The Wisconsin Badgers are an

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

team competing in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. The Badgers' home games are played at the

Kohl Center The Kohl Center is an arena and athletic center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States. The building, which opened in 1998, is the home of the university's men's basketball and ice hockey teams, and the women's basketball team. ...

, located on the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

campus in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. Wisconsin has 1,618 wins through the end of the 2018–19 season which is top 50 all-time among Division I college basketball programs.

History

Early years (1898–1911)

Wisconsin Badger basketball began in December, 1898 with the formation of its first team coached by Dr. James C. Elsom. The Badgers played their first game on January 21, 1899, losing to the Milwaukee Normal Alumni 25–15 in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

br>
In 1905,

Christian Steinmetz Christian Steinmetz (June 28, 1882 – June 11, 1963) was an American basketball player. He played forward for the University of Wisconsin from 1903 to 1905. He was college basketball's leading scorer in the game's first 25 years from 1895 to 1 ...

became the first

Wisconsin Badger The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Di ...

basketball player to be named All-American. In the 1906–07 season, Wisconsin won its first share of the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

Championship, under the coaching of Emmett Angell. They won it again the next year in 1908.

Walter Meanwell era (1911–1934)

Walter Meanwell began coaching the Badgers in 1911. In his first season, he led Wisconsin to an undefeated season (15–0), and then led them to another 15–0 season in 1913–14. Meanwell's teams would win eight

Championships during his tenure, in 1912, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1921, 1923, 1924, and 1929. Between the 1917–18 and 1919–20 seasons,

Guy Lowman Guy Sumner Lowman (May 1877 – September 14, 1943) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach and a player of baseball. He served as the head football coach at Warrensburg Teachers College—now the University of Central Missouri ( ...

coached the Badgers, leading them to a 1918 Big Ten Conference Championship before Meanwell returned in 1920. Meanwell would also coach two All-Americans during his Wisconsin career, George Levis in 1916 and Harold "Bud" Foster in 1930. On December 18, 1930, the first game was played in the new

Wisconsin Field House The Wisconsin Field House (commonly known as the UW Field House) is a multi-purpose arena owned by the University of Wisconsin–Madison and located directly south of Camp Randall Stadium. In addition to sports events, the Field House has been the ...

, a basketball arena with a capacity of 11,500.

Bud Foster era (1934–1959)

Starting with the 1934–35 season, former UW basketball player

Bud Foster Robert Eugene "Bud" Foster Jr. (born July 28, 1959) is a retired American college football coach and former player. He currently serves as a Special Assistant to Athletics Director Whit Babcock. Following the 2006 season, he received the Frank Br ...

began coaching the Wisconsin Badgers. In his first season as head coach, he led the Badgers to their 12th Big Ten Conference Championship in 28 years. In 1941, Foster led the Badgers to their only NCAA Championship in history. With the help of tournament MOP John Kotz and All-American

Gene Englund Gene Eniar Englund (October 21, 1917 – November 5, 1995) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for one season, , and split the season playing for the Boston Celtics and Tri-Ci ...

, the Badgers beat

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

39–34 in the final game of the NCAA Tournament. It was their first ever invitation to the NCAA Tournament, after winning the Big Ten Championship in that year. Foster coached three All-Americans during his tenure – Gene Englund in 1941, John Kotz in 1942 and

Don Rehfeldt Don Rehfeldt (January 7, 1927 – October 16, 1980) was an American basketball player. He was the second overall pick in the 1950 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets from the Wisconsin Badgers. Basketball career He was a graduate of Amundsen ...

in 1950. The Badgers won one more Big Ten championship in 1947 and attended their second NCAA Tournament. It would be their last postseason appearance of any sort for 42 years, and their last NCAA appearance for 47 years.

1959–1994

300px, The 1977 basketball team The mediocre records of the last decade of Foster's tenure would remain largely the norm for the Badgers for the next four decades. From 1954 to 1995, the Badgers would have only eight winning seasons. They also notched only two winning records in Big Ten play and finished as high as fourth only four times. Among the few bright spots during this time were the 1962 win over number one ranked Ohio State and stars Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek, NIT appearances under

Steve Yoder Stephen Kent Yoder (born c. 1939) is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Ball State University from 1977 to 1982 and the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1982 to 1992, compiling caree ...

in 1989 and 1991, and another in 1992 under Stu Jackson. The revival of Wisconsin basketball began in the early 1990s, when Yoder and Jackson recruited and developed

Michael Finley Michael Howard Finley (born March 6, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who is the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the ...

Tracy Webster Tracy Webster (born April 7, 1971) is a former American basketball coach. Webster worked as an assistant coach at Kentucky, Illinois, Purdue, Ball State, DePaul, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Cal. He was the interim head coach at DePaul from January ...

Rashard Griffith Rashard Nathan Griffith (born October 8, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Early career A native of Chicago, Illinois, Griffith starred for the nationally ranked King Jaguars of the Chicago Public League, where he was p ...

and other talented players. In 1994, the Badgers returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1947 and notched their first win in that tournament since winning it all in 1941.

Dick Bennett era (1995–2000)

In 1995,

Dick Bennett Richard A. Bennett (born April 20, 1943) is an American former college basketball coach who is best known for building the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball program into a mid-major power and revitalizing the Wisconsin Badgers basket ...

then took over after leading Wisconsin-Green Bay to mid-major prominence. In 1997, he led the Badgers to their first winning Big Ten record in 23 years, and only their second in 43 years. The Badgers began a run of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in 1999, and reached the NCAA tournament Final Four in 2000. Coach

Bo Ryan William Francis "Bo" Ryan Jr. (born December 20, 1947) is an American former college basketball coach and player. He was the head coach of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers men's basketball team from 2001 to December 2015. Ryan se ...

brought the program continued success, achieving greater regular season and NCAA tournament success in his 15 year tenure than the program had achieved over the prior 60 years. Since the late 1990s Wisconsin has turned into a basketball powerhouse making regular trips to the NCAA Tournament.Since 2001-2002 Wisconsin has finished in the top 4 in the Big Ten regular season standings 19 times in the past 21 seasons, and have won 6 Big Ten regular season championships and 3 Big Ten tournament championships. In

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, the Badgers entered the NCAA tournament seeded #8 in the West bracket. Beyond most expectations, they defeated #9 Fresno St, #1

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, #4

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

, and #6 Purdue in order to advance to the Final Four. However, the Badgers then lost to #1 and eventual national champion

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

, 53–41. After three games into the 2000–01 season (in which he went 2–1), Bennett abruptly retired due to burnout. His final game was a 78–75 win over eventual Final Four participant

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Assistant

Brad Soderberg Bradley William Soderberg (born May 10, 1962) is a men's college basketball coach. He is currently the Director of Scouting for the University of Virginia Cavaliers. Soderberg was previously head coach at Lindenwood, St. Louis, South Dakota State ...

was named interim head coach. Soderberg led Wisconsin to a 16–10 record (18–11 overall), but was upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Georgia State.

Bo Ryan era (2001–2015)

Soderberg was let go at the end of the 2000-01 season, and Wisconsin hired

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscon ...

coach

as the new head coach. Ryan had previously won four Division III national championships at the

University of Wisconsin-Platteville A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. In the 2001–02 season, under the new leadership of Bo Ryan, the Badgers went 19–13 (11–5) and won a share of the Big Ten regular season title for the first time since 1947, tying for first place in the Big Ten with

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, and

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

. The Badgers defeated St. John's 90–80 in Ryan's first NCAA tournament game before falling to eventual national champion

. During the 2002-03 season, Wisconsin secured its first outright regular season conference title in 56 years. The Badgers lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament to Ohio State. They then attended the NCAA tournament with a #5 seed, beating

Weber State Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...

in the first round and

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

in the second round. The Badgers then lost to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

in the Sweet Sixteen. In the 2003–04 season, Wisconsin finished second in the Big Ten behind Illinois. They went on to win the Big Ten tournament for the first time since its inception in 1998. The Badgers defeated Minnesota in a quarterfinal, rallied to beat Michigan State in a semifinal, and defeated Illinois in the final. However, because the game was played too late to be taken under consideration by the NCAA tournament selection committee, the Badgers received a #6 seed. They defeated

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

in the first round before losing to #3 seed

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

in the second round. In the 2004–05 season, Wisconsin finished third in the Big Ten. In the Big Ten tournament semifinal against

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

Alando Tucker Alando Forest Tucker (born February 11, 1984) is an American former collegiate basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketba ...

made a long shot at the buzzer to give UW a 3-point win, but the Badgers lost to #1 ranked Illinois in the championship. In the 2005 NCAA tournament, Wisconsin advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating #11 seed

Northern Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, #14 seed Bucknell, and #10 seed

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The unive ...

before losing to #1 and eventual national champion,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. In the 2005–06 season, the Badgers had a somewhat disappointing season that culminated in a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, and another loss to Arizona in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The highlight of the season was a win over intrastate rival Marquette. The Badgers' lone non-conference loss was against Missouri State. On February 19, 2007, the Badgers earned their first #1 ranking in school history with a 26–2 record, but the next day, were defeated by the unranked Michigan State Spartans 64–55 at the

Breslin Center The Jack Breslin Student Events Center is a multi-purpose arena at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1989, and is named for Jack Breslin, MSU alumnus, former athlete and administrator, who first began p ...

. Entering the Big Ten tournament as the #2 seed, they defeated Michigan State 70–57. The Badgers defeated the

Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

in the semi-finals, 53–41, to advance to the finals against Ohio State, where they were beaten 66–49. The Badgers were selected as a 2nd seed in the NCAA tournament, but were defeated by 7th-seeded

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

in the second round. In the 2007–08 season, the

Badgers Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by the ...

finished first in the Big Ten, winning the Big Ten

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...

outright and the conference tournament, defeating the

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

in the finals. In the NCAA tournament, the Badgers were awarded a No. 3 seed and won their first game against

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

. They followed that up with a win in the second round over

Michael Beasley Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Kansas State Univers ...

and the Kansas State Wildcats, due in part to 25 points from sophomore Trevon Hughes. The Badgers then lost to the No. 10 seed

Davidson Wildcats The Davidson Wildcats are the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics teams representing Davidson College of Davidson, North Carolina, United States. A member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), Davidson College sponsors teams in ten men ...

and Stephen Curry by a score of 73–56 in the Sweet Sixteen. In the 2008–09 season, the Badgers finished tied for 4th in the Big Ten with an overall record of 19–11 and 10–8 in the Big Ten. In the NCAA tournament, the Badgers were awarded a No. 12 seed and upset No. 5 seed Florida State University in the first round, 61–59. In the second round the Badgers lost 60–49 to the No. 4 seed

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 stud ...

. The Badgers finished the 2008–09 season with an overall record of 20–13. In the 2009-10 season, Wisconsin defeated three top 5-ranked teams during the regular season: Duke, Purdue, and Michigan State. The Badgers finished the season tied for 4th in the Big Ten, with a record of 23–7 overall and 13–5 in the Big Ten. In the NCAA tournament, the Badgers were awarded a #4 seed. They beat #13 seed Wofford in the first round, 53–49. In the second round the Badgers lost 87–69 to the #12 seed

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

. The Badgers finished the 2009–10 season with an overall record of 24–9. Ryan led the Badgers to the school's third undefeated season at home in 2010-11. The Badgers finished 25–9 overall (13–5 Big Ten). In February 2011, they beat then-undefeated Ohio State University, the school's second win over the AP No. 1 team. After falling to Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, the Badgers secured a No. 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The team beat 13th-seed Belmont and fifth-seed Kansas State. They fell to Butler in the Sweet Sixteen. Jordan Taylor was named a second-team All-American, and

Jon Leuer Jon Leuer (born May 14, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 40th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. During his National Basketball Association (NBA) career, he also played fo ...

was honorable mention. Leuer was selected in the second round of the NBA draft by the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. The Badgers finished the 2011-12 season 26–10 overall (12–6 Big Ten). In the Big Ten tournament, Wisconsin was the #4 seed and defeated the #5 seed Hoosiers before losing to the #1 seed

Spartans Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

. In the NCAA Tournament, the Badgers were awarded the 4th-seed in the East Region. The team defeated 13th-seeded

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

and 5th-seeded Vanderbilt. In the regional semifinal, Wisconsin faced the #1 seeded Syracuse, losing 64–63. The 2012–13 Badgers lost junior starting point guard

Josh Gasser Joshua Patrick Gasser (born February 13, 1992) is a former American basketball player who last played with Löwen Braunschweig of Germany's Basketball Bundesliga. Gasser played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. Gasser is one of only ...

, who tore his ACL in October. Wisconsin defeated Michigan and Indiana in the Big Ten tournament before losing to Ohio State in the championship. The Badgers earned a #5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and faced #12 seed Ole Miss, where they were upset 57–46. The Badgers finished with a 23–12 record, including a 12–6 mark in Big Ten play. In the 2013-14 season, the Badgers tallied 16 wins before their first loss of the season at the hands of Indiana. They lost four of their next five games. The team finished the Big Ten schedule with one loss to Nebraska in the regular season finale, earning the #2 seed in the Big Ten tournament. They lost in the semi-finals to the Michigan State Spartans. The Badgers were awarded a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. They beat #15 seed American, then Oregon, Baylor, and the #1 seed Arizona Wildcats. This led to the third Final Four appearance for the Badgers in school history. The Badgers lost the Final Four match-up with Kentucky, when

Aaron Harrison Aaron Malik Harrison (born October 28, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Kaohsiung Steelers of the P. League+. He was considered one of the top high school recruits in 2013 and played college basketball for the University o ...

hit a last second three pointer. In the 2014–2015 season the Badgers won the Big Ten title outright and the Big Ten tournament title. They received their first #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, entering the tournament ranked #3 in the nation. The Badgers locked up their second consecutive Final Four appearance with an 85–78 victory over #2 seed Arizona, after having defeated #4 seed North Carolina 79–72. In the Final Four, they topped previously unbeaten overall #1 seed Kentucky 71–64, ending their undefeated season. They lost to Duke in the championship game, 68–63. Midway through the 2015-16 season, Ryan opted to retire immediately after earlier saying that this season would be his last.

Greg Gard era (2015–present)

Greg Gard Gregory Glen Gard (born December 3, 1970) is an American college basketball coach for the Wisconsin Badgers . Gard took over on December 15, 2015, after Bo Ryan announced his retirement as head coach of the Badgers. Gard is a native of Cobb Wisco ...

, who had been on Ryan's staff since his days at UW-Platteville, was named his successor in December 2015. In the 2015–16 season, the Badgers entered the NCAA tournament as a 7 seed. The Badgers beat 10 seed Pittsburgh in the first round 47–43 to advance to face 2 seed Xavier in the second round. The Badgers locked up their second victory defeating Xavier 66–63 with a buzzer beater from

Bronson Koenig Bronson Koenig (born November 13, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. Koenig attended Aquinas High School in La C ...

. They were then defeated in the sweet sixteen by 6 seed Notre Dame, 61–56. In the 2016–17 season, the Badgers were second in the regular-season Big Ten standings and in the Big Ten Conference tournament. They entered the NCAA tournament as an 8 seed. They defeated 9 seed Virginia Tech in the first round 84–74, moving on to face overall 1 seed Villanova at Madison Square Garden. They defeated Villanova 65–62 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth straight year, only to lose 84–83 to 4 seed Florida on a last-second buzzer beater in overtime by Chris Chiozza. In the 2017–18 season, the Badgers finished the season with a 15–18 record, 7–11 in Big Ten Play and finished in 9th place. They defeated

in the second round of the Big Ten tournament, followed by a loss to

in the quarterfinals. The Badgers failed to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998, ending their streak of 19 years. In the 2018–19 season, the Badgers finished the season with a 23–11 record, 14–6 in Big Ten play, and finished in 4th place. Wisconsin entered the Big Ten tournament as the 4 seed, after they earned a double bye, and beat

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

before they were defeated by

in the semifinals. The Badgers earned a bid into the NCAA tournament as a 5 seed and lost to

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

in the first round. The Badgers would complete the 2019–20 season with a 21-10 record, with a 14-6 Big Ten record. After winning 8 straight games to end the regular season, Wisconsin secured a share of the Big Ten regular season title, and was named the #1 seed in the Big Ten tournament. Coach Gard would also be named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. However, the Badgers' season would end early as the Big Ten tournament and NCAA Tournament were both cancelled due to precautions related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Wisconsin would be listed at #17 on the AP's final 2019-20 rankings. In the 2020-21 the Wisconsin Badgers finished the season with a 18-13 record, finished 10-10 in B1G Ten play, and finished in 6th place. They enter the Big Ten tournament as the 6th seed and faced Penn State. The held on 75-74 and advance to the quarterfinals to face

. They lost 57-62. They entered the NCAA tournament as a 9 seed. They defeated

in the first round 85-62. They lost 63-76 in the second round against Baylor who became the 2021 tournament champions.In 2021-22 the Wisconsin Badgers beat Purdue 70-67 to win at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title their 20th regular season Big Ten title which ties Ohio State for third all time in the Big Ten only behind Purdue and Indiana and their 2nd Big Ten regular season title in the past 3 seasons.

Coaching history

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Badgers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 26 times, including a streak of 19 consecutive appearances. Their combined record is 40–25. They were the national champion in 1941. NCAA Tournament seeding history ''The

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.''

NIT results

The Badgers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) four times. Their combined record is 3–4.

Retired jerseys

The Badgers have retired three jerseys in their program history. When Wisconsin retires jerseys the numbers stay in circulation, but a banner hangs in the rafters of the Kohl Center.

All-Americans

Helms Athletic Foundation selections

* C. D. McLees (1905) *

(1905) * Frank Arthur (1907) * Hugh Harper (1908) *

Helmer Swenholt Helmer Swenholt (28 June 1886 – 8 May 1952) was born in Wittenberg, Shawano County, Wisconsin (near Shawano, Wisconsin). Having pursued a degree in engineering, he put his education to work in the Army Corps of Engineers. He was an officer and Ve ...

(1908, 1909) * Walter Scoville (1911) * Otto Stangel (1912) * Allen Johnson (1913) * Carl Harper (1914) * Eugene Van Gent (1914) * George Levis (1915, 1916) *

Bill Chandler William Stephen Chandler (August 27, 1895 – May 23, 1953) was an American basketball and baseball coach. He served as the head basketball coach at River Falls State Normal School—now known as the University of Wisconsin–River Falls—from ...

(1916, 1918) *

Harold Olsen Harold G. Olsen (May 12, 1895 – October 29, 1953) was a college men's basketball coach. The Rice Lake, Wisconsin native was the head coach of the Ohio State University from 1922 to 1946. That year, he became the first head coach of the BAA's ...

(1917) *

Eber Simpson Eber Edward Simpson (July 24, 1895 – December 19, 1964) was an American football, basketball and baseball player, football coach, and physician. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he starred in football, basketball, and b ...

(1918)

Consensus selections

(1941) * John Kotz (1942, 1943) *

(1950) *

Devin Harris Devin Lamar Harris (born February 27, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Harris attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Harris was selected with the fifth pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. E ...

(2004) *

(2007) * Jordan Taylor (2011) *

Frank Kaminsky Francis Stanley Kaminsky III (born April 4, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. During his college basket ...

(2015) *

Ethan Happ Ethan Happ (born May 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Rio Breogán of the Spanish Liga ACB. He is the all-time leading rebounder for the Wisconsin Badgers, where he started all 139 games of his college career and is the ...

(2017) * Johnny Davis (2022)

National Players of the Year

(1905) * Otto Stangel (1912) * George Levis (1916) *

(1918) *

(2015)

Basketball Hall of Fame

* Walter Meanwell * Harold E. Foster

Current NBA players

(2015), drafted 9th overall by the Charlotte Hornets, currently with the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

* Micah Potter (2021), undrafted, currently with the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

* Johnny Davis (2022), drafted 10th overall by the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

Current international players

Andy Van Vliet Andy Van Vliet (born July 27, 1995) is a Belgian basketball player who plays power forward and center for Bnei Herzliya Basket in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the University of Wisconsin and the Colleg ...

(born 1995), Belgian basketball player for Bnei Herzliya Basket in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

Players drafted to the NBA

All-time statistical leaders

Single-game leaders

* Points scored:

(43, November 19, 2013) * 3-pointers:

(8, March 16, 2017) & Brad Davison (8, February 15, 2020) * Assists:

(13, 1992) * Rebounds: Paul Morrow (30, 1953) * Steals: Mike Kelley (10, 1999) &

(10, 1993) * Blocked shots: Nate Reuvers x2 (9, 2018 & 2019)

Single-season leaders

* Points scored:

(732, 2014–15) * Scoring average: Clarence Sherrod (23.8, 1970–71) * Field goal percentage: Patrick Tompkins (63.6% 164–258, 1990–91) * 3-pointers scored:

(103, 2016–17) * 3-point percentage:

(49.0% 75–153, 1991–92) * Free throw percentage: Brian Good (.905% 57–63, 1989–90) * Rebounds: Jim Clinton (344, 1950–51) * Rebounding average: Jim Clinton (15.6, 1950–51) * Assists:

(179, 1992–93) * Assist-to-turnover ratio: Mike Kelley (4.30, 1998–99) * Blocked shots:

Brad Sellers Bradley Donn Sellers (GOAT)(born December 17, 1962) is an American retired professional basketball player, politician, and radio host serving as the mayor of his hometown, Warrensville Heights, Ohio, as well as a postgame radio analyst for the Clev ...

(68, 1982–83) * Triple-doubles:

(2, 2018–19)

Career statistical leaders

* Points scored:

(2,217, 2002–07) * Scoring average: Clarence Sherrod (19.6, 1969–71) * Field goal percentage: Patrick Tompkins (57.3% 306–534, 1988–91) * 3-pointers scored: Brad Davison (300, 2017–2022) * 3-point percentage: Tim Locum (47.2% 227–481, 1988–91) * Free throws made:

Nigel Hayes Nigel Hayes-Davis ( Hayes; born December 16, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. Hayes attended Whi ...

(546, 2013–17) * Free throws percentage: Rick Olson (87.0 260–299, 1983–86) * Rebounds:

(1,217, 2015–2019) * Assists:

(501, 1992–94) * Assist-to-turnover ratio: Jordan Taylor (3.01 464–154, 2009–12) * Steals: Mike Kelley (275, 1998–01) * Blocked shots:

(154, 2015–2019) * Games played:

(150, 2013–17) * Triple-doubles:

(2, 2015–19)

1,000-point scorers

(2,217, 2002–07) *

(2,147, 1991–95) *

(2,130, 2015–19) *

(1,857, 2013–17) *

Danny Jones Daniel Alan David Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2005'' (born 12 March 1986) is an English singer-songwriter and musician who is one of the lead vocalists and the lead guitarist for pop-rock band McFly. Jone ...

(1,854, 1986–90) * Brad Davison (1,827, 2017-22) *

Claude Gregory Claude Andre Gregory (born December 26, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player from Washington, D.C.. He was a 6'8" (203 cm) 205 lb (93 kg) power forward. College career Gregory played college basketball for t ...

(1,745, 1977–81) * Rick Olson (1,736, 1982–86) * Trent Jackson (1,545, 1985–89) * Jordan Taylor (1,533, 2008–12) * Mike Wilkinson (1,532, 2001–05) *

(1,459, 2013–17) *

(1,458, 2011–15) *

Kirk Penney Kirk Samuel Penney (born 23 November 1980) is a New Zealand professional basketball player. He played four years of college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers between 1999 and 2003, where he was twice named first-team all-conference and an al ...

(1,454, 1999–03) * D'Mitrik Trice (1,430, 2016–21) *

(1,425, 2001–04) * Clarence Sherrod (1,408, 1968–71) * Cory Blackwell (1,405, 1981–84) *

(1,376, 2007–11) *

Sam Dekker Samuel Thomas Dekker (born May 6, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the London Lions of the British Basketball League (BBL) and the EuroCup. Dekker played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. After finishing colleg ...

(1,363, 2012–15) * Trevon Hughes (1,339, 2006–10) * Sean Mason (1,294, 1994–99) *

(1,264, 1991–94) *

Wes Matthews Wesley Joel Matthews Sr. (born August 24, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the father of curren ...

(1,251, 1977–80) *

Kammron Taylor Kammron Taylor (born August 28, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Saint John Riptide of the National Basketball League of Canada. He played college basketball for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. E ...

(1,223, 2003–07) * Joe Franklin (1,215, 1965–68) * Dale Koehler (1,200, 1972–76) * Dick Cable (1,180, 1951–55) * Joe Chrnelich (1,171, (1976–80) * Jason Bohannon (1,170, 2006–10) *

(1,169, 1944–50) * Leon Howard (1,165, 1970–73) *

Scott Roth Scott Edward Roth (born June 3, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Tasmania JackJumpers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Early life Roth was born in Cleveland, Oh ...

(1,156, 1981–85) * Ben Brust (1,148, 2010–14) * James Johnson (1,147, 1966–69) *

Brian Butch Brian Butch (born December 22, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He is currently working as a radio color commentator for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League. He was a center on the 2003 McDonald's All-American baske ...

(1,115, 2004–08) *

Marcus Landry Marcus Landry (born November 1, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Goyang Orions of the Korean Basketball League. Landry attended Vincent High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and played his college basketball ...

(1,114, 2005–09) * Ken Siebel (1,084, 1960–63) * Nate Reuvers (1,078, 2017-21) * Tim Locum (1,077, 1987–91) *

(1,075, 2010–15) * Larry Petty (1,066, 1977–81) * Mark Vershaw (1,066, 1997–01) * Chuck Nagle (1,064, (1967–70) * Sean Daugherty (1,057, 1994–98) * J.J. Weber (1,021, 1983–87) * Willie Simms (1,015, 1987–91)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball