From tournament staple to elite team, the Wisconsin Badgers look to cement their status as one of the great male basketball teams in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and perpetuate a culture of greatness for years to come.

Only two years ago, the Badgers had lost to the Mississippi Rebels in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

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Due to this loss, Sam Dekker and Traevon Jackson - respectively a freshman and a sophomore at the time - let loose some words that came off to many as controversial and disrespectful.

In a statement back then, the two players said that they wanted to change the culture of the Badgers' program.

In the eyes of other people, there was nothing wrong with the Badgers program.

At that point, the Badgers had made it to the NCAA Tournament for 14 consecutive times. They had also made one appearance in the Final Four, two regional finals, six Sweet 16s, and even won three Big Ten regular-season crowns with two additional conference tournament titles.

Looking back, Dekkers admits that he might have chosen the wrong words.

However, he still believes in the words he said back then. For Dekkers, he doesn't want the Badgers to be just a NCAA Tournament staple.

"We didn't want to settle for anything less, to be OK with being good enough," he said.

In reality, the goal was to be like the current great teams. Teams like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, or North Carolina. These teams were not known for being okay, but for being excellent at what they do.

The vision that Dekkers and Jackson strived for though is in sight as they go into the finals of the NCAA Tournament against Duke.

If the Badgers make it to the top of the mountain, there would be no doubt about their excellence. Their journey there speaks volumes, having beaten the greats in North Carolina, Arizona, Duke, and even the undefeated Kentucky.

People are beginning to take notice of the Badgers, congratulating them after they beat Kentucky.

While the title would be a great achievement and a historic moment for the Badgers, their real goal lay in changing the culture of their basketball program.

TagsWisconsin Badgers, Culture, Sam Dekkers