Badgers Fans Wrestle With Outcome Of Championship Game

Some Express Optimism About Next Year, Though Squad Will Lose Key Players

By

Wisconsin men’s basketball fans are trying to adjust to finishing second in the NCAA men’s tournament, after the team lost to Duke in the championship.

One of the Badgers fans sitting in or outside the very quiet Stadium Tavern in Indianapolis after the Badgers’ loss to Duke last night was former Madison resident Brian Gordon. Gordon now lives in Chicago. He said the loss to Duke was miserable, but he still has faith in Coach Bo Ryan.

“Bo will have to do another great job. He did a fantastic job this year — hopefully he can pick them up for next year,” said Gordon.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Ryan will lose several key seniors from this year’s team, including Associated Press player of the year Frank Kaminsky, and could even lose star junior forward Sam Dekker to the pros.

Ryan told the news media last night that he doesn’t rent players — in other words, offer scholarships to high school stars who may quit college after just a year or two.