Ranking Wisconsin Badgers' holiday tournament successes over the last 20 years

There is something about playing in holiday tournaments that bring out the best in the University of Wisconsin.

Since the NCAA changed the rules surrounding multiple-team events (MTEs) for the 2006-07 season, allowing schools to participate in one event every year to maximize its nonconference schedule, Wisconsin has excelled in the format.

Wisconsin has played in 19 MTEs over the last 20 years, bringing home eight championships and a 41-13 (.759) record. The Badgers will look to add to their success beginning Thursday when it faces Providence in the semifinals of the Rady Children's Invitational in San Diego, Calif.

Recent NCAA legislation has again changed MTEs, as a rule change starting in next season allows teams to play 32 regular-season games without needing to play in MTEs. That could make the desire to play in holiday tournament less appealing in favor of neutral-site games with higher revenue.

With this potentially being the end of an era, and after ranking the top five hardest nonconference games in the Greg Gard era, we rank Wisconsin's MTEs over the last 20 years from the inconsequential to most memorable and impactful.

Nov 26, 2019; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New Mexico Lobos guard Zane Martin (0) and guard Keith McGee (3) defend against Wisconsin Badgers guard Brad Davison (34) in the second half of the Roman Legends Classic at Barclays Center. | Nicole Sweet-Imagn Images

19, 2019 Legends Classic, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Opponents: Richmond, New Mexico
Results: Fourth (0-2)
It was thought that Wisconsin would be able to test itself against a good Auburn team in the championship game, but the Badgers didn't get there. Not only did Wisconsin lose by 10 to Richmond (although the Spiders finished second in the A-10), but they also lost by nine to a Lobos team that finished seventh in the Mountain West. That season's story does have a happy ending, as UW won the final eight games of the season to clinch a share of the Big Ten title.

18, 2017 Hall of Fame Classic, Kansas City, MO.

Opponents: No.22 Baylor, No.23 UCLA
Results: Fourth (0-2)
A young Wisconsin team fought against Baylor, erasing a 19-point deficit by holding the Bears without a field goal in the final 8:43, and again against UCLA but came up short. The loss to the Bruins was painful because UW led 65-59 with four minutes to go and couldn't close the deal, as Aaron Holiday hit the game-winning layup.
It was the start of a frustrating year for Wisconsin, which dealt with key injuries and close losses to finish 15-18, ending UW's 19-year NCAA Tournament streak.

17, 2010 Old Spice Classic, Orlando, Fla.

Opponents: Manhattan, Boston College, Notre Dame
Results: Second (2-1)
One of Wisconsin's least memorable tournament, the Badgers beat up two teams that finished the year under .500 before falling to an Irish team that won 27 games that season.

16, 2008 Paradise Jam, U.S. Virgin Islands

Opponents: Iona, San Diego, No.2 UConn
Results: Second (2-1)
After clawing past a bad Iona team in overtime in a game that combined for 37 turnovers and 55 fouls and breezing past San Diego, the Badgers were blown out by No.2 UConn. The Huskies advanced to the Final Four later that year.

17, 2015 2K Classic, New York City

Opponents: Georgetown, VCU
Results: Third (1-1)
A year remembered more for Bo Ryan's sudden retirement than anything, the Badgers lost to the Hoyas by 10 before rebounding for a one-point win over VCU. Point guard Bronson Koenig was 2-for-12 against Georgetown but had 22 points and hit the go-ahead layup with eight seconds remaining to beat the Rams.

14, 2015 America's Youth Classic, Madison

Opponents: Savannah State, Florida A&M, Colorado
Results: First (3-0)
Playing a November tournament at the Kohl Center wasn't exactly a tropical destination but the Badgers made easy work of the three teams in winning by an average margin of 40.3 points.

13, 2012 Las Vegas Invitational

Opponents: Cornell, Presbyterian, No.14 Creighton, Arkansas
Results: Third (3-1)
Wisconsin beat the two mid-major schools at the Kohl Center before Creighton's Doug McDermott dropped 30 points and eight rebounds on the Badgers in the semifinals. UW clawed back from an 11-point halftime deficit to knock off the Razorbacks by seven in the consolation game, getting 19 points from Sam Dekker.

12, 2006 South Padre Invitational, South Padre Island Texas

Opponents: Southern, Delaware State, Missouri State, Auburn
Results: Third (3-1)
Just like the Las Vegas Invitational, Wisconsin made easy work from two mid-major teams at the Kohl Center before losing to a decent mid-major (MSU won 22 games that season, but the Badgers lost by two in a game they went 2-for-15 from three) and rebounded with a win over a power-conference opponent. The win over Auburn was Bo Ryan's 500th career victory.

11, 2005 Paradise Jam

Opponents: Norfolk State, Eastern Kentucky, Old Dominion
Results: First (3-0)
Wisconsin started its season playing in an MTE and had to work to win the school's first tournament title. After cruising past Norfolk State, UW needed overtime to beat EKU and beat ODU by three in a title game that had 16 lead changes and nine ties.

10, 2016 Maui Invitational, Lahaina, Hawaii

Opponents: Tennessee, Georgetown, No.4 North Carolina
Results: Second (2-1)
Although the Badgers beat two name brands to get to the title game, neither the Volunteers or Hoyas finished the season with a winning record. The Tar Heels won the national title in 2016-17, part of the reason why they started the game forcing 11 straight misses and no points from the Badgers for nearly 7 1/2 minutes, setting the table for a 15-point win.

9, 2011 Chicago Invitational, Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Opponents: Wofford, UMKC, Bradley, BYU
Results: First (4-0)
Wisconsin started a pair of mid-major games at the Kohl Center, pummeled a Bradley team that only won seven games, and won the tournament with a 17-point win over BYU. The tournament wasn't even played Chicago, making it a tough sell and likely the reason it was discontinued after the 2011 season. But, hey, at least UW beat BYU?

Nov 25, 2022; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Wisconsin Badgers guard Chucky Hepburn (23) shoots over USC Trojans guard Drew Peterson (13) during the first half at Imperial Arena. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

8, 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis, The Bahamas

Opponents: Dayton, No.3 Kansas, USC
Results: Third (2-1)
The Badgers shot 24 percent and still beat a 22-win Dayton team, 43-42, in the opening game before losing a heartbreaker to the Jayhawks at the overtime buzzer. UW rebounded a day later by closing with a 10-2 run to knock off USC, 64-59, as Chucky Hepburn scored six of his game-high 17 points on the run.

7, 2012 Cancun Challenge

Opponents: St. Louis, West Virginia
Results: First (2-0)
The only games in school history Wisconsin played in Mexico, the Badgers beat a 27-win St. Louis team that won the Atlantic-10 and knocked off a Mountaineers in the title game. Dekker had 21 points and 12 rebounds to earn tournament MVP honors.

6, 2009 Maui Invitational

Opponents: Arizona, Gonzaga, No.21 Maryland
Results: Third (2-1)
Wisconsin's first trip to the prestigious tournament was a seventh-place letdown in 1995, albeit it's hard to start at season playing No.3 Villanova and No.4 UCLA back-to-back, so having a good showing at the most prestigious MTE can be a big confidence boost. Trevon Hughes' 24 points got UW a three-point win over Arizona, but a balanced Gonzaga team overwhelmed them in the semis.

With Ryan touting his team's conditioning, Wisconsin looked fresh on day three and beat Maryland, the top-ranked team in the field coming in, by nine in the third-place game. Jason Bohannon scored 20 points, Jon Leuer added 16, and UW's won by going 10-for-22 on threes and the Terps going 5-for-13 on threes and 10-for-17 on free throws.

5, 2018 Battle 4 Atlantis

Opponents: Stanford, Oklahoma, No.4 Virginia
Results: Third (2-1)
Missing the NCAA Tournament the prior season for the first time since 1998, Wisconsin wanted to get the season off to a fast start. UW did so by winning at Xavier in the second game of the season and picking up a pair of power-conference victories in The Bahamas.

Wisconsin started the tournament holding the Cardinal to 27 percent and no field goals the last 6:53 of a game, allowing them to score 18 of the final 22 points to pull away. It was the lowest shooting percentage allowed by Wisconsin against a power-conference opponent since holding Virginia to 23.4 percent in 2013.

In a 20-point win over Oklahoma, D'Mitrik Trice set career highs with 25 points and a tournament-record seven 3-pointers, as the Badgers went 14-for-22 from three.

UW wasn't as successful against a Virginia team that was both familiar with the Badgers' style, thanks to Coach Tony Bennett, and really, really talented (the Cavaliers won the NCAA title later that year). UW held Virginia to 26 percent shooting in the first half but still trailed by 15 at the break. Ethan Happ had 22 points, 15 rebounds and six assists for Wisconsin, which shot 52 percent after halftime to cut the deficit to five a couple times but couldn't get over the hump.

PTS: 33
FG: 11-19
FT: 10-10

John Tonje's second 30+ night of the season fueled No. 19 @BadgerMBB's comeback over Pitt in the Greenbrier Tip-Off final 💥 #B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/j0VEhGDDIk
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 25, 2024

4, 2024 Greenbrier Tip Off, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Opponents: UCF, Pittsburgh
Result: First (2-0)
Leading wire-to-wire thanks to sound defense and balance scoring with four players in double figures, Wisconsin cruised to a 16-point win over UCF in the semifinals of the Greenbrier Tip-Off. The title game was one to behold and increased the growing legend of John Tonje.

In a six-point win over the Panthers, Tonje scored 25 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, which erased a 14-point deficit in the first half on a night where its high-powered offense and its eventual All-American malfunctioned early.

Tonje was 2-for-8 in the first half and Wisconsin was 11-for-30 from the floor. Once Tonje got going, the Badgers followed. UW shot 18-for-30 in the second half with Tonje going 9-for-9 on his two-point shots in the second half, most coming at the rim or in the paint. He also was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line as Pittsburgh couldn’t stop Tonje's brand of bully ball.

When the final horn sounded, UW's players mobbed Tonje and danced to Jump Around at the center of the court.

3, 2023 Fort Myers Tip Off, Fort Myers, Fla.

Opponents: No.24 Virginia, SMU
Results: First (2-0)
It might not have been a championship against the strongest field but both wins showed a lot of character. Against Virginia's esteemed defense, Steven Crowl had 15 points and 10 rebounds, the Badgers scored 30 points in the paint in a 24-point win, and UW simply wore down the Cavs.

Rallying from an eight-point halftime deficit in the championship, Wisconsin closed the game on a 20-8 run to beat SMU by eight. The Badgers shot 41.9 percent and put five players in double figures that all delivered at critical times.

Tyler Wahl finished with 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting, scoring eight points in a first half where the Badgers were struggling to find a flow offensively. Guard Max Klesmit scored all 12 of his points in the second half, including a three-pointer with 7:56 remaining that tied the score and broke a dry spell of 14 consecutive missed perimeter shots. UW went a woeful 5-for-24 from the perimeter but went 4-for-10 in the second half.

Chucky Hepburn hit two of those three-pointers in the final 4:36, scoring all 10 of his points down the stretch. His three-point play with 3:52 remaining put Wisconsin ahead by two and the Badgers never trailed.

A.J. Storr added 11 points (3-for-3) in the second half while freshman John Blackwell narrowly missed his first collegiate double-double, settling 10 points and nine rebounds.

After starting the season with frustrating losses against No.9 Tennessee and at Providence, the tournament gave UW the boost it needed in the weeks to come where it beat No.3 Marquette and won at Michigan State to start Big Ten play.

Nov 28, 2014; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Wisconsin Badgers players take a team photo after winning in the 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis championship game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

2, 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis

Opponents: UAB, Georgetown, Oklahoma
Result: First (3-0)
The best team in the history of Wisconsin basketball played against a loaded field, as all three teams the Badgers played made the NCAA Tournament with a combined 66 wins. UW won the three games by 29, 3, and 13. Frank Kaminsky was the tournament MVP.

It was the first of four championships Wisconsin won that season: Battle 4 Atlantis, Big Ten regular season, Big Ten tournament, and NCAA Tournament West Region.

1, 2021 Maui Invitational, Las Vegas

Opponents: Texas A&M, No.12 Houston, St. Mary's
Result: First (3-0)
The 2021 Maui Invitational was moved to Las Vegas due to COVID-19, specifically ongoing pandemic concerns and travel restrictions in Hawaii. That removed some of the luster from the event but not the impact of winning it against a strong field. The Aggies won 27 games and finished runner-up in the NIT, the Cougars went 27-5 and advanced to the Elite Eight, and the Gaels were an NCAA team with 26 wins.

Johnny Davis scored a then-career-high 21 points with Brad Davison adding 17, as the Badgers turned an early 16-point deficit into an 11-point win over the Aggies. Davis bumped his point total up to 30 a day later, as Wisconsin built a 20-point lead, was secure with the ball against Houston's pressure defense, and played sound defense of its own down the stretch to be the Cougars by two.

In the title game, Davis scored 20, Tyler Wahl had 18 points and a key block with 30 seconds left to help the Badgers erase a 10-point deficit to win 61-55.

The grit and resilience the Badgers showed in the tournament lasted throughout the season, as the preseason 10th-place pick won a share of the Big Ten regular season championship.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

Biggest takeaways from Wisconsin's 98-70 loss to No.9 BYU

Wisconsin walk-on delivers a big boost while embodying the Badgers' culture

In-state guard LaTrevion Fenderson is a perfect fit for Wisconsin Badgers' style

Wisconsin signs sharpshooting New Zealand guard Jackson Ball