The Badgers captured a nation's heart and fell just short of a title

Shocked. That's the only way to put it for fans and players of the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team after losing that close of a game to the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA National Championship game.

The team of destiny was ready to get back to the throne they were oh so close to last year. They went through the gauntlet of tests this year and passed every one with flying colors. They were the lovable jokers and comedians that the fans and media adored.

From Nigel Hayes' constant tests of the stenographer with words like: catawampus, onomatopoeia, antidisestablishmentarianism, soliloquy, quandary, zephyr, xylophone, prevaricated, syzygy, prestidigitation, logorrhea and succedaneum, to Frank Kaminsky's goofiness and all the fun times this team has in between, the Badgers seemed loose and unflappable.

They dominated the Big Ten regular season and were ranked in the top ten nationally all year. Going into the Big Ten tournament as the No. 1 seed, the Badgers had work to do to secure a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament. They looked shaky against Michigan, but pulled out the win in the end and then dominated Purdue the entire way.

It was then down to the Michigan State Spartans, who had a disappointing season up to that point. With Tom Izzo at the helm though, you couldn't count them out of anything, especially in March. Those pesky Spartans controlled the game and had an 11 point lead with under seven minutes left. That is when the Badgers got hot, scoring 11 straight to take a 60-59 lead with 4:16 left after a Bronson Koenig three-pointer.

The game remained close down the stretch before the Spartans' Brandon Dawson's jumper fell short at the buzzer to bring the game to overtime. From there, the Badgers dominated, shutting out the Spartans in the overtime and scoring at will.

I remember being a nervous wreck for that game sitting there with my girlfriend sitting by my side. This was only a small glimpse of how intense the rest of the postseason would be for the Badgers.

As I walked my girlfriend across the street to the bus station so she could go back to Madison, I learned the good news. The Badgers were the No. 1 seed in the West! My excitement waned when I saw they had to face the same foes from last year's Final Four run and were stuck on No. 1 overall seed Kentucky's side of the bracket.

After a quick dispatch of No. 16 Coastal Carolina University where the game was never in doubt in the first round of the tournament, the Badgers moved on to play the Oregon Ducks. The previous year as a 7-seed, the Ducks gave the 2-seeded Badgers all they could handle in a thrilling game in Milwaukee. The Badgers were able to hold on and go on a run to the Final Four.

This time around, Ducks leading scorer Joseph Young led his team in nearly every category including shooting but was very inefficient from the field. The Badgers knew they would have to try and contain while neutralizing the Ducks other attacking options. Frank Kaminsky, the player who was set to win every national player of the year award, matched Young shot for shot as Young shot his team out of a chance for victory and Wisconsin prevailed in a foul fest.

It was then on to the upstart North Carolina Tar Heels that were hot at the right time. The Tar Heels were full of people that were all able to drive, push the ball up the court and shoot inside whenever they wanted, but they had very few players that could shoot outside.

So of course, the Tar Heels proceeded to shoot 61.5 percent from behind the arc. Watching this with my girlfriend and her father in what only could be described as the quintessential man cave filled with Badger pictures and decorations all over the place was a surreal experience. I sat there watching the game and her father just as much because he was so nervous that he nearly gave himself a heart attack. It was tough to watch, but also extremely cool to see someone take sports just as seriously as I do.

In a close 79-72 contest with the final score buoyed by late free throws, the Badgers were able to pull through at the end thanks to a career high 23 points from local product Sam Dekker. It was crazy that it was his career high because after playing against him in high school, I felt he could have done so much more, That game was exactly what I wanted to see out of him though as he was an unstoppable force driving to the hoop and finishing through contact.

Senior guard Traevon Jackson returned from missing nearly 20 games with a fractured foot and calmly drained a three-pointer in his first minute back in action. Sophomore guard Bronson Koenig filled in admirably in his place throughout the year and looked like he was a better player than Jackson ever was.

It was then onto the 2-seeded Arizona Wildcats for a trip to the Final Four. Last year, the seeds were switched with the Wildcats the 1-seed in the West bracket. That is when the legend of Frank the Tank was born. Inside, outside, driving to the hoop or posting up, the Wildcats had no answer for the 7-foot Kaminsky. It was an insane game that left your stomach in knots the whole time as the Badgers pulled ahead. After a long review with two seconds left in overtime, the Wildcats got the ball with a chance to win the game. Guard Nick Johnson's shot fell short at the overtime buzzer and the Badgers advanced.

This time around, the Badgers dominated down low early and got most of Arizona's front line in foul trouble, but the Wildcats battled back and took a 33-30 lead into the half.

That is when the Badgers caught fire. They hit 10 second-half three-pointers, five of them from Sam Dekker as he bested his career high for the second straight game with 27 points. The Badgers were also anchored by Kaminsky again who had 29 points for the game.

Every time the Wildcats got close, the Badgers responded, typically with a Dekker three-pointer. It was a tense first half, but a great second half to watch as a fan. As soon as a shot went up, you knew it was going to be in. People in Madison were going nuts for the chance to have a rematch against Kentucky.

Say the word Harrison around Badgers fans and they instantly get angry. They have good reason to after Andrew Harrison hit a game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds in last year's Final Four matchup between the two teams.

This time around, Kentucky was the heavy favorites going into the tournament after an undefeated 38-0 regular season. Kentucky's team was miles better than last year's underdog version. This year's Wildcats team featured nine McDonalds All-Americans led by Karl-Anthony Towns who is a consensus top five pick in the NBA.

The Badgers hung tough throughout the first half with the Wildcats and were able to keep the score tied at 36 going into the half. Watching at home with my girlfriend and family, we were very superstitious, wearing everything the same clothes we had on the last game (washed of course), switching our seats at the half, and even dressing up the family shitzu in the same clothes.

The superstitions must have worked as the Badgers hung tough through a six minute scoreless stretch and went on an 8-0 run to pull back ahead 64-56 with 6:37 left in the second half. Dekker closed the game out again as he drained a step-back three-pointer with 1:42 left and then took a charge the following possession. The Badgers salted the game away at the line, and the revenge they had waited exactly one year to avenge was complete.

The championship game was a carbon copy of all of the other games in the tournament as it was once again tied at the half. This time, that was a disappointment though as the Blue Devils were able to go the final seven minutes without their stars Justice Winslow and Jahlil Okafor on the floor due to foul trouble.

After the Badgers came out scorching hot in the second half, the Blue Devils were forced to call a timeout after a Frank Kaminsky layup stretched the Badgers lead to 48-39 with 13:25 left. Enter barely used freshman guard Grayson Allen who scored the next eight points for the Blue Devils to make it a close game once again.

After trading buckets down the stretch, the Wisconsin offense, which was the most efficient in NCAA history according to Ken Pomeroy's advanced statistics, stalled when it was needed the most. Duke was able to pull away and walk away with a five-point championship victory.

There were two close calls that probably went against the Badgers that many fans are unfairly saying went against the Badgers, I do not believe that you can blame it solely on them though. Winslow stepped out of bounds with a few minutes left before making a layup and then had the ball deflect off his middle finger with under two minutes left. The first call is understandable to be missed as his foot just barely stepped out, and the officials are bound to make mistakes.

The second one should have been called out on Winslow which would given the Badgers the ball with a chance to bring it back to a one-possession game. The problem was, the replay technology that the referees used did not have the enhanced angles that the audience at home could see. The referees even admitted it after the game. After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only one minute and 45 seconds, the referees gave Duke the ball back and Tyus Jones proceeded to hit a three to stretch the lead to eight. The NCAA better fix that for next year, otherwise there will be many more close calls that could decide seasons once again.

As much as Badgers fans would love to say it, the referees did not blow the game. The Blue Devils defense stepped up when it needed the most and forced the Badgers to put up some wild shots down the stretch. That doesn't take anything away from this historic Badgers team that had the most wins in school history with 36, and won both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. They took their fans on a ride that won fans all across the country with their good-natured humor, general goofiness, and on-court success. They were my favorite team that I have ever seen play in college up to this point and were even able to dispel my first love of the 2004 Marquette Golden Eagles with Dwyane Wade, Steve Novak, Travis Diener, and Robert Jackson, all future NBA players. I wish nothing but the best to this lovable team in their future successes as a few have an NBA future.

Pelicans Balanced Attack Foils Milwaukee

In each team’s final game before the All-Star Break, the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Milwaukee Bucks 102-98.

                With the win, New Orleans improves to 23-29 heading into the All-Star Break activities they are hosting. The loss puts the Bucks at a record of 9-43, far and away the worst record in the NBA.

                “It has been a difficult season for us,” Bucks assistant coach Scott Williams said. “I really want the guys for four days to come back refreshed physically and mentally.”

                The game was close throughout, but the Bucks held a 49-46 advantage going into the half.

                “Offensively we were moving the basketball side to side, 15 assists in the first half for us,” Williams said. “That’s a good number, but the ball stuck a little bit in the second half.”

The Pelicans outscored the Bucks 37-27 in the 3^rd quarter to have an 83-76 lead heading into the fourth.

                That is when rookies Nate Wolters and Giannis Antetokounmpo each made key blocks early in the quarter to spark a Bucks rally to knot the game at 84. After a New Orleans timeout, Tyreke Evans proceeded to hit a driving layup that put the Pelicans up for good with 8:45 left in the game.

                The Bucks were not without their chances to come back. Both Wolters and Brandon Knight missed threes on the same possession with 2:38 left trying to cut the lead to one. Ersan Ilyasova also missed a dunk with 1:28 left.

                “We didn’t make big plays down the stretch,” Wolters said. “We haven’t been very good all year about closing out games, and we didn’t change that tonight.”

                After a defensive stop, the Bucks had the ball with 25.4 seconds left in the game. Ilyasova drove to the hoop and appeared to be hit on the arm while shooting. With no foul called and the crowd of 11,012 booing about it, the Bucks scrambled around, culminating in a Brandon Knight turnover. Eric Gordon hit two free throws to ice the game away.

With All-Star forward Anthony Davis mired in foul trouble throughout the game, the Pelicans had to rely on other guys for scoring. New Orleans featured seven players scoring in double figures and were led by guard Eric Gordon who had 21 points, 6 assists and shot 7-13 from the field.

Alexis Ajinca, who normally averages four points and four rebounds per game, contributed 16 and nine respectively. Curiously, he did not receive a single minute in the fourth quarter to try and get his first double-double of the season.

Brian Roberts added 17 points and five assists. Evans chipped in 12 points. Luke Babbit, signed eight days ago, had 10 points off the bench. Al-Farouq Aminu contributed 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Davis had 12 points in only 20 minutes of action due to his foul trouble.

The Bucks were led by Knight who had 22 points and nine assists. Fellow starting guard, Wolters had 14 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds.

Asked about his rotating roles on the team, Wolters said:

“Going into the season, I didn’t really know how much I would play. Being able to start a little bit, and then I have also been on the other side where I didn’t play at all, so you just got to work hard every day and be ready when your name is called.”

Gary Neal came off the bench and had 18 points on 8-12 shooting to go along with three assists.

Ilyasova contributed 16 points and 9 rebounds on the night. Khris Middleton had 11 points and four assists. Zaza Pachulia struggled from the field, shooting 3-11, but still had eight points and 7 rebounds.

Antetokounmpo will travel to New Orleans to play in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Game Friday night and the Taco Bell Skills Challenge Saturday night.

“I am excited for Giannis,” Williams said. “It’s been a losing season, and this is a bright spot for us. This is a 19 year old kid that has come over from a foreign land and has performed really well.”

Hauser Ready For Season

     “Something clicks and I stop being the nice guy and start kinda being a dick,” sophomore Zach Hauser said while playing Xbox. “It’s just like a mindset that you have to get into [when he steps onto the football field].”

     Well that is one way to put it. Hauser is set to enter his second season as starting defensive tackle for the Macalester Scots and is also trying out for the basketball team.  Hauser is a chemistry major and math minor with dreams of becoming a crime lab technician.

     Hauser has always been playing multiple sports, as he used to play soccer until 5^th grade and baseball through high school. He also made state his senior year for discus.

     Hauser grew up in Port Washington and Cedar Grove with his mother, Tania Ponfil-Switon, helping him through everything and making him become a very independent person. He was very close with his grandpa before he died when he was 12. His mother and grandmother, affectionately known as “Nana,” have never missed a game that he has played in any sport. Nana even kept a stroke a secret so she could watch his final high school football game, which they won off of Hauser’s game winning safety, before going into the hospital.

     Hauser enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, Abby, of nearly a year, playing Xbox and hanging out with friends. There is never a dull moment with him around, as he has a joke, a random animal noise, or some other way to elicit a smile from whomever he is with.

     His confidence is something that sets him apart from others. Not to be confused with cockiness, according to Dictionary.com, confidence means the belief in one’s powers or abilities.

     He once told his stepsister, Savannah St. Peter, “Even if I don’t know what I am doing, I make it look like I do.”

     This omnipresent confidence is the thing that he relies on to get him through everyday activities. It also allows him to excel on the football field.

     Throughout his high school football career, for the Port Washington Pirates, he played nearly every position. He excelled as tight end and defensive end for his squad that struggled to losing records in each of his four seasons on varsity.

     During his senior season he accumulated 34 tackles, 10 for loss, and four sacks on the defensive side of the ball. As tight end, he was even better with 20 catches for 406 yards and six touchdowns.

     Those numbers were good enough to propel him to be selected to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-Star game. It was a week-long event where he raised money for Children’s Hospital. He practiced at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater before playing in the All-Star Game at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. His South side won in a blowout 37-0.

     “Just being in the All-Star game was pretty fun,” Hauser said. “That was probably the highlight of my football career so far.”

     His accolades do not stop there though. He was awarded Freshman [this was the first time a freshman was awarded this], Junior, and Senior Athlete of the Year, Athletic Director Award, Fran Joch Scholar Athlete Award, First Team All-Conference tight end his junior year and earned 1^st team All-State tight end his senior year. He also hit a triple off the 400 sign in dead center field at Miller Park and was recruited by Wisconsin for a short period of time.

     Hauser was a captain at one point in every sport he played. In addition to all of that, he still managed to be on the High Honor Roll his entire high school career.

     Hauser transitioned to college remarkably well last year. In seven games, he had seven solo tackles, eight assists, 2.5 tackles for loss and a blocked kick. This year, he has a starting position locked and will be featured in some goal-line packages on offense for the Scots.

     Last year, his 40-yard dash time was measured before the football season at 4.78. That is a better time than last year’s 24^th overall NFL draft pick defensive end Bjoern Werner.

     This year, after putting on 25 pounds of muscle in the offseason, Hauser ran 4.83, which Werner ran at the draft combine last year. That is pretty remarkable considering Hauser is 18 pounds heavier and an inch taller than Werner which really displays his NFL-like quickness.

     Since working with Macalester’s strength and conditioning program, he has gained 40 pounds on his bench press, up to 305 pounds. His squat also increased to 460 pounds.   

     Basketball is a completely different story.  He has played basketball since the 3^rd grade.  He was a backup power forward for his regional winning squad in his junior year. Hauser started over half of his games in his senior year and used his strength to become a skilled low post player that would harass opposing big men, particularly Cedarburg’s star forward Jake Borgardt.

     “Zach just got into his psyche and totally frustrated him, “Ponfil-Switon said. “Our coaches on the sideline were laughing so hard they were wiping their eyes because the frustration on Bogardt with Zach out there up against him. Then he [Borgardt] would get down [in an offensive post position] and Zach would get lower [in his defensive stance]. He would go down farther and Zach would go down farther.”

     After taking a year off, he does not know what to expect when it comes to basketball this year.

     “When I stopped playing basketball, I thought that I wasn’t going to miss it at all,” Hauser said. “I just said I was going to watch, but after watching and meeting all the guys on the team, I figured out that I really missed it more than I thought I would. It turns out I still have a shot after last year.”

     Giving back to the community means a lot to him as well. He has volunteered at daycares, Feed My Starving Children and Habitat for Humanity with the Macalester football team, and Athletes in Action, where he took out garbage for everyone living in his grandmother’s senior apartments.

     Hauser also helps in local football and baseball camps through the Port Washington program. It is something he looks forward to each year.

     “I know I wish that I would have had that extra coaching help who was still playing, coming back and sharing what they know,” Hauser said.

     Hauser is a confident, caring collegiate athlete that helps out as many as he can. As soon as he puts on his helmet and pads, Hauser turns into a completely different person and his inner “dick” attitude emerges. The hard-charging 6’4 278-pound defensive tackle is a quarterback’s worst nightmare imaginable and quite the nemesis to go up against for a rebound on the basketball court.

     As his mom so aptly put it, “He’s had his success because he wants to be the best.”

Game 7: Heat vs. Pacers

       The dictionary definition of relief is: the easing of a burden or distress, such as pain, anxiety, or oppression. It fits the Miami Heat as they hang on to the series and beat the Indiana Pacers 99-76 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals

       The Heat are headed to the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night, while the Pacers are left to ponder what could have been. 

      The Heat were led as always by Lebron James with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Dwyane Wade showed up big in Game 7 as well with 21 points and 9 rebounds by attacking the rim early. Chris Bosh was very aggressive and had 9 points and 8 rebounds.. Ray Allen chipped in with 10 points and 2 three-pointers in the late 1st quarter to help get the Heat rolling. 

     The Pacers had 21 turnovers, including 15 in the first half when the Heat built their lead. They also had no answer for the Heat in transition or on the glass which is typically their strong suit. The Pacers fought valiantly until the end, but just did not have enough firepower to match the Heat. 

     They were led by Roy Hibbert with 18 points and 8 rebounds as the Heat really had no answer for him all series. Paul George, the NBA's most improved player, had a huge postseason as well. On this night, he struggled mightily, fouling out with 7:43 left in the fourth quarter with only 7 points and 7 rebounds after being hounded by Lebron James all night. Lance Stephenson started off hot and added 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. 

     The game was close until the end of the second quarter when the Heat went on a big run to be up at the half 52-37. The Pacers brought the lead down to 7, but the Heat rallied. When Lebron left the game with 5 minutes left, the Heat were up by 28. 

     It was an extremely competitive series that introduced the world to the Indiana Pacers and their many talented young stars. The problem for the Pacers was their bench depth. Outside of Tyler Hansborough, they did not have one reliable guy off of the bench that they could count on. That is where they severely missed Danny Granger, an All-Star who played in only 5 games this year before undergoing a second surgery on his left knee. Hopefully he will come back fully healthy next year and give Indiana three dominant wings with George and Stephenson as well. 

     The Heat showed a weakness on the glass that had plagued them all season, which the Spurs can take advantage of. They also have to figure out a solid rotation for the series. Shane Battier has been a key player for the Heat the last two seasons. He is a great defender on positions 1-4 and is a good three-point shooter that has been ice cold from the field this postseason. He allows them to play their patented small-ball lineup and started 20 games this year. Despite all of this, he was the only player on either team to not get on the court when the teams emptied their benches. He is a consummate pro, so  it's not a discipline problem. Is he hurt? Whatever it is, they need him to be able to lock down Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, or Manu Ginobili in the Finals and make some threes to keep the defense honest. 

     The Pacers have a bright future, but are not guaranteed to get back to this point again. The Heat will look to become back to back champions on Thursday. Tune in to watch history happen and a champ be crowned. 

Fye's Two Goals Lift 'Hawks Past No. 5 Illnois Wesleyan

Three goals in two minutes provided all the game’s scoring as the Warhawks’ survived the Titans’ late charge to win 2-1.

The offensive cavalcade was headed by midfielder Logan Fye, who scored both of Whitewater’s goals.

The action-packed game featured 8 shots in the first 15 minutes. Both teams had two shots on goal in the first half. The action was fast and furious, yet the first half of the freezing game was scoreless.

About 10 minutes into the second half, the scoring barrage started with defender Ryan Reid floating a ball ahead to Fye.

Fye chased it down, and buried it in the left corner of the net.

Twenty seconds later, Logan Fye received the ball behind the defense again, quickly making it 2-0 Hawks.

The Titans were not content with the score, though. A minute later, the ball was deflected multiple times before Titan forward John Pisani buried it in the back of the net.

The scoring was done after that goal, but not without a few nail-biting moments. The Titans had six corner kicks and three free kicks in the second half that gave the ’Hawks’ fans plenty of scares. The defense held, led by goalie Josh Rohde, who had 8 saves on the night.

With the win, the Warhawks move to 6-4-2 on the season and will head to Rippon College on Oct. 18 at 3 p.m.

'Hawks Finish 7th, 8th In Illinois

      The Warhawk cross country teams set many personal records  at the Gil Dodds Invitational in Warrenville, Illinois. The men finished 8th out of 11 teams, while the women took 7th out of 10 teams.

The Warhawk men scored 247 points. Coach Jeff Miller was not concerned with the finish.

“Nearly everyone had lifetime or season bests,” Miller said.

He went on to say this race was more about opportunities for the people that did not race in last weekend’s meet.

Casey Merrill was the top runner for the Warhawks, finishing 44th place with a time of 27:27.

“Casey Merrill shaved two and a half minutes off of his time from practice,” Miller said.

Red-shirt freshman Austin Seeger also shined with a time of 27:51 in 62nd place out of 136 runners.

Wheaton College, the No. 3 team in the Midwest Region, won the men’s competition, scoring just 17 points. They dominated the meet with six of the top seven finishers.

Wheaton’s James Waterman won the invitational with a time of 25:59.

Illinois-Wesleyan came home second, followed by the No. 1 team in the Midwest Region, North Central College.

On the women’s side, Illinois Wesleyan, the top team in the Midwest, won the invitational with a total score of 42 points.             They also had the top finisher in Rachael Williams with a time of 22:35. Illinois Tech finished second, and Carthage took third.

Finishing seventh, with 215 points, were the Warhawk women, who, like the men, were more concerned about giving others opportunities to run. Many personal bests were set on the women’s side as well.

Sophomore Paeton Wantuch led the Warhawks with a time of 24:40. She finished 36th out of 150 runners and had the second fastest time on the team this season.

Junior Dana Landem was the second finisher for the Warhawks with a time of 25:14. She finished 50th.

Looking ahead, the ’Hawks have a meet each of the next three weeks.

The ’Hawks will face a number of conference teams in this week’s Roy Griak Invitational.

The top ten runners from last week’s meet will be running.

“It will give us a good indication of where we are at,” Miller said.

It will be an all-day event with Divisions I-III men’s and women’s cross country teams in the morning and high school teams competing in the afternoon.

UW-Whitewater travels to Cuba City next week and Winneconne the week after.

A Great Sports Probability Website

Joe Burkland has created a great statistical sports site with power rankings for all NFL teams and predictions each week. Here is the link for his site: http://thestatisticaltruth.org/