Editorial

Monday Marks The 7-Year Anniversary Of Wisconsin Beating Undefeated Kentucky In The Final Four

OPINION
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 04: The Wisconsin Badgers celebrate after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats as Willie Cauley-Stein #15 looks on during the NCAA Men's Final Four Semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Wisconsin defeated Kentucky 71-64. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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It’s been seven years since the greatest March Madness game ever played happened.

On April 4, 2015, an undefeated Kentucky team took the floor in Indianapolis against Wisconsin for a Final Four matchup that would go down in history. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

Despite the fact the Wildcats were 38-0 and loaded with future NBA talent, the gritty Badgers were far too much to handle, and Kentucky went down in flames to ruin their perfect season.

For those of you who have never seen highlights from the game, you can watch them below.

I remember April 4, 2015 like it was yesterday. I was in Madison at a bar called Churchkey, and it was packed shoulder to shoulder. I don’t know what the fire capacity is at Churchkey, but we had to be close.

My friends and I got there a few hours early, and the beers were going down easy. People were excited, but there was also a sense of tension in the air as we looked to avenge our 2014 Final Four loss to Kentucky.

As weird as it sounds, I was never nervous. I really wasn’t. I told my dad every single day leading up to the game that we were going to win. Hell, I told anyone who would listen that we were going to win. It might sound crazy, but I was never worried. Maybe it was just my mind convincing me to be confident. I truly don’t know, but once the game started, the country witnessed the greatest March Madness game ever played.

The Badgers fought like absolute hell against John Calipari and Kentucky, and when the clock hit zero, we were bound for the title game.

To this day, the aftermath of the game is still a blur. At one point, I was on top of the bar at Churchkey amping the whole place up, which was somehow tolerated because I was friends with the manager.

After that, we hit up State Street for a celebration for the ages. I know I took several videos that night, but only one still exists. The rest are lost to the test of time.

Some might disagree that it’s the greatest March Madness game ever played, but those people are wrong. Wisconsin was an afterthought compared to Kentucky. The country crowned the Wildcats national champs before the tournament even started. We clearly had other plans, and behind the heroic play of Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, Josh Gasser and the rest of the crew, the Badgers punched their ticket to the title game.

So, on the seven-year anniversary of the greatest March Madness game ever played, crack a beer and reminisce!