NCAA Tournament 2017: Three reasons No. 4 Florida beat No. 8 Wisconsin

“It would be a really cool thing if we can get there”.

Do you think Wisconsin was the most under-seeded team in the tournament yet?

According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Gators are 1.5-point favorites versus the Badgers while the over/under now sits at 131.5 points. The 57-53 SC win at CLA on January 18 was the team we’d had grown used to seeing in the regular season: a grind-it-out defense that forced turnovers (16) and gave up nothing beyond the arc (Florida was 0-17 from three in that one).

Rather than dwell on an issue Happ said the Badgers “couldn’t control”, their focus shifted on surpassing expectations. The Badgers have been both favored and overlooked during their recent NCAA Tournament runs and are coming off a thrilling victory over defending national champion and No. 1 overall seed Villanova to get to MSG. Winning twice, on paper, appeared nearly impossible. “Back in 2000 we were an 8 seed”, Kowske said. “We thought we could come out on top”.

But first there’s this Sweet 16 to play, with a chance for the league to put two teams in the Final Four for the second time in four years. You take down a team that’s been hailed as the best in years to give them their first loss of the season in the Final Four. Also, Koenig hit a couple tough shots as well. Probably not, but as Michael DeCourcy pointed out, if it were any other team aside from Duke that got the short end of the stick, the rest of the country would have been outraged, including the slighted fan base. Although the Badgers are a bit better offensively, they play a methodical style of basketball, which worked out great for Florida last week.

Baseline to baseline, he was a busy Badger, jab stepping and jump stopping, feeling out defenders early and filling the lane on the break. Allen, who was the Gators’ leading scorer during the regular season at 13 points a game, was limited to 11 total points in wins over East Tennessee State and Virginia.

ABOUT FLORIDA (26-8): The Gators are 8-1 all-time in the Sweet 16 and have an excellent shot at improving that mark if Robinson continues to shine. The Gators were close previous year with guard Collin Sexton, but the McDonald’s All-American combo guard from the Atlanta area decided instead to go to Alabama. “I’m glad he stayed the course. and played defense and he didn’t make it about him”. The staff is so good at developing players. “We’re still going to come out here and play as hard”.

Making their fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance, it looked as if the experienced Badgers had once again found a way to survive and advance.

Their league rivals make up half the Midwest Regional in Kansas City.

Robinson set the tone by averaging 19 points (on 15-of-25 shooting) and nine rebounds in the tournament.

When Ryan retired early last season, Gard took over a 7-5 team that was underperforming badly. We’ve held them pretty highly accountable and they’ve responded.

National rankings, Big Ten contention, NCAA Tournament bids and a huge national profile all met the duo upon beginning their college careers.

“There was nothing we could do about it”, Happ said.

The three-pointer, now 30 years old in college ball, has turned the game inside out.

Elsewhere, South Carolina and Baylor face off for the right to take on the victor of Wisconsin/Florida, but it won’t matter – the Badgers are going to make it through.