NCAA Tournament: Notre Dame uses clutch defense late to advance over Wisconsin

Notre Dame hasn’t dominated in the NCAA Tournament but they find ways to make the clutch plays late. 

Yes, another ACC team will head to the Elite Eight.

Notre Dame beat Wisconsin 61-56 on Friday night in an epic Sweet 16 battle that came down to the wire and gave the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center a dramatic finish.

Just a week after beating Stephen F. Austin on a last second tip-in, the Fighting Irish needed another late comeback to clinch their second consecutive Elite Eight berth.

Wisconsin won last week against 2-seed Xavier on a buzzer-beating three by Bronson Koenig to send them to the Sweet 16, but this time the late game heroics were not in their favor.

At the end of the first half, this showdown looked like a rock fight that would be below 50 for each team. The Badgers led at the break 23-19 in a low-scoring affair that had the fans at the Wells Fargo Center reminiscing of a 76ers home game.

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The second half was a much different story.

Notre Dame used a 42-point second half to edge the Badgers in the final seconds in thrilling fashion. For just about the whole game, the Fighting Irish hardly led the team that went to the title game last year.

However, the last minute of the contest was an entirely different story for the Irish, as Notre Dame scored 10 points in the final 46 seconds including a pair of season-saving steals to put Mike Brey’s team into the next round.

Star point guard Demetrius Jackson stripped the ball and made the go-ahead layup with just 14.7 seconds remaining before the Irish hit clutch free throws down the stretch.

Jackson would clinch the victory with another steal at mid-court and in turn knocking down a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds left to give the Irish a two-possession lead.

Jackson finished the game with 16 points and six dimes on 6-of-18 from the field including three steals, including the two in the final minute that ultimately will give them a chance to battle North Carolina for a spot in the Final Four.

Zach Auguste was his usual aggressive self finishing with 13 points and 12 boards, while V.J. Beachem had 19 points to lead all scorers on Friday night.

Beachem knocked down two huge free throws after securing a rebound on the other end of the court to give the Irish a three-point lead with 6.9 ticks left on the clock.

Wisconsin hero Bronson Koenig struggled from the field in this game, going just 3-of-12 with eight points on the evening. Ethan Happ had himself a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 12 boards, while Zak Showalter and Nigel Hayes each finished with 11 points.

Simply put, the Badgers 17 turnovers did them in and the two at the end of the game were the turning point.

“We never quite got to where we needed to get in terms of taking care of the ball all year,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “And part of it is our youth. Part of it is things we’ve still got to mature through and grow.”

For Wisconsin, this was a brilliant season, epecially after Bo Ryan stepped down earlier in the year. The Badgers will only get better from here on out.

For Notre Dame, they will face fellow ACC opponent and number one seeded North Carolina on Sunday afternoon. North Carolina and Notre Dame head to the Elite Eight with Syracuse and Virginia, two more ACC schools, facing off in the bottom half of the bracket.

With four teams in the Elite Eight, at least half the Final Four teams will be represented by the ACC.

For those who don’t remember, North Carolina absolutely torched the Irish in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament earlier this month, winning easily by a score of 78-47, but the Irish did beat North Carolina back in February by four.

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Who will advance to the Final Four? We will see come Sunday.