Wisconsin ends Vanderbilts NCAA Tournament
Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor hit a 3-pointer with 1:42 to play to account for the game's last basket, as the Badgers erased Vanderbilt's brief lead and help his team advance in the NCAA Tournament by a 60-57 score.
Taylor's bucket came a couple of feet behind the 3-point line as the shot clock was within seconds of expiring, with VU defenders converging from both sides. On Vandy's previous possession, Festus Ezeli had just hit a lay-up to give Vandy a lead for just the second time all season.
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Vanderbilt's John Jenkins missed a 3-pointer on the next possession that could have given the Commodores a lead again. Ezeli was fouled on his offensive rebound, but the senior missed the front-end of a 1-and-1.
On its next trip, UW missed a pair of 3-pointers, but got the rebound each time. After a Lance Goulbourne foul, Josh Gasser missed the front end of a 1-and-1.
VU rebounded, but Jenkins missed another 3. Ezeli was in position to secure a rebound and a potential put-back and appeared to be fouled on a play that was replayed many times on national television afterwards.
Instead, Goulbourne in desperation fouled Ryan Evans hit one of two foul shots with 1.9 seconds left.
Vandy had a shot at one more in-bounds pass, but Goulbourne's attempted baseball pass was tipped by a Wisconsin player and never made it past halfcourt. Two seconds later, the Commodores' season ended.
Vanderbilt trailed the entire first half, with the Badgers stretching the margin to eight on three different occasions. The Commodores hit just 39.1 percent of their shots before the break, with Brad Tinsley's 10 points - including a buzzer-beating 3 - leading the way.
Jeffery Taylor was held scoreless in the first half, and saddled with two fouls much of the way. A 10-of-12 performance at the foul line helped VU greatly, as Wisconsin hit just 2-of-4.
Taylor hit a short jumper on the first possession of the second half to give VU its first lead of the day, but the Badgers soon took control until Ezeli's bucket in the final minutes put the 'Dores ahead again.