The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team overcame the undefeated University of Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night, earning a spot in the championship of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Badgers scored 8 straight points late to take a 4-point lead with 1:06 left, and Kentucky couldn’t overcome the deficit this time.
The Badgers’ Frank Kaminsky finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Badgers. He and Bronson Koenig went 7 for 8 from the line over the last 24 seconds to seal the win.
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It was a seesaw battle for most of the Final Four game in Indianapolis with both teams taking the lead. In the game’s final minutes, the Badgers took a small lead and were able to hold off the Wildcats.
Kentucky goes home, two wins short of closing out the first perfect season since 1975-76, when the Indiana Hoosiers did it.
The Wildcats trailed by 3 points with 24 seconds left but Karl-Anthony Towns got fouled and only made one free throw and from there, Wisconsin iced it from the line.
The Badgers’ record so far is 36-3. The Wildcats finish the season with a 38-1.
The Badgers, in their first final since 1941, will now meet Duke University in the tournament championship on Monday. Duke defeated the Michigan State University Spartans earlier on Saturday.
Stay tuned to Wisconsin Public Radio and WPR.org for continuing coverage.
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