CHICAGO — Despite Austin Rapp’s second-half explosion from 3-point range, Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg shut the door on Wisconsin’s comeback hopes Saturday afternoon, handing the Badgers a 68-65 loss off a last-second 3-pointer. After their Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss to No. 3 Michigan, the Badgers will await their first-round NCAA tournament matchup on Selection Sunday.
“No matter who we play next week and where we get sent, we're going to play a really good team. So just understanding and keeping in mind what makes us good and stay true to that and do it better and keep getting better,” Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said in the postgame press conference.
Coming off their overtime victory against Illinois, the Badgers advanced to a semifinal matchup with the first seeded Michigan Wolverines, looking for a repeat of their win in January over the maize and blue in Ann Arbor.
In a game defined by runs from both sides, Wisconsin relied on the efforts of Rapp to overcome a 15-point Michigan lead in the second period. The sophomore led the Badgers with 18 points, going 6-for-7 from 3-point range after not scoring in the first half.
Nick Boyd was the second-highest scorer for Wisconsin with 14 points, shooting 6-for-20 from the field and swiping five steals. Boyd had trouble inside the arc in particular, with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Aday Mara awaiting any potential challengers. Mara had five blocks in the contest, swatting away shots in the paint and contesting Badger 3-point shooters with his 7-foot-3 frame.
Both Wisconsin and Michigan struggled to put the ball through the net in the first period. A Morez Johnson Jr. layup and Andrew Rohde 3-pointer at the 18:26 mark were the only points scored heading into the 15:29 media timeout. The teams shot a combined 2-for-14 from the field and committed five turnovers.
Wisconsin played ferocious defense in the period, fighting through Michigan screens and forcing eight takeaways. Boyd led the defensive effort, pocketing four steals with Rohde collecting two himself.
Boyd broke the nearly five minute scoring drought for Wisconsin with 13:34 remaining in the period, hitting a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound from Rapp. Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas also connected from beyond the arc, giving Wisconsin the 12-9 advantage.
Bieliauskas had the hot hand from 3, hitting on two more from beyond the arc which pushed Wisconsin’s lead to 21-16. Neither team scored for the next 2:58 of game time filled with blocks, turnovers and missed shots.
Five straight points from Blackwell, including his second 3-point make, ended the drought and gave the Badgers their biggest lead of the period, leading Michigan by eight. Another scoring drought plagued the Wisconsin offense, however, scoring just one field goal after the 4:26 mark. The Wolverines capitalized, going on a 10-2 run and tying the game at 28 going into the break.
Michigan carried their momentum into the second period, scoring seven early points to go up 35-29 with 16:48 to go. Mara gave Wisconsin trouble in the post, scoring 14 points in the half to boost the Wolverine offense.
A 3-pointer from Trey McKenney, a powerful dunk from Lendeborg and a Mara layup left Wisconsin facing a 15-point deficit, just like they did the day before against Illinois. But instead of Blackwell and Boyd taking over, Rapp was the catalyst for this comeback.
After missing all three of his 3-point attempts in the first period, Rapp kept his composure and knocked down a 3 to cut the lead to 12. After Braeden Carrington connected from beyond the arc and Boyd hit a jumper to cut the lead to seven, Rapp went nuclear from 3.
Rapp scored 15 straight points for Wisconsin, hitting five 3-pointers and electrifying the United Center crowd. The Badgers held Michigan to only two points during Rapp’s onslaught, suddenly leading the Wolverines 62-58.
Similar to the end of the first half, the Badgers struggled to score points down the stretch and allowed Michigan to weather the storm. Four straight points from Mara tied the game at 62 with 1:41 remaining.
Boyd missed the ensuing 3-point attempt, giving the Wolverines an opportunity to take the lead with under a minute left. Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau missed his first 3-point shot, but Lendeborg corralled the offensive rebound and kicked it back out to Cadeau, who hit from beyond the arc after the ball bounced multiple times around the rim.
Needing a response, Boyd stepped up with his own 3-point make, tying the game at 65 with 29 seconds to go and injecting more life into the United Center. The crowd came to their feet as Michigan brought the ball down the floor, controlling the pace with no shot clock in play.
Wisconsin put in 26 seconds of great defense, chasing down Cadeau as the ball handler and denying Mara position in the post for a shot inside. But as the clock inched closer to triple zeros, Cadeau found Lendeborg open outside for 3. Mara put his body in front of the nearest defender in Bieliauskas, allowing Lendeborg to get a clean look at the rim, knocking it down from beyond the arc with 0.4 seconds left in the game.
A full-court heave from Boyd went far right of the rim, eliminating Wisconsin from the Big Ten Tournament and shifting their focus to the NCAA Tournament.
Despite finding themselves on the wrong side of a tight game with Michigan, Wisconsin isn’t hanging their head on the loss.
“I think we did a good job earning some respect around the country, and it's a blessing to play in March. Not everybody gets to do this,” Boyd said in the postgame press conference.
Carrington shared a similar sentiment to Boyd in the locker room after the game.
“We proved to everybody that we can compete with anybody in the country,” Carrington told The Daily Cardinal.
Wisconsin will know their March Madness path in under 24 hours, as the NCAA selection committee finalizes the 68-team bracket during Selection Sunday.
