Chucky Hepburn’s buzzer-beater lifts Louisville into ACC semifinals

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How NCAA regional assignment works; could UW end up in Milwaukee?

How does the pod system work assigning teams to NCAA Tournament venues, and more importantly, does Wisconsin still have a chance to land in Milwaukee?

It’s been a sensational year for former Wisconsin Badgers star Chucky Hepburn in his new home, with the latest chapter arriving Thursday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Hepburn’s jumper at the buzzer gave Louisville a 75-73 win over Stanford in the quarterfinal in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hepburn was in the right place at the right time to rebound a Terrance Edwards Jr. three-pointer taken as the shot clock expired; Stanford’s Chisom Oklpara appeared to bring in the rebound but lost the ball right into Hepburn’s hands.

The shot capped a rally from 15 points down in the second half. The Cardinals, who are the No. 2 seed in the tournament, advanced to meet third-seeded Clemson at 8:30 p.m. CT Friday.

Hepburn finished the game with 20 points and eight assists, the latest strong performance in a year when he was named first-team all-conference in the ACC and was the league’s defensive player of the year. He’s averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 assists and 2.4 steals this season in his only year with the program, transferring there after three years with the Badgers.

Louisville, which has transformed under first-year coach Pat Kelsey after two miserable seasons, is 26-6 and, interestingly enough, could be competing with Wisconsin for its place in the hierarchy of NCAA Tournament teams, including the right to play games in Milwaukee.

Hepburn had a March Madness moment for the Badgers in March 2022, when the freshman banked in a three-pointer to beat Purdue with 1.2 seconds left, giving UW a share of the Big Ten title.

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Source link : https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2025/03/14/chucky-hepburn-buzzer-beater-lifts-louisville-into-acc-semifinals/82402922007/

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Publish date : 2025-03-14 14:09:00

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