Badgers Men’s Basketball 2 Victories Away From Claiming Championship

The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team is one game away from playing for their first national championship since 1941.

According to Matt Lepay, the play-by-play radio announcer for Wisconsin basketball, Bo Ryan’s Badgers are battle-tested. Saturday night’s game against Kentucky is a big one, but Lepay says the Badgers have proven they can win big games – both in the regular season, and in the tournament. They rallied back from a 12-point deficit to beat an athletic Oregon team. Then they bested top-seeded Arizona in overtime.

“Kentucky is an incredibly talented team,” said Lepay. “They start five freshmen. It’s a team that has a ton of talent. But I think given the schedule Wisconsin has played, that it’s helped this team get through – especially the Oregon game, and the Arizona game last Saturday. This group has been there before.”

The story off the court is Badgers coach Bo Ryan getting to the Final Four for the first time in his storied career. But his father, Butch Ryan, won’t be there. He died at age 89 last August.

Lepay says Butch and Bo Ryan had attended every Final Four as spectators since 1976.

“There’s a sadness there that Butch will not be with Bo at this Final Four,” said Lepay. “But there’s a part of his father that Bo will carry with him forever.”

Wisconsin is a team deep with scoring threats, led by 7-foot-tall forward Frank Kaminsky and shooters Traevon Jackson and Ben Brust. The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country.

The winner plays for the national title Monday night.