The Notre Dame Fighting Irish reeled off their second straight come-from-behind victory, overcoming a five-point deficit in the final minute to beat the Wisconsin Badgers 61-56. Notre Dame now advances to the Elite Eight for the second straight season.
Wisconsin held the lead for the first 30 minutes of this game with their lead reaching as many as eight points, but the Irish managed to tie the game 34-34 at the 10 minute mark. The two sides then traded the lead back and forth for a few minutes, then looked like they had gained control with a 51-46 lead with three minutes left.
However, Notre Dame would not go quietly into the night, tying the game 53-53 with 47 seconds left - but the heroics were not done.
Wisconsin's Vitto Brown drained a contested three-pointer on the ensuing possession, giving the Badgers the lead again. Notre Dame's Demetrius Jackson quickly got a layup to cut the lead back to one, then got another steal and layup in a matter of seconds to put the Irish on top.
Biggest steal of the season for Notre Dame! #Sweet16 https://t.co/uLQVgom4s2
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 26, 2016
V.J. Beachum hit a pair of free throwns to push their lead to three with six seconds left, then Jackson got yet another steal as Wisconsin was bringing the ball up the court to seal the victory. It capped off a remarkable stretch in which the Irish got three steals in the final 13 seconds of the game.
Wisconsin was led by freshman big man Ethan Happ, who had a big double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute. Star Nigel Hayes also had 11 points and six boards.
Beachum's hot shooting continued to spark the Irish with 19 points. Center Zach Auguste also had a big night with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Notre Dame advances to have the winner of (1) North Carolina vs. (5) Indiana on Sunday with a Final Four berth on the line. The Irish are looking to make their first Final Four since 1978.
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