Marcus Paige and the North Carolina Tar Heels come in as underdogs vs. top-seeded Wisconsin. (Getty)
Final Score
North Carolina 33-39–72
Wisconsin 31-48–79
1st Half
Frank Kaminsky (2-7, 4 pts) really off his game. Passing up shots, complaining to refs. Needs halftime reset. #Sweet16
– Before Forward Sam Dekker’s last-ditch put back with about eight-tenths of a second left on the clock, UNC was on an 11-2 run and the Badgers failed to hit their last seven shots from the field from under the 4:00 mark.
– Dekker was the only Badger able to get it going in the 1st half. He finished 6/8 from the floor for 15 points, which lead all scorers.
Relentless pace in #UNC vs. #Wisconsin as the two teams trade leads early. Tar Heels up 19-15 with just over 9 minutes left in the first
– A relentless pace favors Marcus Paige and the rest of the Tar Heels.
– Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky started the game 0/3 from the field. In the first five minutes, the Badgers shot four three-point shots (2/4) to the Tar Heels zero.
2nd Half
– Isaiah Hicks missed two free throws inside 1:00 to play. wisconsin hit two free throws on the next possession to make it a 75-70 game with :23 to play.
UNC’s Marcus Paige drains a 3! Brings the Heels within one, 70-71 vs. #1 Wisconsin with less than a minute to go! #MarchMadness
– Dekker has continued to lead Wisconsin in scoring with 23 points.
Fouls starting to pile up for North Carolina. Huge part of Wisconsin’s M.O.
Up to 4/5 on the Madness Meter! 57% Wisconsin right now, but it goes back and forth on almost every possession: t.co/WwnUXkWRcX
The Badgers Are 1 Game Away From Consecutive Elite Eight Appearances
The Wisconsin Badgers and North Carolina Tar Heels will meet for the third time in the history of these two programs with a trip to the Elite Eight on Saturday on the line. The previous two match-ups occurred in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in 2011 and in the East Regional Final [Elite Eight] of the 2005 NCAA Tournament — North Carolina eventually went on to win the National Championship.
The Badgers are led by their All-American forward Frank Kaminsky, Traevon Jackson and Sam Dekker. The core of the team that came within seconds of reaching the National Championship Game has proven to be good through the Tournament’s first weekend. The Tar Heels are led by their point guard Marcus Paige who has grown increasingly more confident through his runs in the ACC Tournament and, now, the Tournament’s first weekend.
The game is also match-up of two of the Division I’s best active coaches in Bo Ryan and Roy Williams. Williams is already a Hall of Famer and Ryan is well on his way to being one.
The winner of this game plays the winner of No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 2 Arizona in the Elite Eight.
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Wisconsin vs. North Carolina: Score, Stats & Highlights