Wisconsin Men's Basketball: Better than you think they are

So I was doing my morning sports recap over at Deadspin and came across their preview of Wisconsin's first round match that includes this paragraph:

1. Team of the 2000's? OK, that may be taking things a bit too far, but let's review what the basketball Badgers have accomplished since the year 2000. One Final Four, 2 Elite Eights, 3 Sweet Sixteens, 3 Big Ten Regular Season titles (2 outright) and two Big Ten Tournament titles. Although the casual fan might most easily identify with Indiana or Michigan State as traditional Big Ten powers, Indiana has not won an outright Big Ten regular season title since 1993 and Michigan State hasn't won one since 1999. The most amazing stat is Wisconsin has made the NCAA Tournament in 10 straight seasons. Coming in to this season, only five teams can top that streak: Arizona (23), Kansas (18), Kentucky (16), Duke (12), Michigan State (10). Not bad company. What is even more amazing is that prior to this run, Wisconsin only made the NCAA Tournament twice since their 1941 national championship; the 1994 Michael Finley-led team and the 1997 squad.

Those are some crazy and impressive stats and ones I don't know I've heard before.


Before the end of the tournament I'm sure I won't be able to refrain from my rant on courtside announcers and their two details/team that they beat like a dead horse. This is my case in point.

Instead of hearing them giggle and call Brian Butch polar bear over and over, hearing any one of the details listed above might have actually, I don't know, added something to the game.