Nik Stauskas is patently unfair. There's no greater evidence than this shot; not only does he stop on a dime, bring the ball behind his right leg and cross over, then rise up in perfect shooting form and hit nothing but twine ... you can see several Wisconsin fans already bracing themselves for the worst before he even jumps, beating their fellow supporters to the defeated hands-on-head punch.
This occurred despite Stauskas going 2-for-8 from three to that point, including a couple open misses that would've effectively sealed the game. He was burying the dagger eventually, and the Badger faithful knew it.
[Hit THE JUMP for a whole lot of Stauskas, co-starring GRIII jumpers, Caris LeVert drives, big men doing big men things, and Bo Ryan gloriously losing his mind.]
As usual, click the links/stills to open each GIF in a lightbox, and don't forget to vote for your favorite at the end of the post.
HONORABLE MENTION
Stauskas fast break jump-pass assist. Stauskas unstoppable pick-and-roll assist . GRIII destroys Brust with first step, skies for layup. Stauskas unstoppable pick-and-roll pullup. Horford pump fake, postup, turnaround jumper. Brilliantly designed handoff/pick play for Stauskas three. Stauskas unstoppable pick-and-roll post-switch assist. Stauskas unstoppable isolation fadeaway. Yes, Wisconsin, that's a foul.
10. Stauskas unstoppable pick-and-roll fadeaway
Like I said, patently unfair. If the honorable mention list and this GIF teach you anything, it's that running a soft hedge against Nik Stauskas is a very, very bad idea even if that's how your team rolls.
9. GRIII on repeat
Screen. Curl. Rise. Fire.
Rinse. Repeat.
8. Count it, Caris
Impressive Stretch Armstrong finish between two defenders followed by a quick "count it" hand gesture from LeVert. This GIF sequence hasn't been kind to Sam Dekker's defense. Then again, neither was Michigan.
7. Bo Ryan is displeased, part one
Bless you, ESPN producer who clearly directed their cameramen to zoom in on Bo Ryan after bad things happened to Wisconsin. More from this soon.
6. Yoink-and-one
Extra style points for the lefty finish and extended floor-slide.
5. GRIN YOUR FACE
Jordan Morgan is rightfully pleased with himself. Sam Dekker, meanwhile, had a pretty crappy weekend.
4. The saddest Wisco bro
Wisconsin basketball fan. Pink shirt. Giant plastic-rimmed sunglasses worn inside. Three strikes, LET ME BASK IN YOUR MISERY.
3. Bo Ryan is displeased, part deux
Winner, Best Short Film (Horror/Comedy)
2. I RUN THIS [PLACE]
AND I'MMA KEEP RUNNIN'/I'MMA KEEP RUNNIN' CAUSE I'M NEVER RUNNIN' OUTTA JUMPERS
FRAMES OF THE GAME: COOOOOOOLD-BLOOOOOOODED
Was there any doubt? The schadenfreude-laden replay:
And the original broadcast angle featuring the bench going appropriately ape:
With McGary rehabbing, Max Bielfeldt has taken up the mantle as best bench reaction guy. Strong work, young man.