One surprising secret to Wisconsin’s success: Ultimate Frisbee

The first time Brian Butch heard about Wisconsin's unusual approach to offseason conditioning, the former Badgers big man admits he was baffled. "I was happy we didn't have to run sprints, but I remember thinking, 'We must be the only basketball team in the country that plays ultimate Frisbee," Butch recalled. "I thought everybody was nuts." A month-long intrasquad ultimate Frisbee competition may seem like a silly summer ritual to the average wide-eyed freshman, but Wisconsin players who have participated in the July tradition a few times often cite it as a key to their trademark team chemistry. Newcomers build instant camaraderie with teammates through the friendly trash talk and banter that has become a staple of the competition. A new set of team leaders naturally emerge based on which players take charge of their respective squads. And every player endures a fun yet surprisingly intense workout sprinting up and down a campus soccer field during t...