3%.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Badgers are 3-1 against Arizona in the NCAA men's hoops tourney
