Wisconsin 79 North Carolina 72
No. 1 seed Wisconsin trailed for most of the second half on Thursday night before rallying to beat No. 4 seed North Carolina, advancing to the Elite Eight for the second straight season.
North Carolina held a 33-31 lead at halftime, and swelled the deficit to 53-46 with 10:26 to go in the game, before Badgers guard Bronson Koenig hit a three-pointer off a pass from Frank Kaminsky to cut the lead to four.
Wisconsin reserve guard Zak Showalter, who averaged 7.8 minutes per game during the regular season, scored six points during the definitive stretch of a 9-0 run to give the Badgers a 65-60 lead with 5:13 remaining.
North Carolina’s Marcus Paige hit consecutive three-pointers that drew the Tar Heels within one with 54 seconds to go, but Wisconsin made all eight of its ensuing free throws over the closing seconds.
Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Dekker was 10 of 15 from the field, helping offset a mediocre first half from Frank Kaminsky, who started 2 of 7 from the field. He would go on to finish with 19 points after a much better second half.
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Justin Jackson and Brice Johnson led North Carolina with 15 points apiece. Paige finished with 12 points.
Wisconsin moves on to face Arizona on Saturday with a Final Four birth on the line.
