Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes has seen it all; now he eyes a championship

BUFFALO — Nigel Hayes stood in a corner of the Wisconsin locker room, surrounded by a clutch of cameras. He’d just scored the 165th and 166th NCAA tournament points of his career, most of any active player. And that reverse layup, high off the glass, was the clinching bucket in an upset of overall top seed Villanova.

But that’s not the only reason that reporters were lobbing questions at him. Hayes is a power forward and a powerful orator, the Badgers’ senior statesman. He will play in his 17th NCAA tournament game Friday against Florida, though he has his sights set beyond that. Twenty is a nice round number, and if he plays in that many tournament games it will be because the Badgers reach the national championship.

“That’s the plan,” he said. None of that one-game-at-a-time boilerplate for him.

“Of course I’m happy we won,” Hayes said with a sort of preternatural calm. “But my demeanor right now, my tone, I’m trying to focus on winning. I’ve done everything else in the tournament that you can do besides hold the trophy. So that’s all I want to do.”

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He’s seen a lot in four seasons. Two Final Fours. One title game. And now four consecutive Sweet 16s.

“I’ve seen everything — the lights, the cameras, the fun, the ups and downs,” he said. “So all I want to do is just win.”

Eight seeds don’t typically talk about championships, but higher seeds simply don’t scare the Badgers. Florida is a No. 4 seed? Ha. Wisconsin has beaten No. 1 or No. 2 seeds five times in the past four seasons, more than any other team.

“They were the No. 1 seed, top dog,” Hayes said of Villanova. “For us, it was an easy game. Not because they were bad but because there was no pressure on us. According to a lot of people we were not supposed to make it past Virginia Tech (in the first round). So, for us, the game was to go out and play our brand of basketball.”

That brand is about grinding out games and getting big shots — and big stops — in big moments. Think Hayes driving the baseline for the clinching score and then the Badgers’ defense smothering Villanova star Josh Hart in the lane.

Hayes talked about what was on his mind when the ball came his way in the closing seconds.

“Really, just be calm and read the defense,” he said. “You don’t want to do anything erratic, take a charge or take a tough shot you shouldn’t take. Keep your calm and composure.”

That sounds easier said than done.

“No, not at all,” Hayes said. “We’ve had great leaders” — and here he name-checked Traevon Jackson, Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, Badgers stars of the recent past — “and now it’s my turn to step into those shoes.”

Guard Bronson Koenig hit crucial threes in both of Wisconsin’s wins in Buffalo.

“You guys found out Bronson has been (doing that) practically since Day 1,” Hayes said. “We’re well seasoned with players (who know) pressure situations.”

BRACKET:  Track the tournament

Wisconsin has 13 tournament wins in the past four seasons, more than any other team. But the Badgers also have three losses. So Hayes knows what that feels like. But he doesn’t know what it feels like to lose as a senior, to end his career. He’s seen what that looks like on the faces of others.

“That’s one of the first things I thought about,” he said. “I don’t want to feel that way.”

So, would Hayes celebrate when he got to see his game-winner in the highlight reels?

“No, we already won,” he said. “We celebrated already and now it’s time move on and focus on our next opponent.”

OK, so that’s sort of one game at a time-ish. But you can count on Hayes to deliver big buckets and money quotes.

“That’s the beauty of March Madness,” he said of the Badgers knocking off so many top seeds. “That’s why there’s never been a perfect bracket, because seedings mean absolutely zero. The beauty of it is we don’t need to be better than Villanova all year. We just need to be better for one night.”

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