NCAA Tournament 2015: Wisconsin vs. North Carolina recap

First-seeded Wisconsin knocks off fourth-seeded North Carolina in a hotly contested game

We may as well call Wisconsin the "comeback kings" because the Badgers have done it over and over again. After owning a slight edge the majority of the game, North Carolina surrendered a 9-0 run to Wisconsin. The Badgers found themselves up two with five minutes left and that spelled trouble for the Tar Heels.

Wisconsin moved to 33-0 this season when leading with five minutes. Badger coach Bo Ryan was 0-2 against North Carolina previous to this game, one of those losses coming in the Elite Eight of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Marcus Paige hit a pair of clutch threes to keep UNC in position to win this game. However, the Badgers survived the scare as Ryan eventually got to celebrate his first win over the Tar Heels as well as another trip to the Elite Eight with a 79-72 win.

UNC coach Roy Williams instructed his team to speed up the pace right from the get-go. On the other hand, Ryan’s most efficient offense in the nation has proven better in the half court style. The Tar Heels had eight fast break points in the first half, which totaled the amount of fast break points Wisconsin gave up in its first two tournament games.

Badger forward Sam Dekker carried Wisconsin, scoring a career-high 23 points and collecting 10 rebounds. UNC did a fine job containing Frank Kaminsky early but Wisconsin turned on the ignition after half as Kaminsky came back strong to score four quick points. The Big Ten Player of the Year finished with 19 points and eight rebounds.

Wisconsin consistently gave UNC room to shoot on the perimeter and the Tar Heels capitalized shooting over 60 percent from deep. North Carolina’s top-notch athletes successfully got up and down the floor much of the game. Justin Jackson and Brice Johnson scored 15 apiece to lead UNC. However, the better and more experienced team pulled through and handed the Tar Heels a heartbreaking loss.

UNC went up seven points with 11 minutes left in the game as Kaminsky took a hand to the face after an Isaiah Hicks putback. However, Wisconsin cut the deficit back to one in a hurry. Both teams were aggressive on the offensive glass, combining for 21 offensive rebounds. Williams’ squad was hungry to make its first Elite Eight since 2012.

Unfortunately for North Carolina, Johnson picked up his fourth foul with nine minutes remaining. Wisconsin continuously fed Kaminsky in the post trying to put the Tar Heels in as much foul trouble as possible. The Badgers used size to counter North Carolina’s athleticism advantage.

The Tar Heels had both Paige and Kennedy Meeks back in good shape after both players struggled with health for a significant portion of the season. However, that was not enough to lift them over the top as they fell short 79-72. Staples Center was highly entertained, as usual, and Ryan’s team will stay put as it awaits Arizona for the second-consecutive year in the Elite Eight.

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