Braun: The UW men’s basketball team had a season to remember. Marcus Landry eclipsed the 1,000-point mark, Joe Krabbenhoft set a new record for games played and the Badgers bounced back to make the NCAA Tournament after losing six consecutive Big Ten games.

But none of that compares to what Trevon Hughes did in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Florida State.

After being down by 31-19 at halftime, the Badgers crawled back to force overtime against the No. 5 seed Seminoles. Hughes wasn’t himself the entire game, taking only three shots before the fateful final seconds.

With seconds ticking away and the Badgers down by one, Hughes drove to the lane with every Badger fan holding their breath. Most were probably thinking, “We’ve seen this before,” and hoping somehow Hughes would find an open player.

Well, that wild runner in the key soon turned into a bucket and a foul — somehow, Hughes gave Wisconsin a two-point lead, one which it wouldn’t relinquish in the final two ticks, pushing the Badgers into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That play, reminiscent of Hughes’ wildness all year long, was the best moment of the entire year in UW athletics.

So it wasn’t the Sweet Sixteen or a National Championship, but considering all the adversity the Badgers faced during the season, Hughes’ wild runner in the lane gave Wisconsin that ounce of glory it hadn’t had all year long.

Solochek: As exciting as it was to watch Trevon Hughes bury the game-winning shot in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (especially because it was only being televised intermittently while I was in Mexico), there was no more exciting game than the football team’s season finale against Cal Poly last fall.

Despite the positive outcome, the game wasn’t exactly that exciting for a good reason. In theory, the Badgers should have used the game as a tune-up for the bowl season, not have to sweat it out as Cal Poly’s spread offense dismantled a clueless Wisconsin defense.

But, especially on senior night, there was no way Wisconsin was going to let a bunch of West Coasties get in the way of them finishing the season on a high note. As it turned out, neither was the Mustang’s kicker. I don’t know if it was the wind, or maybe there was someone moving the goalposts Christopher Lloyd-style from “Angels in the Outfield,” but those few missed extra points gave the seniors on the field and in the stands a night to remember.

Sure, the football team may have had a less than memorable bowl appearance down in Orlando this winter, but it will be very hard to forget the rollercoaster ride that was, if anything, a fitting end to an up-and-down 2009 Wisconsin football season.