AP No. 3 | Coaches No. 2 2014–15 record 36–4 (16–2 Big Ten) | |
The 2014–15 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was Bo Ryan's 14th and final full season as head coach at Wisconsin. The team played their home games at the Kohl Center and were members of the Big Ten Conference.They finished the 2014–15 season with a record of 36–4, 16–2 in Big Ten play to win the Big Ten regular season. They defeated Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State to win the Big Ten Tournament and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This marked the Badgers 17th straight trip to the Tournament. In the Tournament, they defeated Coastal Carolina and Oregon to advance to their second straight Sweet Sixteen. They defeated North Carolina and Arizona to reach the school's fourth Final Four. By upsetting unbeaten Kentucky 71–64 in the Final Four in Indianapolis, the Badgers moved on to play Duke in the National Championship Game, going for their first title in 74 years. However, Wisconsin lost the game 63–68.
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Previous season
The 2013–14 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team finished the season with 30–8 overall, 12–6 in Big Ten for a tie for a second-place finish. They lost in the semifinals in the 2014 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament to Michigan State. They received at-large bid to the 2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
Schedule and results
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Player statistics
Departures
Following the 2014-15 season seniors Frank Kaminsky, Josh Gasser, Traevon Jackson and Duje Dukan had all exhausted their NCAA eligibility. Following their NCAA championship defeat when Nigel Hayes was asked if he would declare for the NBA Draft he said "I'm nowhere near good enough to do anything but come back". On April 10 Sam Dekker chose to forgo his senior year and declare for the 2015 NBA Draft.