Milwaukee Bucks sign player at center of officiating disaster in Wisconsin's 2015 title loss to Duke

The memories of the 2015 NCAA Tournament national title game never seem to disappear.

The Wisconsin lost to Duke 68-63. The game was a crushing end to the most successful era of Badger basketball, and likely the best individual team in program history.

We’ve relived the game enough over the last nine years. How Wisconsin lost after leading 48-39 with 13:20 remaining in the second, how Grayson Allen came out of nowhere to steal the win, how Wisconsin, the lowest-foul-committing team in the country, went from being called for just two fouls in the first half to 13 in the second half — leading to 16 Duke free throws.

Now thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s time to relive one of those moments yet again.

The Bucks signed Justice Winslow to an exhibit 10 contract on Thursday. Winslow is now a nine-year NBA veteran, with time in Miami (2015-20), Memphis (2020-21), Los Angeles (Clippers, 2021-22), Portland (2022-23) and the G-League (2023-24). He now joins the Bucks organization before their season begins in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Winslow is most commonly known in the state of Wisconsin as the player who did touch the ball as it went out of bounds late in Duke’s national title win over the Badgers.

The situation: 1:51 remaining in the game, Duke leading Wisconsin 63-58. The ball deflected out of bounds on a rebound and was called out on Wisconsin. After review, the referees stuck with the call. Badgers fans, however, forever have the screenshot of the ball apparently grazing Winslow’s finger.

That call mostly ended Wisconsin’s hopes for a national title. Duke guard Tyus Jones hit a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to stretch the lead to 66-58 with only 1:24 remaining in the game.

Winslow is now a member of the Bucks organization — Milwaukee, Wisconsin a short drive from the nearby Madison area. A straw poll of Madison residents would assuredly agree that Winslow did, indeed, touch the ball.

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