March Madness: Wisconsin misses shot at the Sweet 16, fall 54-49 to Iowa State
Following an opening-round win over Colgate in the NCAA Tournament, the No. 3 seed Wisconsin Badgers entered Sunday night's matchup against Iowa State looking to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16.
In a game that featured a miserable shooting performance and 17 turnovers, it was Iowa State who would move on with a five-point win.
Wisconsin would jump out to an early three-point lead at the first media timeout behind three points and three rebounds by junior forward Tyler Wahl.
The two teams would exchange three-minute scoring droughts, and by the 11:45 mark, the two teams would have eight points apiece.
Fortunately for Wisconsin, Brad Davison would keep the team afloat with seven early points. A quick 6-0 run headlined by a pair of buckets by Johnny Davis would give then give the Badgers a 16-13 lead with 8:47 remaining in the first half.
Wisconsin would take advantage of some Iowa State foul trouble and some quality minutes by Chris Vogt off the bench to maintain their lead with five minutes remaining.
Starting point guard Chucky Hepburn would suffer an ankle injury moments later, sending him to the locker room for medical attention and forcing Wisconsin to shift Brad Davison to run the offense.
As a result, Iowa State would go on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes, and take a 25-22 lead with just over 1:30 remaining in the first half.
Wisconsin would utilize the foul line to regain the lead a minute later, but a defensive miscue on a last-second inbounds play would allow Iowa State to take a 27-26 halftime lead.
During halftime, Chucky Hepburn was officially ruled out for the game, and in the opening moments of the second half starting center Steven Crowl picked his third foul, sending him to the bench.
The Badgers would respond with three turnovers in their first seven possessions of the half, as Iowa State would manage to take a 30-28 lead after four minutes of play.
The referees would continue to be heavily involved in the action, much to the chagrin of both teams, but it was a six-minute scoring drought by the Badgers that would allow Iowa State to open up a 36-28 advantage with 12:15 left on the clock.
After a pair of three-throws by Brad Davison would stop the bleeding, Wisconsin would commit turnover No. 14 and allow Iowa State to reestablish their stranglehold on the game.
Johnny Davis would score his first points of the second half from the free-throw line with 6:42 remaining in the game to pull within six, but Brad Davison and Tyler Wahl would each pick up their fourth foul shortly thereafter.
Iowa State would push their lead to 10 at one point behind more hot shooting by Gabe Kalscheur, but once again would get to the free-throw line and get the Badgers back within five.
In the end, Wisconsin could not convert from three-point range late (2-of-22 for the game) and Iowa State would hold on to take down the Badgers 54 to 49 in Milwaukee.
Notable performers:
- Johnny Davis (WIS) - 17 points, nine rebounds, one assist
- Brad Davison (WIS) - 12 points, four rebounds, four assists
- Gabe Kalscheur (ISU) - 22 points, four rebounds, one assist
On tap...
The Wisconsin men's basketball team will head into the off-season with Brad Davison, Chris Vogt, and Johnny Davis expected to move on.
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