The Wisconsin basketball team lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame in the Sweet 16
Turnovers in the final minute came back to bite the Badgers as the Wisconsin basketball team saw its magical NCAA Tournament run come to an end in the Sweet 16 at the hands of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a 61-56 loss.
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The Badgers held a one-point lead at 56-55 with 19.3 seconds left, it quickly turned into Notre Dame’s advantage but Demetrius Jackson grabbed a steal in the backcourt as Notre Dame pressed Wisconsin. Nigel Hayes coughed up the ball attempting to split a double team, and Jackson scored to give Notre Dame the lead.
After Bronson Koenig‘s layup attempt at the other end went hard off the rim, Jackson hit a pair of free throws to put Notre Dame up three before Jackson grabbed another steal from Koenig to seal the game.
Jackson scored 16 points and had six assists and three steals in the Notre Dame victory, while V.J. Beachum added 19 points and Zach Auguste scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Ethan Happ led the Badgers with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but fouled out with under a minute to play. Hayes and Zak Showalter scored 11 points each, while Vitto Brown and Koenig scored eight each. Khalil Iverson and Jordan Hill each added a bucket off of the bench.
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The Badgers held as large as a five-point lead in the second half, but could never hold off Notre Dame for long in the Sweet 16 loss.
The defeat ends the Badgers tournament run after Wisconsin turned around a 9-9 season into a seven-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Neither team could find their shot in the first half, as Wisconsin shot just 34.6 percent and Notre Dame was even worse off at 24.1 percent.
Koenig and Happ led the Badgers with seven and six points, respectively, while Hayes continued to struggle, scoring three points on just 1-of-5 shooting.
Defensively, Wisconsin held Auguste to just one made basket and three points in the first half. Farrell led the Irish with seven points at the break as Wisconsin took a 23-19 lead into the break.
Happ scored six more to start the second half, helping Wisconsin to a 34-28 with 13 minutes left in the game. Notre Dame fought back and tied things up at 34-all with 10 minutes to play.
Hayes broke the tie burying a three-pointer moments later, his first of the tournament. Jackson then tied the game with just under nine minutes to go and put the Irish on top for the first time since early in the first half with a pair of free throws as Happ went to the bench with three fouls.
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A Showalter tip-slam just under the eight-minute mark gave Wisconsin a 39-38 lead, and the junior drove for a layup on the next possession to give the Badgers a 41-38 lead.
Jackson closed the gap to 41-40 with a lay-in, then Beachum drained a long two-pointer to give Notre Dame the lead back with about 5:30 to play.
As the clock ticked below five minutes, Brown put the Badgers ahead 44-42 on a three-pointer, but Happ picked up his fourth foul on the other end and headed to the bench.
Auguste tied the game with a pair of free throws, but Hayes knocked down another three to give the Badgers a 47-44 lead with under four to play.
Jordan Hill then nabbed a steal, and turned it into two on the other end as Wisconsin led 49-44 with 3:30 on the clock.
Jackson and Hayes traded baskets before Beachum drained a three to make it a 51-49 game with 2:52 to play. A Farrell-to-Auguste alley-oop tied the game at 51-51.
Happ scored at the shot-clock buzzer at the one-minute mark to give Wisconsin a 53-51 lead, but the big man fouled out seconds later diving for a loose ball with 46.5 seconds to play.
Auguste hit both free throws to tie the game, but Brown drained a three-pointer to give Wisconsin a 56-53 lead with under 30 to play.
Jackson drove the lane on the other end to score a quick two, pulling the Irish within one at 56-55 with 19.3 seconds, and Notre Dame forced a Hayes turnover on the inbounds and scored to go up 57-56.
Koenig’s layup attempt on the other end went strong off the rim, and Wisconsin fouled Beachum with 6.8 on the clock.
Beachum hit both free throws to put Notre Dame up 59-56, and Koenig was stripped at mid-court Jackson. Koenig fouled him, and Jackson hit both freebies to ice the game.