Wisconsin 85 Arizona 78
No. 1 seed Wisconsin defeated No. 2 seed Arizona in the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season as the Badgers’ two star forwards carried them to the school’s fourth Final Four appearance.
Arizona actually held a 33-30 halftime lead, but fell victim to Wisconsin’s hot three-point shooting in the second half.
Badgers forward Sam Dekker scored a career-high 27 points as he hit 8-of-11 field goals, which incuded 5-of-6 from three-point range. His previous career-high was 23 points, set in Friday’s victory over North Carolina.
Wisconsin pulled ahead early in the second half on the back of an 8-1 run, but the Wildcats managd to pull back within two points at 44-42 with 14:58 remaining. Arizona eventiually fell behind again and never led, as the Badgers made 10 of 12 three pointers.
The team’s overall shooting numbers were quite similar. Arizona shot 24-of-43 (55.6 percent) from the field, while Wisconsin hit 25-of-45 (55.8 percent). The Badgers’ 12-of-18 from three-pont range was all the difference.
Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky led all scorers with 29 points and became Wisconsin’s all-time NCAA Tournament scorer in the process.
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Five Wildcats scored at least 11 points. Forward Brandon Ashley and guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the way with 17 points each.
The Wildcats are now 4-7 all-time in the Elite Eight and have lost five consecutive regional finals.
Wisconsin moves on to face the winner of Kentucky/Notre Dame in the Final Four on April 4.
