clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

March Madness 2017: Nigel Hayes baseline drive gives Wisconsin upset win over No. 1 Villanova

Down go the defending champs, and the Badgers are moving on!

By Mike Fiammetta Updated
NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-Second Round-Wisconsin vs Villanova Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

This feeling never gets old.

Battling foul trouble and an opposing team back in the NCAA tournament after a national championship run the year prior, the Wisconsin Badgers were pushed to the limit during Saturday’s Round of 32 game against the Villanova Wildcats in Buffalo, N.Y.

Thanks to the Badgers’ own veterans—namely Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig—Wisconsin held onto its slim first-half lead and knocked off the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed in thrilling fashion, claiming a 65-62 win.

Hayes’s nifty baseline drive and finish with 14 seconds left snapped a 62-62 tie. On the enusing possession, Villanova failed to even get a shot off as Vitto Brown’s excellent defense inside forced a steal and subsquent foul on ‘Nova. After sinking one of two free throws, Brown secured the Badgers’ victory.

Here’s Hayes’s finish—Ryan will have the recap shortly, but we wanted to get this on the site ASAP. On freaking Wisconsin, friends.

More From Bucky's 5th Quarter