LOS ANGELES, CA – The Badgers came back in the second half and held off a late Tar Heel rally as top-seeded Wisconsin defeated 4th-seeded North Carolina 79-72 in a West regional semifinal contest.
Junior forward Sam Dekker carried the Badgers with a career-high 23 points, on 10-of-15 shooting, to go along with ten rebounds. Senior leader Frank Kaminsky once again did his part, scoring nineteen points while going a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
Forwards Justin Jackson and Brice Johnson led the Tar Heels with fifteen points apiece in the losing effort.
Bo Ryan’s squad advances to face the Arizona-Xavier winner on Saturday, with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Wayne Larrivee and Donny Marshall called the action on Westwood One Sports.