16. Devin Harris’ transition to point guard:

With the core of the 2001-02 squad returning this season, the biggest question mark was whether or not UW would have a legitimate point guard running the show with the loss of Travon Davis to graduation. Not only has Harris proven to be one of the more effective point guards in the conference, he has still managed to average 12.6 points per game while providing the spark of a new look, more up-tempo Badger offense.

15. Emergence of true freshmen:

With only four experienced players returning to the 2002-03 Badgers, head coach Bo Ryan and the rest of the team called upon the efforts of a pair of true freshmen to fill the void of an already thin bench. Both Alando Tucker and Boo Wade have exceeded their rookie expectations, providing a sense of depth on a team only about seven players deep. The 6-foot-5 Tucker consistently neutralized the opposing teams’ big men and electrified the Kohl Center with his 39-inch vertical while Wade provided Wisconsin with a steady three-guard rotation and was nearly flawless in the turnover department.

14. Kirk Penney’s game-winner at Ohio State:

While it was only the fourth Big Ten game of the season, Penney’s shot with six seconds left on the clock gave the Badgers a 53-52 win and prevented the Badgers from falling to 1-3 in conference play. Penney’s senior leadership and clutch play assured the Badger team that they were in good hands, and the win opened the door to a five-game UW win streak.

13. Continued development of Mike Wilkinson:

After being red-shirted in the 2000-01 season and proving that he is a viable starter in 2001-02 season, the sophomore from Blue Mound, Wis., has provided the Badgers with a solid post presence as well as a deep ball threat. A power forward/center at only 6-foot-8, Wilkinson still managed to pull down nearly seven rebounds per contest while averaging over 10 points a game.

12. The birth of “The Grateful Red”:

Despite a ridiculous, unoriginal name mimicking a group of stoners who wear tie-dyed T-shirts, the UW student section was loud and obnoxious for each of the 19 games played at the Kohl Center and no doubt played a role in the Badgers winning their second consecutive Big Ten title.

11. Second half vs. Indiana:

Trailing 29-21 at halftime, the Badgers erupted in the final 20 minutes of play outscoring the Hoosiers 50-30 in the second half while establishing themselves as a legitimate contender for the Big Ten title in front of a nationally televised audience. The second half explosion nearly had erratic IU head coach Mike Davis in tears at the post game press conference.

10. Tucker’s emergence:

In his first career start against UNLV, the freshman phenom posted 24 points and 18 rebounds, 10 of those boards coming on the offensive end. He has started every game of the season since then and, according to Bo Ryan, has matured and developed more than any he has ever seen in one season of play.

9. Two in a row at Minnesota:

One of the Badgers’ most impressive victories of the season in the hostile Williams Arena paved the way for UW to win the Big Ten title outright. It marked Wisconsin’s second consecutive win at Minnesota and Freddie Owens provided Badger fans just a glimpse of what he can do in the clutch, as his 17-foot jumper with under 30 seconds beat the shot clock and sealed the game for UW.

8. Spartan-killing alley-oop:

The only thing better than knocking off one of the premier teams in the conference is boiling the blood of their frustrated coach. A last-second play that was way overanalyzed portrayed a sense of fire and excitement in the nationally perceived bland offense that has characterized the Badgers over the years.

7. A balancing offensive act:

There aren’t many teams in the nation that have all five starters averaging double figures in points, but the Badgers are one of those few. With not one true superstar and an array of scorers, it’s no wonder that a team with so thin of a bench has managed to advance to the Sweet 16.

6. Standing tall:

In a physical, aggressive conference known for smash-mouth basketball and pounding the ball inside, UW managed to emerge as the premier team despite only one regular player standing taller than 6-foot-5. Credit Tucker and Wilkinson for holding their own in the paint, but give even more credit to Bo Ryan, who has orchestrated a system where size isn’t much of an issue.

5. Ryan two-for-two:

No one really knew much about the coach with college basketball’s highest winning percentage among active coaches when he came to UW in 2001, but he certainly made a reputation for himself on a national level over the last two years, establishing himself as UW fans’ favorite coach. And with the program he is building and the recruits he has coming in the next few years, students on campus know that this is only the beginning of the glory years of Badger basketball.

4. There’s no place like home:

For the second consecutive year, the Badgers managed to go undefeated in Big Ten home games, a fact that can be attributed to both the team’s caliber of play in the Kohl Center as well as the 17,142 fans that sell it out every home game.

3. Penney’s final game in Madison:

No one wants to see one of the most storied and likeable players in UW basketball history leave the Kohl Center, but what Penney has accomplished over his last four years in Madison has been almost heroic. His numbers increased annually from his freshman to senior year and he walked off the Kohl Center floor for the final time in his life with outright ownership of the Big Ten title. To the four years of 3-pointers and excitement in Madison, Kirk, thanks for the memories, mate!

2. Back-to-back Big Ten titles:

With only one senior on the team this season, the underclassmen-dominated Badgers managed to repeat their ascension to the top of the conference once again ? except they didn’t have to share the honors this year. In the most exciting regular season game of the year, Devin Harris’ poise at the free throw line buried the Fighting Illini, as well as any aspiration they had of winning another conference title.

1.Owens’ game-winner:

With one smooth stroke in the final seconds of Wisconsin’s second round game against Tulsa, Freddie Owens put the finishing touch on another chapter of March Madness miracles, setting a date for tonight’s showdown with No. 1 seed Kentucky. No one except the Badgers believed they could come back from a 13-point deficit with just four minutes to play, but they never threw in the towel and for some reason, Owens just knew that the ball was coming to him.