BYU Survives Wisconsin's Thrilling Late-Game Rally to Advance to Sweet 16

The Cougars just barely held on.

BYU Cougars center Fousseyni Traore and forward Richie Saunders react on Mar 22, 2025. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Despite a late-game rally from the Wisconsin Badgers, the BYU Cougars survived a 91–89 nail-biter on Saturday night to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011.

The Badgers were trailing by 11 at the half, but brought the game within two points by the end. And their chances to tie or win were kept alive until the final seconds, but a hesitant attempted fade from Wisconsin guard John Tonje followed by some solid defense from BYU served as the nail in the coffin. (If only the busted scorebug had been right all along...)

You can see that final play below:

BYU SURVIVES AND ADVANCES 😱

THE COUGARS ARE OFF TO THE #SWEET16 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/feAI9pW5t4

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2025

The loss, of course, marks an early tournament end to Wisconsin, which entered the dance as a No. 3 seed. The Cougars, meanwhile, will next play the winner of No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 7 Saint Mary's.

As for the game's top scorers, Tonje led the Badgers far and away with 37 points, four rebounds and four assists, though he was helped significantly by guard John Blackwell (21 points, six rebounds, and three assists). For the Cougars, forward Richie Saunders notched a team-high 25 points, seven rebounds, and one assist, an effort that was aided by guard Trevin Knell (14 points, one rebound, one assist).

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