Some look at three seniors who play regularly for the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team and see guys who didn't quite live up to the hype.

Some look at three seniors who play regularly for the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team and see guys who didn't quite live up to the hype.

I look at them and see something completely different.

I see winners.

In basketball and in life.

Yes, Brian Butch was a rare McDonald's All-American from Wisconsin and Michael Flowers and Greg Stiemsma led their nearby high school teams to state titles. Along with the imposing size of Butch and Stiemsma, that led some to dream about NCAA titles for UW.

But when the seniors play their final game at the Kohl Center Wednesday night against Penn State, there will be no all-American honors and no national titles, though the latter remains a possibility for 10th-ranked UW. That doesn't detract from what they have accomplished, however.

All three have battled through adversity. All three have become complete players. And all three have contributed to 98 wins in four years, one short of the school record.

So how best to describe the careers of Butch, Flowers and Stiemsma?

"If you use one word, it's perseverance," assistant coach Greg Gard said. "They've all had to overcome something in terms of what they've had to deal with, whether it be injuries or personal issues. They've all battled their way through individual things and stuck together as a group. You don't have any star-popping numbers that stick out, but you've got a group that's won a lot of games."

As long as we're playing the word-association game, let's describe each senior in a word.

Gard says the word for Butch, who has battled criticism fueled by unrealistic expectations, his mother's illness and a dislocated elbow, is perseverance. Because Butch is not a classic, physically strong big man, people have no idea how hard he works, how competitive he is and how many ways he can affect a game.

"He's never going to be a back-to-the basket banger," Gard said. "He's made the most of what he's got with his skills and his ability to shoot the ball. He is what he is."

Assistant coach Howard Moore says resilient is the word for Butch, who overcame that intense scrutiny to lead UW in scoring and rebounding this season and will soon earn his master's degree.

"We watched a young man grow up in front of a lot of eyes," Moore said. "He's a kid that just got tougher and better through all of it and he's standing here right now as a senior hungry and driven to finish this season on top."

When Gard thinks of Flowers, he thinks of tenacity. Flowers isn't the most stylish guard, but he's had an uncanny ability to give UW exactly what it needs -- a 3-point basket, a steal, an assist -- when it is needed the most.

"He never quits," Gard said. "He's going to find a way to fight through it. It may not always be the exact, technique-perfect way, but he's going to find a way to win."

Moore calls Flowers gritty, one reason Flowers has morphed from a defensive specialist into an all-around player this season.

"He's a fighter," Moore said. "I look at him as a kid that had good people around him to help him escape some very difficult circumstances to be where he is today and that's one of the best players in our league. He's earned that. He buys into the hard work and what it takes to be successful."

Gard finds Stiemsma harder to pin down in one word, though he finally settles on courageous. At UW, Stiemsma's development has been slowed by the effects of knee surgery, depression that caused him to miss a semester and limited playing time, presumably because his lack of quickness caused UW matchup problems.

"He's battled through all that and persevered and given us a huge boost at key times when the matchups have been (favorable)," Gard said. "He's given us that spark periodically throughout his career and he's added a little more offense to his game this year."

There is a nagging thought that coach Bo Ryan has held Stiemsma back a bit, that his productivity as a shooter, passer and shot-blocker wasn't always rewarded with minutes. Stiemsma hasn 't let any of that affect his demeanor or his effort, one reason Moore settles on personable among several words to describe him.

"People don't understand him," Moore said. "When they see him, they're intimidated sometimes because he's so big and he's got that growl on the court and he looks like a monster. But he's very personable. I think he's really grown as a person."

They all have. And they're all winners, which is why they could soon deliver a fitting finish -- UW's first Big Ten regular-season title since 2003.