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18 // VARSITY March 27, 2014 who has ever been in that situation trying to make some late-game free throws, you know what it's like and it's nerve-racking. You will be tested and Trae is the guy who passes that test every time." Kelley was especially impressed with the pass that Jackson made to a wide-open Brust for the 3-pointer that not only broke Tim Locum's school record for career triples but ended up being the game-winner against the Ducks. "That just showed me Trae's leadership in making that extra pass," he said. Meanwhile, Brust's 3-point explosiveness conjures up images of Jon Bryant, whose perimeter shooting sparked the 2000 Badgers. He had seven triples in the Fresno State win. "I don't think anybody who was a fan of that team can watch this team and not make a direct comparison," Kelley said. Needless-to-say, Kelley is a big fan of these Badgers. "They just have that extra something with their personalities and the way they play as a unit," he said. "They're a great group of guys and they're having fun. I think all the fans sense that as they watch the games. This team has great chemistry." But he warned once a team gets to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament ― the Badgers play Baylor in the Sweet 16 ― there are new dangers. "The biggest trap that teams face and you see it all the time," Kelley said, "is that they start dreaming a little bit too much and stop thinking about reality." His best advice? "They need to stick to the little things that got them to this point," he said. "If this team doesn't forget about those things, it'll be fine. But if you try and focus on the Final Four, you're liable to not get there. It's hard to stay focused, but if anyone can keep them in line it's Bo (Ryan)." In 2000, Kelley and Kowske filled out tournament brackets for grins. Kelley had the Badgers playing Purdue in the Elite Eight. And it materialized. "I thought I was being generous to us," he reasoned while confiding he had the Boilers win- ning. "I would have never told the story had we lost." That team was motivated by fear. The year before, Missouri State humbled the Badgers, 43-32, in the first round. "We played every game like we were worried that we were going to get embarrassed," Kelley said. "And we played every game with everything that we had be- cause we didn't have a high margin for error." Neither does anyone today, given the parity of the tournament's second weekend. So, what does it take to get to a Final Four? "It takes a well-rounded team," Kelley said. "But you have to be excellent at something. That one thing could be defense, it could be offense. But I don't think you can be above aver- age all the way around. "This team has the ability to be excellent on the offensive end ― it doesn't matter who's putting it up because you feel good about it go- ing in ― and then it's a matter of how far the defense can take them. It's a fun group to root for." And he will be Thursday, and beyond. Continued from page 16 LUCAS AT LARGE "Now, 14 years later, people still want to talk to me about it and ask me what it was like," said Kelley, who cited the potential life-changing bene- fits for the players that wind up getting to a Final Four. "It will open up doors for them, maybe job opportunities."