Wisconsin had been playing well the second half of the season, but whether it was a true contender or not, remained in question. Minnesota was playing well the entire year, except a small blip, and had 15 wins in regulation.
Everyone knew this was the chance for Wisconsin to make a big move. A split would have been plenty to prove that, on the road, against its biggest rival.
Instead what the Badgers did was annihilate the Gophers over two games at Mariucci, and not just arrive, but move into first place in the Big Ten.