Brandon Ashley’s appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated guarantees him significant wall space in the UA’s Hall of Champions display, sharing space with previous SI cover people such as Jennie Finch and Tedy Bruschi.
But Ashley’s cover didn’t go nationwide. Not only was it one of four regional covers, but the “national” issue of SI featured San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner at the Giants’ downtown celebration parade.
Inside the magazine, in a long feature story on Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, the Badgers’ 2014 Elite Eight victory over Arizona is captured in a two-page photo spread.
The disappointed look on Aaron Gordon’s face as the Badgers celebrate a 64-63 overtime victory seems ironic in the same issue in which Arizona is picked No. 2 nationally and Ashley is a cover model.
