CHICAGO -- It was supposed to be a reward for one of the most successful and historic seasons in University of Wisconsin history, but that No. 2 seeding given to the Badgers provided a slightly tougher matchup than anybody expected.
All season long, the Badgers have been playing in uncharted territory; the most victories in the program's history, the first No. 1 ranking in school history, playing nearly the entire season in the top five, and last week, earning their highest NCAA Tournament seeding ever.
In the long run, people might remember the 76-63 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as a mere afterthought on what is hoped to be a deep tournament run. But in reality, ask anybody on Bo Ryan's squad and they'll tell you they learned just how hard and often underappreciated a No. 15 seeded team can be.
Not to mention how good those teams can be ... and are.
The 15th-seeded Islanders came out shooting in their first-round contest against the Badgers, jumping out to a ten-point lead before the partisan Wisconsin crowd had a chance to sit down. Naturally, fans of the other three teams in the pod got caught up in the excitement and quickly turned the United Center into the American Bank Center (for those of you wondering, that is the TAM-CC home arena, don't worry ... I looked it up, too).
And there it was, that annual phenomenon known best as the Underdog Syndrome; a team that the experts say has no business playing with the big boys; no chance of even surviving 40 minutes of play against teams from bigger, better, stronger and faster conferences that somehow, someway manages to scare the living daylights out of a top seed and captures the attention of a national television audience in the process.
TAMU-CC didn't waste any time getting things done. The quick lead forced Ryan to call timeout less than 4 minutes into the game. The Islanders didn't let up, holding Wisconsin to 2 for 18 shooting at one point and causing Badger Nation to start wondering what happened to that team that looked like a lock for Atlanta just weeks ago.
For the Islanders, every rebound seemed within reach, every shot seemed plausible, and every call in the Badgers' favor was greeted with a chorus of boos. So much for that close-to-home advantage that comes with a high seed; the Badgers - just under three hours from Madison - were playing on the road.
In the grand scheme of things, none of those factors were a deal-breaker for Wisconsin. The Badgers couldn't buy a shot for much of the first half and TAMU-CC's stifling zone defense - something Bucky has struggled with all season - didn't help the situation much, either.
As painful as it was for Wisconsin fans to sit through the experience, the Islanders epitomize what the NCAA Tournament is all about. In just their ninth year as a program, the small commuter school was making a name for itself on a national stage. Maybe they aren't one of the best 65 teams in the nation, but for a while on Friday, they were doing something that 29 other schools with better pedigrees and better known -- not to mention more journalism-friendly -- names could not.
Badger fans were left to wonder just when the team they have followed all year would show up. As the second half started, they waited ... and waited ... and waited. Things looked bleak, but the Murphy's Law quickly set in for the Islanders; another example of how fickle the Ides of March can be.
Jason Bohannon's bucket and three around the 14-minute mark finally brought the Grateful Red to their feet. Ryan called a timeout with 12:51 to play and the United Center felt much, much, much more like a Wisconsin "home" game should have.
With 10:15 left, Kammron Taylor's three -- make that his lo-o-o-ng three -- tied things up at 47-47 and put into play another all-too-familiar aspect of the Big Dance; the sad end of the night for Cinderella.
Just like that, every call, every bounce, and every lucky break that had been going in the Islanders' favor all afternoon suddenly disappeared. Traveling calls, double dribbles, missed rebounds and bricked free-throws allowed Wisconsin back into the game and reality to set in.
Alando Tucker showed why he is the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year. Taylor's streakiness subsided and he went on a tear to finish with 24 points. Wisconsin, which had struggled for the last few weeks to put the ball in the basket, shot a blistering 61% in the second half.
That's the thing about tournament games, it's not always the best team that survives; it's the team that gets hot at the right moment.
Should Wisconsin make it to the Final Four, memories of this game will be scant in the eyes of Badgers fans and maybe even players. But for the Islanders and their fans, they will spend the rest of their lives talking about the day that they dominated the mighty Badgers of Wisconsin for 30 minutes.
