Wisconsin's 74-68 loss to UNLV Sunday was a tough one for Badger fans to swallow.
It came out of nowhere — a loss in the second round of the tournament just wasn't the way the UW men's basketball team's 2006-07 season was supposed to end. The year was full of big wins, broken records and just a general high feeling on campus — all of which abruptly came to an end.
"This is not how I wanted to go out, and I don't think this is the way Tuck wanted to, either," Kammron Taylor said at the postgame press conference, holding back tears. "Our goal was to make a deep run in the tournament. Right now, it stings."
Even worse, though, is the fact that the loss just verifies everything the Badgers' critics had to say. It was said that Wisconsin's non-conference schedule was weak, the Big Ten had a down year and the Badgers peaked too early. While UW's non-conference opponents were better than advertised and the Big Ten turned some heads in the first round of the tournament, it's hard to argue on the last point.
After receiving the first No. 1 ranking in school history, everything seemed to go downhill as the Badgers ended the season on a 4-4 record. Although the first two games were tough — at Michigan State and Ohio State — it was clear Wisconsin was in some sort of funk, and having Brian Butch injured on the bench didn't help any.
But don't let that tarnish what was the best season in school history.
"Things a lot of times don't fall in place like you want it," Alando Tucker said. "Overall, I look down the line at some of the things we've done, and I wouldn't take anything back."
Tucker finished as Wisconsin's all-time leading scorer with 2,217 points, leading the Badgers to the most wins in school history (30) and the school's first No. 1 ranking, among numerous other records.
And while Badger fans may still be having a tough time coming to grips with Sunday's loss, losing Tucker for good is what's really going to hurt.
There's no doubt Wisconsin will still have a strong lineup next season, but it won't have the go-to player that "Tuck" was. Sure, junior-to-be — as well as Tucker's current roommate — Marcus Landry could step up and fill the role, but that remains to be seen.
Any time the Badgers needed a bucket, the Grateful Red could rest assured knowing Tucker would take over, using his bunny-hop jump stop to get in the lane and throw up a shot that always seemed to go in.
Yet losing Tucker the player will be just as bad as losing Tucker the person. For five years, the Lockport, Ill., native battled his way from a tough childhood or nagging injuries to give his all to Wisconsin.
"If they can't admire a guy like Alando Tucker and what he's been through and what he's done, then they don't have a pulse," UW head coach Bo Ryan said. "I think Alando makes a huge statement for the University of Wisconsin."
Never once was Tucker in legal trouble. Never once was Tucker in academic trouble. Never once did Tucker cause any problems in the locker room.
Tucker was a class act, on the court and off. He was a leader, role model and then some — everything a head coach could possibly ask for. If the university should retire anyone's jersey number, it should be Tucker's No. 42 first and foremost.
Looking back at Tucker's career, things might look somewhat backward — a run to the Sweet 16 his freshman year, Elite Eight his sophomore year and then disappointing first- and second-round exits his last two seasons.
Nevertheless, Tucker's senior year should not be forgotten for the way it ended.
"We wanted to do something special this year as a unit," Tucker said. "We figured with the personnel that we had, we had a chance to do a lot of great things for Wisconsin, for the university.
"For the most part, we lived up to that."
Michael is a senior double majoring in journalism and communication arts. You can send your favorite 2006-07 UW basketball memories to [email protected].
