Player of the Year: Jared Berggren

If head coach Bo Ryan ever needs to show his value as a premier developer of talent, he can do it with just two words: Jared Berggren.

The Princeton, Minn. native is one of Ryan’s finest examples of how he can maximize his players’ talent, transforming him from a little-used reserve with an unrefined game into a defensive stopper and multi-tooled scorer. It is fitting, in a way, that a player who had made such impressive growth throughout a five-year span served as the centerpiece of a team that lacked a true offensive star posting 20-plus points every night.

Berggren often anchored the Badgers’ score-by-committee approach this season, finishing in a virtual tie with Brust for the team lead at 11 points per game and second on the team with 6.9 rebounds per contest. Despite his three-point shooting woes – he finished 3-of-20 from long range in his final nine games – Berggren often served as UW’s only inside scoring threat.

But what truly separated the fifth-year senior forward from the Badgers’ other scorers was his defense. Leaving Wisconsin as the program’s all-time leader in career blocks, even in the midst of shooting slumps, he was a key piece of the team’s success. His game was more steady than spectacular, the perfect player to define the 2012-13 Badgers.

Rookie of the Year: Sam Dekker

Like there was any competition. The offensive spark and crowd favorite throughout the season, the true freshman was a legitimate candidate for Sixth Man of the Year in the Big Ten thanks to his 9.6 points per game off the bench.

With only his lagging defense and three senior starters in the frontcourt keeping him from starting for Wisconsin, Dekker did everything he could to show why he’s one of the brightest young stars the Badgers have had in almost a decade. Fast breaks, dunks and big threes all helped to electrify the Kohl Center time and time again.

Dekker was by far the most consistent offensive player in both terms of offensive productivity and consistency throughout the season. Besides being 13th in the conference in overall shooting percentage from the field, Dekker was also seventh in the conference in three-point shooting percentage.

Six times Dekker led the Badgers in scoring this season, and three of those instances came in Badger losses. Big games against big opponents like Florida brought out the best in Dekker, and the freshman provided bigger moments on the biggest of stages. The future is looking bright for Wisconsin’s newest star.

Disappointment of the Year: The entire offense

When news broke that two-year starter Josh Gasser had torn his ACL and would miss the entire season, anyone loosely familiar with the team knew Wisconsin’s offense had been dealt a crippling blow.

Still, few imagined an offense that for certain stretches this season was simply painful to watch. Not all the blame could be placed on Gasser’s absence. These were not the usual complaints about the Badgers’ slow pace leading to low-scoring affairs for a Wisconsin team that ranked ninth in the Big Ten with 65 points per game. It was that UW shot only 42 percent from the field on the season.

The Badgers seemed content to settle for outside shots (second in the Big Ten with 784 three-point attempts) and failed to attack the paint with regularity. While Berggren hit an efficient 47.1 percent of his shots, the two other contributing seniors in Ryan Evans and Mike Bruesewitz combined to shoot a disarming 39.8 percent on the season. The scoring droughts came far too often and lasted much too long, with shot after shot careening off the back of the basket or sliding off the cylinder, eventually costing Wisconsin a shot at the regular season Big Ten title.

It was just that offensive futility that led to their ultimate demise in a 57-46 loss to Ole Miss in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Even the best defense was not enough to overcome a season-low 25.4 percent clip against the Rebels.

Most Improved: Ben Brust

After the aforementioned ACL tear sidelined Gasser, fellow junior Ben Brust suddenly found himself thrown into the starting lineup.

After two seasons of coming off the bench and serving as a one-dimensional three-point threat, Brust made his third year with the Badgers his best. Leading the team in scoring with 11.1 points per game and ranking third in rebounding with 5.1 per contest, Brust evolved his game and brought in a turn-around jumper to his arsenal and looked to drive more than ever.

And don’t worry–Brust didn’t stop shooting threes this season. He ranked second on the team in three point shooting just behind freshman Sam Dekker, shooting 38 percent from deep and registering the most made trifectas on the team with 79. He also took 203 attempts from beyond the arc, an astounding 61 percent of his total shots.

While so many people have been quick to praise the improvement of point guard Traevon Jackson this season, it was the consistent offensive production of Brust and his improved defense and hustle that helped Wisconsin assistant coach Greg Gard proclaim in interviews at one point this season that it was Brust who had improved the most in his eyes this season. You can’t argue with a coach.

Game of the Year: Wisconsin beats Michigan in OT Feb. 9

How could it be anything else? After Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a go-ahead three pointer to put the Wolverines up 60-57 at the Kohl Center with 2.4 seconds left, the Badgers chances looked slim to none.

Then, all hell broke loose when Ben Brust hit what might be the most memorable shot in Wisconsin history since Freddie Owens’ buzzer beater to win against Tulsa in 2003.

After inbounding a pass from redshirt senior forward Mike Bruesewitz just a step behind half court while cutting to the right sideline, Brust took two steps and fired up a desperation heave from way outside – with 1.7 seconds still left to work with.

When the shot found its target and the net swished in reaction, the Kohl Center went absolutely insane. Teammates surrounded Brust while a usually reserved Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan raised both of his arms triumphantly in the air.

The momentum shift was tangible, as Wisconsin took control in overtime to upset then-No. 3 ranked Michigan, 65-62. Besides the game providing one of the greatest shots in program history, the win also ended up making the difference for the Badgers in the standings, as the win gave them a tiebreaker and an edge against the Wolverines in the standings. The team wound up in fourth place at the end of the year in the Big Ten and won a bye in the first round of the conference tournament while Michigan ended up with a 5-seed.