Wisconsin’s dynamic duo of Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer appeared to run out of gas as they combined for an ugly 7-of-31 (.226) from the field in a 61-54 loss to the #8-seeded Butler Bulldogs.
For the fifth straight year, the Badgers have been knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by a mid-major team (UNLV, Davidson, Xavier, Cornell and Butler).
“We just needed to put a few more minutes together here tonight so we could keep dancing, but the music stopped playing. So we just wish Butler the best of luck in their journey for what they’re looking for,” said Badgers Head Coach Bo Ryan.
By: Nick Grays
For a while, it looked like the Badgers were going to put up another stinker similar to their debacle in Indianapolis (33 points in a loss to Penn State).
But a never-seen-before press and seemingly rare offensive run cut the deficit to four with a little under two minutes to go.
It was all for nothing though as the Badgers failed to capitalize at the end and Butler showed all of their valuable experience in crunch time.
Head Coach Brad Stevens and the Bulldogs deserve all the credit in the world while turning over the Badgers and shutting down any kind of rhythm Wisconsin might of had during the contest.
Forward Matt Howard was unbelievable with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and that’s right, just one foul.
Bo Ryan summed up the season beautifully with his opening comments following the loss to the Bulldogs.
“You know, it’s always tough when it ends, when you’ve got to put the balls away and the uniforms and practice gear. But I’m really proud of these guys. I really think they’ve had — when you look at the entire season, just there are things accomplished this year that people never dreamed of with this group,” said Ryan.
“Not just individual things with the triple-double or this scoring binge or this comeback or whatever, but just you take the whole season, it’s pretty good stuff.”
Farewell to seniors Jon Leuer, Tim Jarmusz and Keaton Nankivil who started for the majority of the year and made it the season it was in Madison.
What did you think of the Wisconsin Badgers 2010-11 season? What will they be remembered for? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior editor at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Brewers. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.