by PHILADELPHIA — Wisconsin’s terrific turnaround will not include a return to the Elite Eight.
The Badgers were bounced from their 18th-straight NCAA tournament appearance by a Notre Dame team that used an 8-0 run over the final 19 seconds to pull away for a 61-56 win in a hard-fought East Regional semifinal on Friday.
Vitto Brown broke a 53-all tie by splashing in a 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining to give seventh-seeded UW the lead, but the No. 6 seed Fighting Irish responded with a furious sequence from Demetrius Jackson. He dropped in a layup to draw Notre Dame within 57-56 with 19 seconds left and then grabbed steals on two of Wisconsin’s final three possessions — converting one into a layup and the other, with 4 seconds left, into a pair of free throws that provided the final margin.
UW had a chance to jump back in front on Bronson Koenig‘s drive to the rim through contact with 9 seconds left, but the shot rolled off the rim and V.J. Beachem collected the rebound and drew a foul to earn a pair of crucial free throws for the Irish.
Ethan Happ led the way for Wisconsin by posting his 10th double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out with 46 seconds to go. Zak Showalter, who provided a spark in the second half with an acrobatic put-back slam, added 11 points for the Badgers. Nigel Hayes, who broke out of a shooting slump with a pair of key 3-pointers in the second half, also scored 11 points to go with six rebounds.
Turnovers contributed to Wisconsin’s undoing, with the Badgers’ 17 giveaways — their most since a Dec. 23 game vs. Green Bay — leading to 16 points for Notre Dame.
Wisconsin stifled Notre Dame on the way to a 23-19 halftime lead, holding the Fighting Irish to 24.1 percent shooting over the first 20 minutes. Things picked up significantly in the second half, with the Irish shooting 57.7 percent on their way to outscoring the Badgers, 42-33, after halftime.
Wisconsin (22-13) saw its bid for a third-straight Elite Eight appearance fall by the wayside, while Notre Dame (24-11) will play in a regional final for the second-consecutive season. Jackson scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half for Notre Dame, which got a game-high 19 points from Beachem and 13 points from big man Zach Auguste, who also grabbed 12 rebounds.
The Badgers return every player from their regular playing rotation for what will be head coach Greg Gard‘s first full season at the helm of the UW program in 2016-17.
