3-2-1: Reflecting on Wisconsin's 2018-19 season

With Wisconsin's season coming to an end Friday evening, we reexamine our 3-2-1 feature, where we tell you three things we learned, ask two questions and make one bold prediction.

1. "For the Culture"

After a 15–18 (7–11 Big Ten) season a year ago, Wisconsin started preparation for its 2018-19 campaign with a focus on returning the program to where it once stood. With that, "For the Culture" was born for a team that didn't make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 19 seasons.

Despite losing in the first round to No. 12 Oregon on Friday, this group accomplished a lot of the goals it created last summer. And while there's certainly a sour taste still in the mouths of UW fans across the country Saturday morning, this year's team...

*Returned to the NCAA Tournament - the 20th appearance in the last 21 seasons.

*Won at least 20 games for the 15th time in the last 17 seasons.

*Recorded 14 Big Ten wins for the third time in school history.

*Finished fourth or higher in the Big Ten for the 17th time in the last 18 seasons.

In the end, what counts is post-season play, and the Badgers went 1-2 when the games mattered most. But for a group looking to get the program back on track, UW hit on most of its checkpoints.

"I think we got the program back on track," Brad Davison told the Wisconsin State Journal. "We know how good we are. We know the talent we have in this locker room. To prove to ourselves that we belong in this tournament obviously says something and moves us in the right direction. But also we know that we don't want this to be the feeling again and that this isn't Wisconsin basketball.

"We can go farther than this and we should be going farther than this. I think it definitely showed us the importance of doing the little things, showed us the importance of holding one another accountable, which are things we can continue to improve on for next year."