Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor, January 6, 2014
Ben Brust played with a heavy heart during Wisconsin's 75-71 win over Iowa on Sunday. Constant thoughts were running through the mind of the Badgers' senior shooting guard. What could have been. What was. What isn't anymore.
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It's still fresh in the mind of Brust when he talks about it today.
"I'm just…" Brust began, gasping for a fresh breath as he held back emotions. "I don't even know what to say. This one was just for him and I know that."
Brust was speaking of his cousin, Anthony, who died nearly 16 months ago from blunt force trauma after the motorcycle he was driving collided with an SUV in Long Grove, Ill. The driver of the SUV was cited for failure to yield.
Brust dedicated the victory over Iowa to his cousin, who would have turned 23 on Sunday.
"I knew I had to get it for him," Brust said of his cousin during a postgame interview with former Badger and current BTN analyst Mike Kelley.
The Badgers' senior guard scored a team-high 19 points in Wisconsin's come-from-behind victory over the Hawkeyes. It was his second-highest scoring total this season as the Badgers improved to 15-0, which matched the best start in school history.
The complete interview with Brust can be found above.