When the 2021-2022 Badgers basketball schedule came out, we saw that they were a team participating in the Maui Invitational over Thanksgiving week. A little later, we noticed that, because of Covid restrictions in Hawaii, the Maui Invite was now being held in Las Vegas. The last time the Badgers were in the Maui Invite was when we were living in California, and even then it was hard to get to Hawaii; plus, Maui's venue is really small and tickets are usually scooped up by the Badger Boosters. So, if there was any year to go to the Maui Invitational, this was the year to do it! They would be playing all their games at Mandalay Bay, and that's where we ended up staying. After we purchased the basketball tickets, we booked our flight and hotel soon after. As usual, we were both looking forward to this trip!
The basketball tournament started on Monday, so we booked our outbound flight for Sunday night. At 9:30pm EST our flight took off, and we were on the ground in Vegas at 10pm PST. We flew Frontier which is a low-cost carrier (we didn't really have another choice for non-stop flights), so any additions to the flight were at an extra cost. We decided to pay for seats with extra leg room so we could stretch out on the night flight. And another plus was that it was only Robbie and I in our 3-seat row, so we both had extra space, vertical and horizontal! By the time we got settled into our hotel, it was close to 11:30. I didn't even want to think about the fact that it was 3 hours later in Cincinnati! I was happy to have a view of the airport and the pools from our hotel room!
Even though we went to bed really late on Sunday, we were still up by 8:30am, so we got going and went to a breakfast buffet at Excalibur!
The games started at 11am, and the Badgers played first! There were 8 teams playing in this tournament (Butler, Chaminade, Houston, Oregon, St. Mary's, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin). There were 4 teams playing each morning, and 4 teams playing at night. With that, tickets were sold by sessions: 2 games in the morning session, and 2 games in the evening session. We bought tickets for every Badgers session, and we bought the "Follow The Badgers" package. That means we would be near the Badgers bench no matter what side of the court they were on. What I DIDN'T know was this: our seats were courtside, on the end corner right next to the Badgers bench! I literally could reach out and touch the player at the end of the bench! I didn't realize where our seats were until we were sitting in them! Gates opened at 10am, so we got there shortly after that so we could see warm-ups, up close and personal. The closest I've ever been to the court!
Our first opponent was Texas A&M. I didn't know much about them going into this game, but during warm-ups, I was worried that the Badgers would lose this game. A&M was so big, tall, and athletic. The Badgers had their work cut out for them!
After tip-off, it was very apparent that we were being outplayed. It took the Badgers about 9 minutes into the game to wake up! The deficit was 14 at one point and honestly, I thought we were done! But, we made a little run to end the half, and the Badgers were actually winning at intermission, 35-34!
The Badgers continued to pile on in the 2nd half, and ran away with the game with a final score of 69-58! It was an exciting game, and the Badgers played very well together. I was happy with what I saw because the last couple seasons, it looked like we just weren't quite in sync.
A couple cool perks came with the ticket package that we purchased. One was unlimited and complimentary food in a private banquet room behind the court. This was a really nice perk because we could eat both breakfast and lunch there and not have to pay astronomical Vegas Strip prices! The first day for breakfast, they provided made-to-order omelets, chicken and waffles, fruit trays, and various beverages. For lunch, we had pizzas, salads, meat and cheese trays, and small desserts. We could come and get food and beverages as much as we wanted during our session! I visited the beverage table for water more than anything during this tournament! A second perk was the fans that sat next to us. They bought the same ticket package as us, so we sat together the whole tournament! They were a mother-son duo who were fellow Badger fans as well! Her son had just graduated from UW-Madison. We became fast friends with them! It's always our unluck that when we go to games, we are somehow seated next to opposing fans, so it was awesome when we found out that we would be Badger buds the whole week!
After our session was done, we went to the pool for a little bit, and it was very nice to relax. It was also pretty warm, which was nice.
After the pool, we wanted to see the new Allegiant Stadium where the Las Vegas Raiders play football. It's so weird that Las Vegas has 3 major league sports teams now! Allegiant Stadium saw its first football game at the start of the 2020-21 season, however no fans were allowed! The stadium was just across the freeway from Mandalay Bay, so it was an easy walk across the I-15! As the stadium was being built, I had always heard that it looked like a giant Roomba, and they weren't lying! The stadium looked so futuristic, something that absolutely looked like it belonged in Vegas!
Being we had the evening free we decided last minute to go to a show, and we landed on Blue Man Group! This show was playing at the Luxor, so it was an easy walk across to the neighboring casino. I had already seen the show but it was a first for Robbie! As is with the majority of shows on the strip, you can't go wrong, and Blue Man Group was no exception! Robbie described it as a journey for the eyes and the ears! Two thumbs up!
On Tuesday, we planned to have our complimentary arena breakfast. We thought the gates would open at 10am again, so we got there a little early because we went to the box office to print off the Championship day tickets, now that we knew what session the Badgers would be in. It turned out that the gates wouldn't open until 10:30 that morning, so we had some extra time to kill. The arena was close to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, so we headed that way to see what there was to see. On our walk back to the arena, we noticed a few people who had various team gear on going into these conference rooms for pre-game meetings; we figured they were players, judging by their size and attire. So, we hung out down there hoping to see some Badgers walk by. And sure enough, down the hall walks 1 or 2 Badger players, then 1 or 2 more, and so on. Thank God Robbie was there, otherwise I wouldn't have know who exactly they were. We didn't bother anyone with ear buds in, but if we saw they didn't, we wished them luck as they walked by. And then, there were a few I wanted a picture with, so in addition to wishing these players luck, we requested a picture as well.
So, I present to you: the future face of the team, Chuckie Hepburn:
5th year senior and workhorse Brad Davison:
And the head coach himself, Greg Gard:
I couldn't believe this was happening! I was able to find words this time (unlike in the past when we've had run-in's with the Brewers) and actually spoke coherent sentences to them! They all seemed very appreciative of the kind words and confidence we hope we emulated to them! The icing on the cake was that I'm pretty sure they recognized it was us that was sitting bench/courtside next to them during the game! That experience was the best, sports-wise, I've had in a while
Tuesdays Badger game started at 2pm vs Houston (the top seed in the tourney), and we were off to the races early! Again during warm-ups, Houston seemed bigger than us, but we stunned them from the start. It wasn't until the 15-minute mark that they scored their first points, and by then, the Badgers already had 13! We were firing on all cylinders from the beginning! We had them doubled up by the end of the half, winning 40-20!
Houston adjusted their game at the half, and came out with answers to our offense in the 2nd half. They quickly chipped away at their 20 point deficit and all of the sudden I was glad we had that big cushion! They came within 3 a few times, but the Badgers wouldn't allow it thankfully!
At one point in the 2nd half, Davison got caught up in a scuffle and one of Houstons players hit him in the nose causing him to bleed. He came over practically right next to us to clean it up. As he was walking towards the bench he asked his teammates what the foul was, and the refs in fact hadn't called a foul; they were at the monitor to review the play. The refs deemed that play not enough for a foul to be called on UH. Obviously tensions were high and in the middle of the review, I heard one of the Badgers bench guys say "just T his ass up!" Ha! So for good reason, coach Gard wanted an explanation from the refs, and I saw Houstons coach tell one of the refs "why don't you tell him (Gard) to shut up?!" What a terrible guy!
Anywayyyy, as the clock wound down, the Badgers hung onto the lead, but not by much. The game came down to the last possession. The Badgers were up 2 with 4 seconds left. Houston had the ball and were bringing it up the length of the floor. The player with the ball held onto it for a second too long and the game was over! Badgers win, 65-63! It was quite the exciting game, with much to cheer about! The Badgers are now in the Championship game the next day, and the fans left happy!
Since the Badgers had their pre-game meetings in those conference rooms in the lower level of Mandalay Bay, we thought that's where they would convene post-game, so we decided to go back to where we were before the game. This time, however, if we did see any Badgers, Robbie had "On Wisconsin" at the ready on his phone! And sure enough, Badger players started trickling through, and they seemed very delighted when the school song started to play! We were just genuinely happy fans wanting to share a piece of it with them! Spirits were high for sure! And no one seemed more proud than when we saw Gard walk past. We congratulated them, and the feeling of confidence for the championship game was mutual! On our way back through the casino we saw Tyler Wahl just walking through and we had a brief conversation with him before heading up. When we got on the elevator to our room, we shared a ride with a Texas A&M player. They are moving onto the 5th place game and we congratulated him for today's win (we were there for the game before the Badgers played, and A&M beat Butler handedly). It was cool to have these 2 random run-ins with players on our way back!
That evening we were going to attend the Gonzaga/UCLA game being held at another venue on the strip, but we were too exhausted to endure another game. We instead grabbed dinner and walked to the fountains in front of Mandalay Bay, one of our favorite spots on the strip!
Later that night, we found a replay of the earlier Badger game so it was fun to see it a second time! So far this trip has been coming up Badgers! I was also checking my fitbit app before bed, and the app thought I went on a long bike ride with how my heart rate was on a Rollercoaster, the number of steps I took, and my exercise hours! Nope, I was just cheering for my team!
Wednesday we woke up, ordered room service, then went down to the convention hall to wait for the Badgers. We didn't see as many this day, and it was understandable because it was the Championship game. The players that we did see, however, were showered with praise and "On, Wisconsin!" We were excited for the game! The Badgers were taking on St. Mary's College. The Badgers and the Gaels were the only 2 teams that hadn't lost yet. I felt that this was the most even match of the whole tournament! Being we had tickets to each Badgers session and there were always 2 games per session, we were able to watch the Oregon/Houston game before the Badgers game. The Oregon/Houston game was for 3rd place in the tournament, and Houston won that game by a billion; it was never close. The Badgers played Houston on a down day for UH because if they played the Badgers like they played Oregon, the Badgers may have lost! Anyway, during that game, I saw Matt Lepay (the radio voice of the Badgers) walk by us. We flagged him down and I was able to grab a picture with him! Cool!
As soon as Houston won, the Badgers took the court for warm-ups; there were only 30 minutes between games. With this being the championship game, the National Anthem was sung, along with the Hawaiin State Song. I loved how that being the Maui Invite had to be moved to Vegas, they tried to make it seem like a tropical paradise , including the singing of the HI State song!
Emotions were high on both sides of the ball, especially with the fans. The Badgers and Gaels fans were pretty even in size and in spirit. Both sides wanted this! After line-ups were presented, tip-off occurred right after! The Gaels were quick to put points on the board and we traded a few baskets, but then nothing was hitting for the Badgers and the Gaels took advantage. By half, the Badgers were down 6. They needed to make halftime adjustments if thry wanted a shot at winning.
During intermission, fans were treated to a true Hawaiin Luau and belly dance routine! I turned to Robbie and said "there, now we don't have to go to Hawaii...we've just seen all we need to!" Ha!
The Badgers came out of the half with more intensity, and it showed in the way they played. Although they didn't make their first few shots, they were getting much better looks. When the Badgers were down 10, the bucket that shifted momentum to the Badgers was a 3-pointer by Bowen II. Then after a Gaels miss, we got a quick layup on the other end. This cut the deficit in half, and we had hope again! From there on out, the Badgers were in control! Thry took a time-out with 4-ish minutes left and we were up 4, and that's when I just felt like we could win this! The Gaels hit a 3, but then the Badgers made 2 free throws on the other side to keep that cushion lead. That 4-point lead was good enough until the end, and the Badgers actually won the game by 6!!
The elation in that arena was amazing to see! Everyone, including players and coaches were just so happy, and before we knew it, we were all jumping around! It reminded me of when the Badgers beat Kentucky in the 2015 Final Four!
After the initial fanfare, the trophy ceremony began. Rightfully so, Johnny Davis won the tournament MVP, and then the Maui Invitational trophy was given out! It was so fun to see this group of guys celebrate, especially with what a struggle the past few years have been. We stayed until the Badgers left the court, and as they did, one of the players Carter Higginbottom, full-out hugged Robbie on the way out! Super cool! Before we left, I exchanged numbers with our new friend Lisa who we had been sitting next to the whole tourney. I really hope we keep in touch and see each other in the future! Maybe meeting for a Badger game or two down the road!
We then headed down to our tried and true spot between the arena and team meeting rooms, and who was the first to come down but Carter Higginbottom! He recognized us and came over to thank us for the energy we brought to the team each day! He had some Badger beads around his neck that he gave to Robbie, and I couldn't let him get away without a picture of them! It was so nice for us to hear that these players appreciate their fans, and they go out of their way to tell us! Most of the starters stayed up near the arena to hang out with family and friends, so we went up as they were heading out, and we fist-bumped each and every one of them as they were leaving! It was the best way to end this tournament!
We will never forget our experience here, and we hope our excitement translated to the players in all the positive interactions we had with them, too! About an hour later, we had dinner reservations at the steakhouse in Mandalay Bay, and it turned out to be a celebratory dinner! We reminisced about the last 3 days, and talked about our hopes for the team for the rest of their season! As I stated a bit ago, the last few years have been rough, but we saw a cohesion in this year's team that we haven't seen since 2015! Keep it up Badgers!
Our last full day in Vegas was Thursday, which also happened to be Thanksgiving! We had 1 thing planned that day, but it didn't start until 1:30pm, so we were able to sleep in, watch the Thanksgiving parade, and go to lunch first!
Our 1 thing planned on this day, you ask? Well, we were about to embark on a Helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon! After all our years of living in Vegas, we never made it to the Grand Canyon! It seemed too far away to drive and just look at it for 10 minutes then leave. So we always said that if we ever do it, we need to do it via helicopter! When we lived on the strip, we saw helicopters taking off all the time, and we just knew one day that would be us! This was both Robbie and my first time in a helicopter!
Our tickets included round-trip car service to and from the hotel we were staying at, and we got to ride in style in a private limo! And funny enough, the entrance to the helicopter hangar was like 100 feet from our old apartment! Too funny!
Before we took off, we watched a brief safety video and had to put on these floatation devices being we were flying over water; they looked like fanny packs! Ha! Then we were divided into about 5 groups, and off we went!
Our group then WALKED ON THE TARMAC OF THE AIRPORT (honestly, that could've been enough for me) towards our ride! Robbie and I were with just 1 other couple, and the guys let the ladies have the front seat! I about fell over! I had no idea a helicopter had front seats, let alone knowing I'd be sitting front and center! I got to sit by the pilot even! So. Awesome.!
Our pilot, Sam, told us to take as many pictures and videos as we would like, and I definitely heeded his advice!
Take-off was really smooth, and I wouldn't have known we were off the ground if we weren't accelerating! I was so happy!
We headed east, and as we did, we watched the valley turn quickly to desert.
As we were flying, the pilot was narrating what we were seeing. The first thing he mentioned was Lake Las Vegas, about 30 minutes from the strip. This Lake is the largest man-made resort Lake in the country! I didn't know that!
Then as we got further into the desert, he pointed out some rock formations that were actually extinct volcanoes! I had no idea there were once active volcanoes so close to vegas! I think of them always being in tropical locations!
Further on, we flew by the Hoover Dam, which is extraordinary to see from above! I had been there several times before, but it was nice to get another look. Sam told us that there is enough concrete in the Hoover Dam that if you lay it out flat, it'll go all the way from the California coast to New York City! Holy cow!
From Hoover Dam, we were able to see just how big Lake Mead is! I had no idea it stretched as far as to almost the Grand Canyon!! We also saw where the Colorado River starts from lake Mead and starts to flow into the Grand Canyon! Cool!
As we kept flying, the Grand Wash appeared and started getting closer. The Grand Wash is the "wall" of the Grand Canyon. I was on the edge of my seat, literally, and with my camera at the ready!
As soon as we crossed the Grand Wash, I think my jaw hit the floor with all the beauty that surrounded me! I could not believe I was getting one of the best views of the Grand Canyon, and I was so up close and personal to it! The colorful rock formations all around me, the clear blue sky above, and the Colorado River below was almost too much! It was stunning! Sam told us we were on this tour at the right time, both temperature-wise and time-of-day-wise. Being it was late afternoon, the shadows gave the Canyon a really cool dimension and depth! It was perfect!
As soon as we got into the Canyon, our helicopter descended, so we were actually flying way far below the plateau. I imagined what we looked liked to someone above! Before we landed, Sam pointed out the Skywalk, a new-ish attraction at the west rim where people can walk out on a U-shaped platform, suspended above the floor of the Canyon. Im sure that view is beautiful too!
We then found the area we were going to land, and Sam put us on the ground with ease! We quickly got out and went straight to the edge! The beauty before us was magical! When I actually thought about the magnitude and size of this Canyon and I was just a small speck inside of ...yeah, that was a crazy thought to know that this world is such a big place!
We were able to have about a half hour on the ground inside the Canyon. Our tickets also included a light picnic and champagne. Who seriously has champagne in the Grand Canyon?!
Soon after, we packed up to head back to Vegas! We were able to see the Grand Canyon heading back west, and it was just as beautiful coming in!
As we were flying out of the Canyon, the sun was setting just so that the Grand Was was illuminated, and the "wall" of the Canyon looked so beautiful! Robbie was glad I got these next few pictures!
On our way back, we took a more northern route because Sam wanted to show us the Bowl of Fire, filled with bright red rock formations. I'm glad he took us this way so we could see something different! It looked like we were on Mars!
The northern view also allowed us to head towards the strip from the north. When we booked our tour, it also included a route over the strip! We first headed towards downtown, or Old Las Vegas. This is where all the old and smaller casinos are, like Binions, the California, and the Golden Nugget. Downtown also includes the famous canopy of the Freemont Street Experience!
Then we headed south towards the strip! Our ride took us parallel on the western side of the strip! It was fun to see all the casinos starting to light up for the night!
There are 2 major structures that are new since we moved away. One of them is currently under construction and it's called The Sphere. It's going to be the biggest multi-use venues of its kind, and it's right behind the Wynn and Encore. The other, as mentioned before, is Allegiant Stadium. Just 2 days ago we had seen it from the ground, but catching a birds-eye view of it was so awesome! We went right over it!
Sadly our tour was coming to an end. As we were landing,, we spotted Floyd Mayweather's private plane!
Our helicopter ride THE BEST flight I have ever been on! It was the coolest way to see something like the Grand Canyon, and it was more than I could have ever imagined! We walked back to our hangar from the tarmac, and that was it. I will give this experience a 12/10! Just spectacular! When we got home I realized my camera had a map of where all my pictures had been taken. Below is a screenshot I took of the route we flew to and from the Grand Canyon! Cool!
We actually walked back to our hotel, and on our way, we walked past our old apartment, so I had to get a few pics! We lived in apartment 408 overlooking the airport!! I still can't believe we lived so close to the strip!
Our flight took off later that night; we actually flew on our first red-eye, so our departure time was 12:59am on Friday morning! As we got out of the cab again the airport, I turned around to see the strip in the distance! It was a fun way to end one of the best vacations we have been on in a long time!
It was the perfect and most well-balanced week in one of our favorite cities in the world! We saw some great basketball, met new friends, and saw one of the 7 natural wonders of the world! Now that's a good getaway!
