Oh, the abrupt and heartbreaking finality of the NCAA tournament. There are not too many instances in which anticipation can so easily change into heartbreak … all in around two hours. At 3:45 p.m. Sunday, the Wisconsin Badgers and their fans were feeling pretty good. By the time twilight had overtaken the dairy state, the mood had changed, to say the least.

Just like that, a promising season had come to an end, in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The No. 10 team in nation was merely one of 32 teams to win one NCAA game.

Dare I say disappointing?

I’ll admit, it does seem a bit strange to complain about “only making the second round of the NCAA tournament,” especially after a quick UW basketball history lesson. In the 10 seasons prior to Bo Ryan’s arrival in Madison, the Badgers had posted just three winning Big Ten records, and other than the magical Final Four run of 2000, the only Wisconsin squad to make it to the second round of the Big Dance was Stu Jackson’s 1993-94 Badgers.

Then along came Ryan, the swing offense, and a whole lot of conference wins. In his first season in Madison, he guided eight scholarship players and the likes of Max Peek, Michael Jackson and Brent Boettcher to a 19-13 record and a share of the Big Ten title. One year later, the Badgers did one better, claiming the conference championship outright and winning 24 ball games, including a 12-4 league mark.

This season, Ryan and UW could not pull off the three-peat, but proceeded to put on a basketball exhibition in Indianapolis and captured the school’s first Big Ten tournament championship. As much as the Wisconsin basketball program accomplished this season, however, there could have been more.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, Wisconsin was getting national press BEFORE the tourney, not the “Vershaw? Kelley? Bryant? Who in the heck are these guys?” of 2000. Dick Vitale, Andy Katz, Rick Majerus, Bob Ryan and others were singing the praises of Ryan and the Badgers all over ESPN. All that talk, and not much came out of it. When the Badgers bowed out in the second round to a tough as nails Pitt team, they missed a golden opportunity to join the ranks of the national elite.

Sure, there are other factors involved: injuries, an incredibly tough NCAA draw, more injuries, an unwarranted low seeding. Whatever your favorite excuse might be, though, it does not change the fact that losing in the second round was not what the Badgers and their fans had in mind.

Last season, thanks to a Freddie Owens three ball from the corner, UW went to the Sweet Sixteen. This year, Wisconsin entered the tournament on a tear, having won seven consecutive games and looked primed to move past the Sweet Sixteen. Oh yeah, and they were playing their first and second round games a Bo Jackson stone’s throw away from the Kohl Center in Milwaukee. Alas, no matter where the game is played, Pitt is still Pitt, and Pitt is a pretty darned good team. Everyone in Wisconsin found that out the hard way.

The Badgers failed to improve upon the accomplishments of a year ago. In fact, they fell short. Despite all their regular-season success, in that respect, the program regressed.

What makes the somewhat early tourney exit sting all the more is that there is no doubt in my mind — and I think in the eyes of many other observers — that this season’s Badger team was better than the previous. Even though they were without Kirk Penney and Alando Tucker (for most of the season), this team was simply better. When clicking on all cylinders, UW looked as tough as any team in the country. Nevertheless, in terms of national success, they came up short.

Everyone in Wisconsin, the Big Ten, and the Midwest knows what Wisconsin basketball is all about. But nationally, no one is really going to care until this team takes the next step and makes a run deep into March. I am well aware that Bo Ryan could care less about what other people think of his program and team, but a blue-chip recruit from across the country just might be affected by the national perception of Wisconsin basketball.

Under Ryan’s leadership, this program now has a chance to move out of the state and regional scene and burst into prime time. Now, I know that Ryan believes conference titles to be basketball’s purest championship, and to a large degree I agree with him. Hey, I could get used to taking home Big Ten hardware every season. Come to think of it, I have. But, I think even Bo would admit that “national champs” has a much better ring to it than “Big Ten champs.”

No one thinks of UCLA and says “PAC-10 champs.” No one looks at Kentucky and says, “Man oh man, they’ve always been tough in SEC play.” Programs are defined by Final Fours and national titles. That’s what made Kentucky well, Kentucky. Ditto for UCLA. Ditto for Indiana, Duke and North Carolina.

Certainly, Wisconsin is not in that national-contender class right now, but they could be very soon. Anyone who has spent a mind-numbing power lecture contemplating the potential lineups Ryan can put on the floor next season is well aware of that.

There is nothing wrong with the level Wisconsin is at right now; the last three years have been pretty swell. But this program has a chance to climb the national ladder and be something really special. If it wants to be mentioned in the same breathe as the Dukes, Marylands, and Kansases of the world, then it is time for Wisconsin to grab that next rung. Only time — and a big decision by Devin Harris — will tell how far they can climb.