Krabbenhoft recalls a special night

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Twelve seasons have passed but Joe Krabbenhoft hasn’t forgotten the last time Wisconsin triumphed at the Breslin Center.

The date: March 2, 2004.

Devin Harris and Mike Wilkinson scored 18 points apiece and Clayton Hanson added 13 to help UW defeat Michigan State in overtime, 68-64.

The loss prevented the Spartans from clinching a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. A championship banner hanging from the rafters of the Breslin Center was never unfurled.

Krabbenhoft, who had committed to UW, was watching the game at home in Sioux City, S.D.

“I’ll never forget going crazy in my living room,” Krabbenhoft, in his first season as an assistant at UW, said Saturday. “I had already committed and was watching closely, following along.

“It was such a big win. It is a big win any time you win on the road but it is a big win at the Breslin Center.”

Krabbenhoft is set to be on the UW bench at 3 p.m. Sunday when the Badgers (22-6, 11-4 Big Ten) face Michigan State (17-11, 9-6) in the Spartans’ home finale.

UW, which enters the game one-half game behind first-place Purdue (23-6, 12-4), has lost its last nine trips to the Breslin Center.

Krabbenhoft went 0-3 at the Breslin Center during his four seasons with the Badgers -- 2005-’06 through 2008-’09. He has spent more time in the building than any current UW player.

“I didn’t event think about it and I remember,” he said of his record at the Breslin Center.

UW suffered a 74-65 loss during his freshman season, a 64-55 loss his sophomore season and a 61-50 loss during his senior season.

Why has UW found it so difficult to win there?

“The Breslin Center and fans, the program and the history,” Krabbenhoft said, “the pride with which they play for the Michigan State Spartans.

“And the players that they have are really good. And then the coach, Tom Izzo, a Hall of Famer, one of the best…

“You’ve got to have a good team to win anywhere in this league. But to win at a place like the Breslin Center, against a program like Michigan State, against a roster full of really good, tough and talented players and a coach like Tom Izzo, I think it is a combination of all of those things."