March Madness 2015: Wisconsin survives Oregon, advances to Sweet 16 with 72-65 victory

In an NCAA tournament chock full of upsets, including a No. 1 seed falling on Saturday in Villanova, the Wisconsin Badgers survived and advanced to their fourth Sweet 16 in five years. The No. 1 seed Badgers (33-3) withstood an impressive 30-point performance from Oregon senior guard Joe Young but pulled away late with a 72-65 victory in the West region against the No. 8 seed Ducks (26-10) Sunday night in Omaha, Neb.

Four Badgers scored in double figures against a Ducks team that limited Wisconsin to 43.1 percent shooting on the evening and 7-of-23 from behind the arc. Junior forward Sam Dekker led the Badgers with 17 points -- 14 of those in the second half -- while senior forward Frank Kaminsky scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win.

Oregon kept the game close throughout via the explosive Young, who shot 12-of-25 from the field, and by winning the rebound battle 34-32. The Ducks tied it at 52 with 5:54 left in the game, but the Badgers pulled off six straight points to regain the lead and not look back.

The Badgers made 21 of their 29 free throws, while the Ducks only attempted seven from the charity stripe.

Wisconsin led as much as 11 in the first half, but went into halftime with a 31-28 advantage. The Badgers shot 11-of-25 (44 percent) from the field but only 4-of-12 from three-point range in the first 20 minutes. Oregon out-rebounded the Badgers 18 to 15.

Sophomore forward Nigel Hayes scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half to lead the Badgers, with Kaminsky scoring seven points. Young led all players at halftime with 14, but the Ducks only shot 11-of-28 as a team in the first half and 25-of-58 (43.1 percent) for the game.

Wisconsin, who never trailed in Sunday's game, will face No. 4 seed North Carolina in Los Angeles on Thursday. Wisconsin native J.P. Tokoto and the Tar Heels defeated No. 5 seed Arkansas 87-78 Saturday. Tip off is slated for 6:47 p.m. CT.