The 4th seeded Wisconsin Badgers faced off against the Syracuse Orange, the top seed of the eastern region, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2012 NCAA tourney, and what a thrilling game it was. Heading into Thursday’s game, analysts were going back and forth about who would come away with the win, and much like the pregame debate, the game was a seesaw affair. The two sides were contrasting in styles, similar to the Euroleague game I also watched on that night. Syracuse is famous for its 2–
3 zone defense and its ability to score in transition. They averaged 17.3 points per game in transition, ranked 6th among teams in the big six conferences, and 20.3 points per game off turnovers, ranked 1st in the big six conferences, during the regular. However, the 2–3 zone D has its flaws. Syracuse is sometimes prone to being victims of a 3–point barrage and allowing offensive rebounds. These shortcomings were especially magnified on the night as they faced a Wisconsin team that shoots 47.1% from downtown, 1st in the field for the tourney. As for Wisconsin, they are a team that is comfortable allowing the shot clock to get down to single digits as they utilize great ball movement to get good looks. This allowed them to stretch the Syracuse defense and it showed on the statistics after the game as the Badgers totaled 15 assists compared to Syracuse’s 5.
They were two big runs that really changed the course of the game. Wisconsin’s big men Jared Berggren, who was hot at the time after scoring 10 points in 8 minutes, and Mike Bruesewitz were forced to sit out after picking up two fouls early in the first. This was done to avoid the two getting into foul trouble later in the game. Syracuse made full advantage of the absence of the Badger’s bigs as they went on an 11–0 run to take a 10-point lead, the largest of the night. Crucially, however, Wisconsin was able to respond with two points at the foul line and two more coming off a turnover right before halftime to reduce the deficit to six with Syracuse up 33–27 at the break. The next game-
defining run came early in the second and what a remarkable run it was. The Badgers hit an astounding six 3–pointers in a row as part of an 18–8 run, which gave them the lead. It set up for a close, exciting finish with the two sides exchanging baskets. Kris Joseph of Syracuse had a one–and–one opportunity at the charity stripe with 15 seconds remaining and the Orange holding onto a one–point lead but Joseph was unable to hold his nerve and missed the first free throw giving Wisconsin a chance to come away with a huge win. Badger senior guard Jordan Taylor, who had put forward a terrific performance with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, one steal, and one block, stepped up and shot a potential game-winning three which fell short. That was it, Syracuse came away with the narrow 64–63 win.
