The biggest surprise of the Thanksgiving season wasn’t that you managed to avoid politics throughout the meal.
The Marquette men’s basketball team defeated No. 1 seed Kansas in the Maui Invitational on Tuesday, a day before nearly ousting No. 2 (and future No. 1) Purdue. On Saturday, the Wisconsin women’s volleyball team defeated the No. 1 team in the country and defeated previously unbeaten Nebraska in three sets in the final week before the NCAA Tournament.
It’s not the first time Marquette has accomplished the feat, but it’s practically standard operating procedure, particularly in Wisconsin volleyball. Hold:
- The Badgers defeated No. 1 Nebraska at the University of Wisconsin Field House in October 2022, also 3-0.
- In 2021, en route to the NCAA national championship, Wisconsin defeated top-ranked Louisville 3-2 in the national semifinals on December 16 in Columbus, Ohio.
- In 2019, Wisconsin also defeated the No. 1 team in the country in the national semifinals with a 3-1 victory over Baylor to advance to face Stanford in the final in Pittsburgh.
Additionally, the Wisconsin men’s ice hockey team defeated No. 1 Minnesota on back-to-back nights in October, helping that program regain prominence under first-year head coach Mike Hastings.
Here’s a look at other memorable moments when a Wisconsin sports team unseated the No. 1 team in the country:
1962: Wisconsin men’s basketball 86, Ohio State 67
Ohio State had won 27 straight conference games by the end of the 1959-60 season, but Don Hearden scored 29 points and the Badgers dismantled the best team in the country on March 3.
1962: Wisconsin Football 37, Northwestern 6
It was a no-contest in front of a homecoming crowd at Camp Randall Stadium, with the Wildcats scoring their only touchdown with less than seven minutes to play. Gary Kroner caught two touchdowns and kicked a field goal for Wisconsin, and Lou Holland finished the game with three touchdowns for the Badgers, who got a chance to face a second No. 1 team in a Rose Bowl later that year legendary 42-37 loss to USC.
1981: Wisconsin Football 21, Michigan 14
UW had lost 14 straight times to Michigan, including four in a row, for an overall record of 176-0. But John Williams scored a touchdown with a screen pass from 71 yards for the decisive score, Matt Vanden Boom had three interceptions and Tim Krumrie led the defense with 13 tackles in the season-opening win. On paper, it was even more dominant, as Wisconsin had a 439-229 advantage in yards and a 23-8 advantage in first downs.
2003: Marquette men’s basketball 83, Kentucky 69
Dwyane Wade’s virtuoso performance (29 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) helped Marquette crush the No. 1 team in the country in the Elite 8 and sent Marquette to the Final Four. Robert Jackson added 24 points and 15 rebounds.
2010: Wisconsin Football 31, Ohio State 18
David Gilreath returned the opening kickoff for a memorable start under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium, and the Badgers kept the pressure on from there, behind the running back duo of James White and John Clay. The Badgers won a share of the Big Ten and appeared in the Rose Bowl.
2011: Green Bay Packers 48, Atlanta Falcons 21
It was neither the first nor the last time the Packers defeated the top seed in the NFC playoffs, but Aaron Rodgers’ unforgettable performance in Atlanta en route to the Super Bowl championship still stands as an epic achievement more than a decade later. Other leaders Green Bay eclipses include:
2011: Wisconsin men’s basketball 71, Ohio State 67
Jordan Taylor scored 27 points and dished out seven assists as the Badgers handed Ohio State its first loss of the season after the Buckeyes started 24-0. Mike Bruesewitz hit four of five shots off the bench and finished with 12 points, and Wisconsin improved to 19-5, although OSU won the rematch three weeks later.
2015: Wisconsin men’s basketball 71, Kentucky 64
Led by Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, Wisconsin handed Kentucky its first loss of the year in the national semifinals, a win that sent the Badgers into the national title game against Duke. Kentucky finished the season 38-1.
2015: Milwaukee Bucks 108, Golden State Warriors 95
It wasn’t a “No. 1” ranking, but the Warriors were arguably the best team in the league when they won their first 24 games of the year. This series ended on December 12th in Milwaukee. Golden State won an NBA record 73 games.
2017: Marquette men’s basketball 74, Villanova 72
Katin Reinhardt tied the game with a three-pointer at 1:04 and made two free throws with 11.6 seconds left. Villanova missed the chance to tie the score and the Golden Eagles capped their 17-point comeback by defeating the Wildcats. In one of the enduring images from the Bradley Center, fans stormed the court.
2017: Wisconsin men’s basketball 65, Villanova 62
The Wildcats were back at the top of the rankings in the NCAA Tournament when Wisconsin pulled off a second-round upset of the reigning national champions. Nigel Hayes scored 19 points, including a massive late lay-in, while Bronson Koenig added 17 and Ethan Happ had 12 points and eight rebounds.
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