UW Men's Basketball WIN vs. Purdue @ Kohl Center, Madison, WI

It was a positively HUGE night in the 2018 UW Men's Basketball season (IMO). Let's break down the evening and see how the night went...

Don't forget to warm-up first!

Anthem - great singer.

Perhaps this biggest news of the night started well before the game - it was rumored you had to be "in your seats" by 5:40pm for a 6pm game time. It was the night chosen to retire former UW player, and current Charlotte Hornet, Frank Kaminsky's number in the rafters of the Kohl Center. It appears through his four years he grew very much as a man and player. The UW Athletic Dept was bestowing this honor on his as a thank you for his contribution to their program, school, and city.

 Classy towels on everyone's seat to have for the game and your collection of "Frank the Tank" memorabilia.

They played a bunch of "Frank Highlights" during timeouts and other points of the game, and then had a big ceremony during halftime:

This guy was dressed to impress in an all red suit, and high-tops. Classy.

Banner, up!

Frank gave a wonderful speech to the whole crowd, thanking the University, his teammates, the fans, and his family for his true growth period at UW. Class act in my book.

Finally, to really seal up a fun night, the UW men beat 6th-ranked Purdue in one heck of a "defensive struggle". It was a very tight game through the first half with the barn-burner of a score tied - 21-21. The 2nd half was equally as "offensive" and late into the half, UW pulled away and Purdue could not get back. The last 2 minutes were a bunch of fouls and clock usage drills. Job well done, UW, kudos!

I will finish this post by mentioning something I can't help but notice - this was my third UW Athletic event in my time in Madison and all of them have been spectacular "products" - Men's Hockey, Volleyball, and Men's Basketball. Great games, great crowd, great venues. Nicely done, UW!
(which kills me to say as an Illini)

UW Volleyball @ The Fieldhouse, Madison, WI

What to do on a Thursday night when someone says they have an extra ticket? Go! This was one of the best college sports atmospheres I've ever been a part of. They also have a pretty good team, and put out some effort in taking down their opponent that night. Finally, I'm pretty sure tickets are cheaper than a latte.

It's hard to explain how fun this event was. I found myself with goosebumps during the matches multiple times. I'm not even an alum and they sucked me in.

They also had one of the cooler "fan cam" ideas I've seen in a long time - Simba Cam. Hold up your kid like in the Disney classic. Parents and the kids really got into it.