DENVER — (AP) — For one night only, let’s just call them BY-Whew!
The BYU Cougars led the entire game Saturday but still had to make one, final defensive stop against Wisconsin's irrepressible guard, John Tonje, to seal a 91-89 victory over the Badgers and the program's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2011 — the days of Jimmer Fredette.
In a much-welcomed and rare March Madness nailbiter, Tonje finished with 37 points to become the first player to crack 30 this year in the tournament.
That included eight points during a desperate comeback down the stretch. But trailing by two, he shot a fadeaway airball just before the buzzer that allowed the Cougars to escape.
“You watched the game and you’re kind of like, ‘How did we get to a two-point game here, you know?’” said Fredette, who took things in from about 10 rows up in the stands in the same arena where he led BYU to its last Sweet 16 trip. “But look, I think that describes this team.”
Richie Saunders had 25 points and seven rebounds for the sixth-seeded Cougars, who will play Alabama or Saint Mary's next Thursday in Newark at the East Region.
BYU (26-9) kept its lead between six and 14 points for most of the second half, but things turned when officials ejected Cougars guard Dawson Baker (eight points) after ruling he intentionally elbowed Wisconsin’s Max Klesmit in the groin during a scrum in the corner with 3:11 left.
Tonje took over from there, making a 3, two free throws and a three-point play to trim a 10-point deficit to two. Wisconsin (27-10) got a BYU miss with 13.5 seconds left, then worked the ball to Tonje, but with Mawot Mag draped all over him, the senior never got a good look.
“We made the decision, we were coming down, we had done it before, put the ball in your best player’s hands and let him go make a play,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said.
The third-seeded Badgers became the first Big Ten team to lose in a tournament in which the conference started 10-0.
Tonje, who shot 10 for 18 from the floor and 14 for 16 from the line, scored 52 points over two games in Denver. The 37 points Saturday were the most by a Badger in NCAA Tournament history.
“I just tried to get downhill, just got kind of stopped around the block area,” he said of the game decider. "At that point, I didn’t know what options I had. I just tried to go up with it.”
John Blackwell had 21 points for Wisconsin, but of the many things that can turn a one-bucket game, this stat stood out: BYU’s bench outscored the Badgers 24-3.
BYU, meanwhile, is celebrating in a way it hasn’t since the days Fredette became a college cult hero by rewriting the record book in Provo in the early 2010s.
Egor Demin, a freshman from Russia, finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for BYU. Trevin Knell went 4 for 6 from 3 and finished with 14 points.
In all, coach Kevin Young's NBA-style offense — fast pace, lots of 3s (the Cougars shot 46%) and heavy on guys with long arms who alter shots — was too much for Wisconsin to overcome.
Still, this one got real, real close at the end.
“We felt like we couldn’t stop them at all in the second half, and in that last timeout, man, we just looked each other in the eye and said all we’ve got to do is get one stop, that’s it,” Young said.
Quickly after Baker’s ejection, the NCAA clarified that it would not lead to a suspension and he would be eligible for BYU’s Sweet 16 game.
Shortly after making a phantom blocking call against the Cougars late in the first half, refs slapped Mag with a technical.
Young asked why and the official explained that Mag had pointed at the scoreboard showing the replay (and minimal contact).
The game finished with three technicals and Baker’s ejection.
Bonus: Saunders, an heir of the man who invented the Tater Tot, has an NIL deal that gives everyone free Tater Tots after a BYU win in March Madness.
BYU had a lot to cheer about. One moment came when Keba Keita, a 39% free-throw shooter on the year, swished one to give the Cougars an 11-point lead with about 7 minutes left. Keita went 2 for 3 from the line and finished with 10 points.
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