ANAHEIM, Calif. — Everyone from the Wisconsin starting five to reserves to assistant coaches to team managers and trainers had climbed the stepladder to clip their piece of the net for a keepsake.
When they were finished, there was just one strand holding the net on the rim and the euphoric Badgers fans screamed: “Coach! Coach! Coach!’’
Finally, it was Bo Ryan’s turn. To cut down a net — and to go to a Final Four.
After the 67-year-old Ryan gingerly climbed down the ladder, his players huddled around him and lifted him into the air — Vince Lombardi style. As Ryan exulted in the victory, his left hand used Frank Kaminsky’s head for support, which was perfectly fitting because Kaminsky is as much the reason Wisconsin is moving on as anyone.
“I still have chills from this game,’’ Wisconsin’s Josh Gasser said as he stood on the floor, not knowing what to do with himself.
It was that kind of game — Wisconsin 64, Arizona 63 in overtime in Saturday night’s West Regional final at the Honda Center — one you always will remember if you were among the 17,814 in the building.
“That,’’ former golfer and current golf announcer Andy North, a Wisconsin grad and one of the program’s most ardent supporters, said breathlessly as he stood on the floor and watched the celebration, “was a big-boy game.’’
Since the moment they entered the one-and-done world of the NCAA Tournament last week, the mantra for the Wisconsin Badgers has remained the same: Forty more minutes.
With each game, this is what the Badgers have been chasing. For themselves, of course, but mostly for their coach, whose decorated resume has check marks next to everything … except a Final Four.
Now Ryan finally can check that box.
Now anyone who had questions about whether Ryan is one of the elite college coaches of all time because of that hole in his resume no longer has that argument on which to lean.
Bo and the Badgers are going to the Final Four in Arlington, Texas, to play the winner of Sunday’s Michigan-Kentucky Midwest Regional final — Ryan for the first time and Wisconsin (30-7) for the first time since 2000.
Bo and the Badgers get 40 more minutes.
“He deserves it,’’ Gasser said. “I wanted to win for a lot of people — myself, my family, my friends. … But I wanted to win this for Coach Ryan.’’
Saturday would have been the 90th birthday of Ryan’s father.
Arizona coach Sean Miller, who was in his third Elite Eight with the Wildcats, was denied his first Final Four just hours after his younger brother, Archie, saw his season end in the Elite Eight when Dayton was defeated by Florida.
“This is the nature of the NCAAs,’’ Miller said. “When you lose, it’s like a car crashes.’’
After a first half that was controlled by Arizona, which led for all 20 minutes, the second half and overtime were positively scintillating, with ties and lead changes until the very end.
And the end was frenetic.
Wisconsin clinched the game when Arizona’s best player, guard Nick Johnson (16 points) failed to get off a jump shot before the final buzzer.
Moments earlier, Johnson had been called for a charge with 3.2 seconds remaining in OT while making a desperate attempt to win the game on a final shot. Arizona got the ball back for one final possession with 2.3 seconds left after an officials’ review of the ensuing inbounds play (which they ruled had been knocked back out of bounds by Wisconsin), and Johnson took one dribble too many before getting his final shot off, which missed anyway.
Fittingly, the winning points came from Kaminsky, Wisconsin’s 7-foot junior, who put back a follow basket with 1:09 remaining to give the Badgers a 64-61 lead at the time.
As in the Badgers’ win over Baylor Thursday night, Kaminsky was magnificent — the difference in them game, finishing with a game-high 28 points. This all came a year after Kaminsky was a little-used reserve as a sophomore, averaging four points in 10 minutes per game. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Regional.
“Frank Kaminsky is the reason Wisconsin is in the Final Four,’’ Miller said. “The fella for them was the difference. He’s very hard to guard. We didn’t have an answer for him. He’s got to be one of the best offensive players who plays college basketball right now.’’
Gasser said the Badgers “would have been stupid not giving [Kaminsky] the ball,’’ adding, “We run our entire offense through him. He just kept making shots.’’
The only time Kaminsky didn’t have an answer all night came in the postgame interview.
“I can’t even put into words what this feeling is like,’’ he said. “We get 40 more minutes.’’