What this means for Wisconsin

[Inyatkin]

Monday night is about validation. Beating Kentucky is great but ultimately no one will much remember a 38-1 team or the group that beat them unless there's a title involved.
Wisconsin has been a top-tier program for years, with conference titles and Final Fours and some really good players, but no national championship (unless you want to count 1941, and I don't). This game means everything to them. A title means they have something no one can take away.
And as you ponder that, remember that we have four of the things.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Why not count 1941? History always matters. Having said that...they are due to win another. Wisky moved from PK to -1. Indy will be rocking for Wisky. The Badgers will have a huge HC advantage as the Kentucky and MSU fans have bolted and sold their tickets to the men and women wearing red. This is a terrific team to watch play basketball. Very much an old school vibe where fundamentals matter. Wisky is the team Gonzaga could only dream of being. Tough clutch kids on a mission with a tough as nails coach. I will be rooting for Wisky.

 

[upstater]

Why not count 1941? History always matters. Having said that...they are due to win another. Wisky moved from PK to -1. Indy will be rocking for Wisky. The Badgers will have a huge HC advantage as the Kentucky and MSU fans have bolted and sold their tickets to the men and women wearing red. This is a terrific team to watch play basketball. Very much an old school vibe where fundamentals matter. Wisky is the team Gonzaga could only dream of being. Tough clutch kids on a mission with a tough as nails coach. I will be rooting for Wisky.

Should be a two part answer to that. One, it was pre-integration. Two, the NIT was just as important back then. The NCAA had just started 2 years before. Utah, Wyoming and Washington State were prominent. St. John's, San Francisco, Kentucky were NIT champs.

Post-war integration and the Big Ten opening up probably means meaningful basketball started being played around 1950.

 

[jleves]

Monday night is about validation. Beating Kentucky is great but ultimately no one will much remember a 38-1 team or the group that beat them unless there's a title involved.
Wisconsin has been a top-tier program for years, with conference titles and Final Fours and some really good players, but no national championship (unless you want to count 1941, and I don't). This game means everything to them. A title means they have something no one can take away.
And as you ponder that, remember that we have four of the things.

Thought about this earlier today and tomorrow is Wisconsin's 1999. Everything about the game is UConn 1999.

 

[Inyatkin]

Why not count 1941? History always matters.

I mean, it counts in that it happened. Just like those San Francisco titles count. But everything about the game, the stakes, the players, everything possible other than the basic idea of putting the ball in the hoop, is different.

 

[Kitaman]

For the University it's validation. I think it's unfair to think it validates Bo Ryan, coronation of sorts perhaps, but he validated himself with back to back FFs.

 

[Inyatkin]

For the University it's validation. I think it's unfair to think it validates Bo Ryan, coronation of sorts perhaps, but he validated himself with back to back FFs.

Not taking anything away from Ryan, but ask Ben Howland about that one.

 

[jibsey]

Duke has more talent it seems but Bo is one hell of a coach, and no matter what you need the title to validate greatness in a program. Beating Kentucky and Duke this year would do it quite well. Wonder what he'll do different tomorrow?

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

 

[ConnZag3]

I think tomorrow night is just as much about validation for Wisconsin as it is for getting the monkey off the back of the Big Ten. The B1G hasn't won a national title since Mich St in 2000 and they've struggled in the Final Four since.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Monday night is about validation. Beating Kentucky is great but ultimately no one will much remember a 38-1 team or the group that beat them unless there's a title involved.
Wisconsin has been a top-tier program for years, with conference titles and Final Fours and some really good players, but no national championship (unless you want to count 1941, and I don't). This game means everything to them. A title means they have something no one can take away.
And as you ponder that, remember that we have four of the things.

Sure for history & Wisconsin the 'program' the Title is of course the most important thing. But those players are going to be plenty happy forever to avenge their FF loss by knocking off KY & now can treasure playing for the national championship. 20 yrs from now its a happier memory & bigger legacy if they win tonight, but it doesn't change who they are as much as NOT losing to KY twice in a row did.