The Badgers used some white-hot three-point shooting to put away Arizona and advance to the Final Four for the second year in a row.
The No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers used some timely three-point shooting and another dominant performance from Frank Kaminsky to beat the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats, 85-78, in the Elite Eight in Los Angeles. Wisconsin wins the West region and reaches the Final Four for the second year in a row.
The Wildcats tried to rally late in the game, but Sam Dekker provided the dagger with this shot.
Wisconsin started the game as well as it had hoped, racing out to a 10-2 lead in the first four minutes. However, the Badgers' shooting quickly went cold and the Wildcats rallied back to tie the game. Arizona eventually took a lead at the 2:35 mark and held onto it for the rest of the half, going into the locker with a 33-30 lead. The Wildcats shot lights-out in the first half, making 54.5 percent of their field goals. Wisconsin struggled to a 38.5 shooting percentage.
The second half started off much like the first half did, with Wisconsin charging out of the gates. The Badgers ripped off an 14-5 run to take the lead back. Arizona suffered a loss when Stanley Johnson was forced out of the game with a scratched eye. He came back in later but missed nearly five minutes of game time. Wisconsin extended its lead to 11 points halfway through the second half thanks to a three-point shooting spree. The Badgers were content to sit on their lead and force the Wildcats into desperation fouls by the end before Dekker iced it.
The Badgers finished the game shooting 55.6 percent from the field, including an incredible 12-of-18 on three-point shooting. Kaminsky led the way with 29 points and six rebounds on 9-of-20 shooting, while Dekker chipped in 27 points and shot 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats had a fine offensive day as well with a 55.8 field goal percentage, but Wisconsin's white-hot shooting from downtown was too much to overcome. By comparison, Arizona shot just 2-of-6 from three. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Brandon Ashley led the Wildcats with 17 points and T.J. McConnell had 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Wisconsin will move on to face either Kentucky or Notre Dame in Indianapolis next week.
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