Field Level Media
18 Mar 2023, 22:25 GMT+10
For Wisconsin to get past visiting Liberty in the second round of the NIT on Sunday at Madison, Wis., the Badgers will have to do something they have not done since early January: Win back-to-back games.
Second-seeded Wisconsin (18-14) defeated Bradley 81-62 in the first round Tuesday behind a career-high 36 points from Steven Crowl. Third-seeded Liberty (27-8), appearing in the NIT for the first time, topped Villanova 62-57 in its opener on Tuesday.
The Badgers have not won two in a row in a 19-game span since defeating Minnesota on Jan. 3 for their sixth consecutive victory. Since then, Wisconsin is 7-12, including a first-round loss in the Big Ten tournament that quashed its hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid.
Liberty shared the ASUN regular-season title with Kennesaw State, but when the teams met in the conference tournament title game, it was Kennesaw State that pulled out the 67-66 victory.
Crowl entered the game against Bradley averaging 11.5 points per game, but the 7-foot junior hit 12 of 16 shots, including a career-best five 3-pointers, and went 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.
Wisconsin's other three double-digit scorers -- Chucky Hepburn, Tyler Wahl and Connor Essegian -- were a combined 4 of 20 against Bradley. However, the Badgers hit 23 of 28 free throws, both season highs.
"I'm really happy for these guys because they put a lot into this year," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. "Obviously, we've had ups and downs, but for them to be able to continue to play basketball and play it well tonight, I'm happy for them."
Liberty's Darius McGhee, who was 0 of 11 from 3-point range in the ASUN title game, bounced back for a game-high 26 points against Villanova, including 5 of 13 beyond the arc.
McGhee, the school's all-time leading scorer, averages 22.6 points per game, fourth-best in the country, along with a team-high 158 3-pointers. Kyle Rode is the only other double-figure scorer at 10.8.
The Flames, who average 74.8 points and allow 60.5, are 19-1 at home, but 8-7 away. Their scoring margin of 14.3 per game is third-best in the country, behind only Houston and Gonzaga.
Although this will be the first meeting between Liberty and Wisconsin, Flames coach Ritchie McKay is familiar with the Badgers from his time as an assistant at Virginia.
"They're really physical," McKay said. "Coach Gard, I've known him for years. I have a ton of admiration for how they do it. They never beat themselves. This was an (NCAA) at-large candidate up until the last 10 days maybe of the season."
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Pittsburgh Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Pittsburgh Star.
More Information]LONDON, U.K.: A World Health Organization (WHO) expert group investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic released its final...
Washington DC [US], June 29 (ANI): Fans of iconic singer-songwriter Paul Simon were left disappointed after the artist cancelled his...
(250626) -- NEW YORK, June 26, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Khaman Maluach (R) poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being...
In reality, China, as the second-largest source of U.S. imports, supplies high-quality, competitively priced goods that have helped...
WASHINGTON, 7th June, 2025 (WAM) -- The United States recorded 122 new measles cases this week, with only four reported in Texas. Health...
WASHINGTON, 27th May, 2025 (WAM) -- Two people were killed and nine others, including three teenagers, injured in a shooting at Philadelphia's...
EVERGLADES, Florida: Over the weekend, a diverse coalition of environmental activists, Native American leaders, and residents gathered...
BEIJING, China: China's national soccer team may struggle to stir excitement, but its humanoid robots are drawing cheers — and not...
]LONDON, U.K.: A World Health Organization (WHO) expert group investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic released its final...
DOVER, Delaware: California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken legal aim at Fox News, accusing the network of deliberately distorting...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany has become the latest country to challenge Chinese AI firm DeepSeek over its data practices, as pressure...
TORONTO, Canada: Harvard University and the University of Toronto have created a backup plan to ensure Harvard graduate students continue...