Irish take on Wisconsin Badgers in Sweet Sixteen
Let’s go Irish!
After two thrilling victories in the preliminary rounds of March Madness, the Fighting Irish advance to the Sweet 16 in Philadelphia tomorrow to face the Wisconsin Badgers.
Notre Dame (23-11) is seeded #6 in the East region, while Wisconsin (22-12) is seeded #7. The Irish defeated Michigan 70-63 in the first round by pulling away at the end of the second half, and they followed that up with a heart-stopping, game-winning tip-in by freshman Rex Pflueger in the waning seconds against Stephen F. Austin.
The Badgers, meanwhile, pulled off a huge buzzer-beating upset against #2 Xavier in the round of 32 after taking care of Pittsburgh in the opening round. Wisconsin is on fire as of late, riding an 11-3 streak into this game after starting as a sluggish 9-9. They are coached now by Greg Gard, an interim head coach who took over after Bo Ryan’s sudden retirement in December.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row under Mike Brey’s steady hand. Stud point guard Demetrius Jackson and 6’10” center Zach Auguste lead the Irish, but lately younger players have begun stepping up. Freshmen guards Pflueger and Matt Ryan have been getting more playing time recently, and sophomore guard Matt Farrell put up 8 points in 31 minutes of playing time against Stephen F. Austin.
These young players will need to be at their sharpest against a Wisconsin team that boasts one of the best defenses in the country. The Badgers allow just 63.9 points per game, first in the Big Ten. They’ll contend with Notre Dame’s efficient and explosive offense, averaging over 75 points per game.
Wisconsin’s offense, meanwhile, is led by sharp shooters junior Nigel Hayes and sophomore Bronson Koenig, who sank the buzzer-beater to beat Xavier. They scored just 47 points in their opening round win against Pittsburgh, though, and average just 68.15 per game. The Irish defense, meanwhile, allows 70.5 points per game.
So on both ends of the floor, it will be an even match: Notre Dame’s high-powered offense vs. the Badgers’ ferocious defense, and the leaky Irish defense matching up against Wisconsin’s sputtering offensive attack.
Notre Dame is seeking to win six NCAA Tournament games over a two year span for the first time in program history, while the Badgers look to continue their incredible recent performance and notch their twelfth tournament victory in the past three years.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:27 p.m. on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The winner will advance to the Elite Eight for a date with #1 North Carolina or #5 Indiana.