Tonight at 6:09 p.m. ET on TBS the West's top seed, the Wisconsin Badgers, will be back in the saddle after a grueling Sweet 16 clash against the UNC Tar Heels to take on the No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats, who also had to stave off a frisky challenger in the sixth-seeded Xavier Musketeers. Live stream the game free by clicking this link. Badgers fans can find the radio broadcast on WIBA 1310, while Arizona fans may do likewise on 700 WLW.
The Badgers were bullied by North Carolina for much of Thursday night's game, but the Badgers toughened up when it counted, and sank their free throws at the end of the game to seal the deal.
"These guys have been through a lot. They've seen the good runs. They've seen the bad runs," Badgers coach Bo Ryan said. "But this group never gets discouraged to the point where they get down on themselves or their teammates, and that's what's fun."
Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky got roughed up. He was struck in the face in the second half and needed a few minutes off; he also shot just 5-of-11 from the field and only attempted one free throw, in an apparent effort to prove he could be a post presence. Kaminsky scored 19 points in all, but the approach was strange.
Even if he avoided the 3-point line, shooting was still Kaminsky's greatest contribution as he was a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line.
"Everyone knows that once we get to free throw time at the end of the game, we've got to make our free throws or they're going to come down and score," Kaminsky said. "We've been through that a lot this season with situations like that. So it's just nice to be able to go out there and do it."
Kaminsky won't get much rest before facing another enormous frontcourt when they take on Arizona. Kaleb Tarczewski can match Kaminsky's height, and he has a big weight advantage, so the Badger's best bet is to draw him out and rain 3-pointers.
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