What Wisconsin’s coach said about losing to BYU – Deseret News

[ad_1]

DENVER — What a heartbreaker for Wisconsin.

Trailing by 11 points with just over two and a half minutes left to play Saturday against BYU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Badgers stormed back to cut the lead to two with a chance to tie or take the lead with 13 seconds remaining.

A potential magic March moment eluded Wisconsin, however, as John Tonje’s awkward final shot attempt missed the mark, granting the Cougars a 91-89 victory to advance to the third Sweet Sixteen in program history.

Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”

Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.

While the final sequence didn’t appear ideal — its result certainly wasn’t — Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard didn’t regret calling Tonje’s number with the game on the line.

“I put the ball in my best player’s hands,” Gard told reporters after the game. “We were in a flat alignment with some bumping action with the bigs on the two other guards, and it was his decision.

“You trust your players. We’re not in this position without John Tonje. We don’t have that comeback. We don’t have the year and win 27 games without J.T. We made the decision, we were coming down, we had done it before. Put the ball in your best player’s hands and let him go make a play.”

BYU enjoyed a balanced offensive attack against the Badgers, shooting 49.2% from the field, hitting 12 3-pointers and scoring 38 points in the paint.

Eight different Cougar players scored at least six points, with Richie Saunders, Egor Demin, Trevin Knell and Keba Keita all reaching double figures.

BYU Cougars guard Trey Stewart (1) smiles as time runs out with the Cougars leading the Wisconsin Badgers during a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament held at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Saturday, March 22, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News BYU Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) pulls up for a shot while guarded by Wisconsin Badgers guard…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/03/22/byu-wisconsin-ncaa-tournament-greg-gard-postgame/

Author :

Publish date : 2025-03-23 04:36:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.