The Badgers entered East Lansing Michigan in January 2002 knowing they had a tough job ahead of them. Not only were the Spartans ranked 25th in the country, they also had the nation’s best and the Big Ten record 53 game home winning streak. After a slow start the Badgers got a spark in the second half and with just 25 seconds left, Freddie Owens hit the game winner for Wisconsin.
WRN Sports Director Bill Scott spoke with Owens about his game winning shot. “I just remember being wide open in the corner. I was initially going to shoot the jump shot but I saw a guy closing out and a couple of big guys flying at me. So I had to get the ball up high and it went in, luckily. We had a lot of contributions from a lot of different areas and stuck it out and got a gritty win,” said Owens.
Wisconsin’s 64-63 victory ended the Spartans’ winning streak. It also snapped the Badgers’ nine game losing streak to Michigan State.
Shining Moments in Badger History are sponsored by Marshfield Clinic.
AUDIO: Shining Moments Radio Feature for 12/31/12 – Victory Over the Spartans
