The 1997–98 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

as a member of the

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during the 1997-98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Head coach

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 ...

completed his third season coaching with the Badgers. In the program's

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season, the team played its home games in

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at both the

UW 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 th ...

and later the

Kohl Center The Kohl Center is a multi-purpose arena located at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States. The arena opened in 1998 and is the home of the university's men's basketball and ice hockey teams, and the women's basketball team. The ...

, which the Badgers opened on January 17, 1998, with a 56–33 win over Northwestern.

Season summary

Wisconsin was unable to build on the previous year's success during a tumultuous season. Down two of its top players by midseason, the squad struggled to shoot well consistently. The Badgers scored fewer than 50 points seven times, going winless in those games. Notably, Wisconsin let back-to-back home games slip away to

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(79–76) and

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(53–47 in overtime) to start February, which dropped its season mark to 10–13. The losses were part of an 11-game Big Ten losing streak to end the regular season, which was interrupted only by a non-conference win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. True to Bennett's style, however, the Badgers led the Big Ten in scoring defense by allowing 62.6 points per contest. Though the team failed to receive a postseason invite, the substantial minutes played by four freshman laid groundwork for the memorable tournament run to come in 2000. Wisconsin rebounded from consecutive early losses to Pepperdine and

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to beat No. 18

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and

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to win the consolation bracket at the Big Island Invitational in

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. Other highlights include going 2–1 against Top 25 teams in non-conference play and christening a new arena with a win. A No. 10 seed in the inaugural

Big Ten tournament Big Ten Tournament can refer to any Big Ten Conference sport that has a tournament or championship game: * Big Ten Football Championship Game * Big Ten men's basketball tournament * Big Ten women's basketball tournament * Big Ten baseball tournamen ...

, Wisconsin opened against

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. Freshman Maurice Linton's jumper in the final seconds advanced the Badgers, 52–51. In the quarterfinals, Illinois held Wisconsin to 10 points at halftime. A furious Badger comeback erased an 18-point deficit but ultimately fell short in the final six minutes.

Ty Calderwood injury

Lingering complications from off-season knee surgery prevented Ty Calderwood from playing a single minute in 1997–98. It was a substantial blow, as a year earlier, the junior point guard led the Big Ten in steals and guided Wisconsin back to the NCAA Tournament. Calderwood was forced to take a medical redshirt. As a result, Mike Kelley became the first Badger freshman guard to start the season opener since Rick Olson in 1982.

Sam Okey's departure

Junior forward Sam Okey was suspended by head coach Dick Bennett for the start of the campaign, including the first two regular season games, reportedly for

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

use. Upon his reinstatement, Okey battled back spasms which caused him to miss four of the next 13 games as Wisconsin fought to an 8–7 record. Clashes over his role, work ethic and off-the-court issues came to a head on January 13, 1998, when Okey quit the team. The Badgers went 4–12 the remainder of the season. Okey transferred to the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

to play his senior year.

Awards

Sean Mason was a Honorable Mention All-Big Ten pick by the coaches and media at the conclusion of the season.

Roster

Schedule

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Player statistics

Records

Sean Mason made the first field goal in Kohl Center history on January 17, 1998, vs. Northwestern. A February 11, 1998 loss to Northwestern, in which he went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, was the last game Sean Mason would fail to make a three-pointer in his Badger career. His streak of 39 straight games with a three-pointer began February 14, 1998 against Penn State and was a school record until being eclipsed by Bronson Koenig in 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997-98 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

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