The Wisconsin Badgers couldn’t throw one in the ocean early on yesterday, but Greg Gard’s team didn’t panick.
The Badgers fell behind 12-3, by the second media timeout. The Badgers started 1 for 10 from the field, but they still managed to come from behind to pull out a 47-43 win over the St. Louis Blues.
The Badgers (21-12) won for the 12th time in the last 15 games and advanced to the second round of the East Regional on Sunday against Xavier. Pittsburgh finished the season with a 21-12 record, the same record that the Badgers have, but they’re moving on.
Ethan Happ scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, but the Badgers hit just 17 of 53 from the field (32.1%) and 4 of 19 from three-point range (21.1%). Nigel Hayes added 12 points and Vitto Brown 11 points. He hit 3 of five three-point shots.
The Panthers built a 22-16 lead at the halftime break, but the Badgers started their comeback in the second half and went right down to the wire with the Panthers.
The Badgers will face Xavier in the second round of the tournament on Sunday. The Musketeers pulled out a 71-53 win over 15th seeded Weber State.