NCAA Tournament Reaction: Wisconsin loss could have been avoided
Scoring 89 points in a 40-minute contest will typically result in an easy night at the office.
Not when you are the Wisconsin Badgers.
In a game that ultimately came down to the final possession, Wisconsin saw its season come to an abrupt halt at the hands of BYU Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 91-89.
John Tonje, who literally put the team on his back and carried them late, was unable to get off a good look at the basket as the final seconds wound down. Tonje was excellent in the second half, finishing with a game-high and tournament-best 37 points.
But while that was impressive, the lack of urgency early on was what led to the loss.
Wisconsin just didn’t seem set for what BYU brought to the court. The Cougars are a high-octane offensive team that gives permission to all five players on the court to fire away at the basket from anywhere on the playing surface from the moment go.
Six different Cougars sank at least one 3-pointer while four of the five starters reached double figures. Richie Saunders led the way with 25 while Egor Demin had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against just one turnover.
BYU led 47-36 at the half, and it honestly felt like an even bigger lead. It took Wisconsin deep into the final 20 minutes before they really made it a game, erasing much of a double-digit lead behind Tonje.
This game – and loss – came down to one crucial thing: an inability to get a defensive stop. Sure, there was the interesting technical foul call on the Wisconsin bench that led to two key BYU points, but when they needed to defend, they didn’t.
