Wisconsin beats Pitt in NCAA tournament’s ugliest game so far
Fans of high-scoring, free-flowing, up-and-down basketball had to avert their eyes, or, better yet, change the channel Friday evening when Wisconsin and Pitt met in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Wisconsin scored only 16 points in the first half against the Panthers, but the Badgers only found themselves down by six because Pitt wasn’t much better in those opening 20 minutes.
The Badgers eventually found a way to make one more play than Pitt and win 47-43 in what was one of the ugliest games in the tournament in recent memory. But it was the first NCAA tournament win in Wisconsin coach Greg Gard’s head coaching career. So he’s unlikely to care how difficult it was on the eyes.
[Jim Boeheim lashes out at those who questioned Syracuse’s NCAA bid]
Wisconsin was the first team to score under 50 points in an NCAA tournament game and win since Butler did so in 2003.
A sequence in the final 20 seconds of the game shown in the video above summed it up perfectly. Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes badly over-shot a 3-pointer with his team leading by one and 12 seconds left on the clock.
Pitt rebounded the ball and senior guard James Robinson drove into the lane on the other end of the floor with an opportunity to get fouled or possibly make the winning basket. But Pitt forward Michael Young ran into the lane where Robinson was driving, colliding with his teammate and forcing him to take an off-balance runner that he missed.
Pitt fouled Wisconsin freshman Ethan Happ, who made one free throw but missed the second with 1.7 seconds left. But Young allowed Hayes to maneuver around him and get the rebound and was forced to foul. Hayes made two free throws and the Badgers escaped.
Pitt made 18 of 48 shots and Wisconsin made 17 of 53 attempts, including going 4-for-19 behind the arc. The teams combined for just 22 free throw attempts.
Hayes has been remarkably efficient all season and went 6-for-8 to lead the Badgers with 15 points. Hayes struggled to find the basket and was 3-for-17 from the field, including going 0-for-6 behind the arc.
Robinson had a similar day for Pitt, going 3-for-14 and finishing with just seven points. He did grab 11 rebounds. Jamel Artis led the Panthers with 13 points.
Fans and pundits alike poked fun at just how ugly it was on Twitter.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
