Wisconsin guard Bronson Koenig (Ho-Chunk) and his Wisconsin Badgers teammates pulled off an upset of the defending champion, No. 1-seeded Villanova, on Saturday March 19th, in the NCAA basketball tournament.
The 65-62 win was a historic first for the Badgers and Koenig, as the team made the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in seven years. They are also the only team to make it their fourth-straight time.
It wasn’t the only piece of history in Wisconsin’s run in the NCAA tournament. Koenig made a school record-breaking eight three-pointers in the team’s opening round victory over Virginia Tech on March 16.
The 6’3” point guard from Lacrosse, Wisconsin provided a late boost to his team in Saturday’s win by scoring eight of the Badgers’ 12 points in a 2-minute run. In that span, Wisconsin went from down 57-54 at the 4-minute mark to up 62-59 with 2:01 left.
When Koenig saw the possibility his team’s bid for the NCAA championship could end, he knew he needed to step it up.
“I knew that’s not how my career is going to end,” Koenig told The San Diego Union Tribune. “I knew when Coach [Greg Gard] gave me the opportunity to get back in there, I was going to make something happen.”
[text_ad]
The win propels Wisconsin to a matchup with No. 4 Florida Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Sweet 16 Analysis: Wisconsin vs. Florida
On paper, Wisconsin (27-9) and Florida (26-8) match up closely. The Gators average 78.3 points per game to the Badgers’ 72.3; but defensively, Wisconsin holds its opponents to 61.8 points per game compared to Florida’s 66.5. Both teams shoot the three ball at around 35 percent.
As a Ho-Chunk Koenig is Embracing Role as Activist
In addition to his prowess on the court, Bronson Koenig has been making a name for himself as an advocate for Native issues. Koenig has been consistently featured by USAToday, ESPN and Sports Illustrated for his support of the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline construction.
Koenig also wrote a column for The Players Tribunewhere he detailed his experience of attending the Cannon Ball, North Dakota camp last September.
It was a trip I’d been meaning to make ever since thousands of indigenous people — water and land protectors — from all across the world had first convened at Standing Rock last spring. I knew that September was going to be my last opportunity to join the protests before basketball season, and my senior year at Wisconsin, began.
Bronson Koenig continues to be a role model for Indian country. After Saturday’s win over Villanova, Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union Tribune wrote a piece on Koenig titled: “The secret of Wisconsin’s NCAA shocker: burning cedar.” He stated Koenig “is more than a college basketball player. He is a Native American basketball player. A role model. A shining example. A beacon of hope. An activist. A hero. A voice.”
Cary Rosenbaum (Colville Confederated Tribes) is a correspondent for Indian Country Media Network. Follow him on Twitter: @caryrosenbaum