Wisconsin basketball falls short of Sweet 16 after heartbreaking loss to BYU

The Wisconsin basketball team's season ended in heartbreak after a 91-89 loss to BYU in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32, extending their Sweet 16 drought.

Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Another season, another heartbreak. For the seventh straight time, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team came up short of the second weekend in the NCAA Tournament. And this one is going to sting for a little while—for obvious reasons.

The No. 3 seed Badgers (27-10) saw its season come to an end in the Round of 32, falling 91-89 to 6-seed BYU in a game that had just about everything—except the ending Badger fans were hoping for.

Greg Gard’s team exceeded every preseason expectation and gave fans one of the most enjoyable seasons in recent memory. But a slow start and too many defensive miscues proved too much to overcome—even with a gutsy second-half comeback. The result? A heartbreaking exit from the big dance. Another trip to the second weekend will have to wait.

Trailing by as many as 14, the Badgers clawed their way back and had a chance to win or send the game to overtime. Out of a timeout, John Tonje—who had been spectacular all night—took the inbounds, pushed it the length of the court, passed up a go-ahead three, and got downhill.

But the grad transfer couldn’t connect on a contested baseline jumper.

Just like that, Wisconsin's comeback bid came up short—ending in heartache.

"The flurry, the heart and the complete grit that we showed to make a comeback like that—and have a chance in the last possession—is a great credit to the young men I've got in the locker room," Gard told reporters. “I've been doing this a long time, almost 35 years, and watching them grow together from the time we got together in June to now may have been the most fun, enjoyable year in my career.

“We were highly doubted early, we weren't even supposed to be in this tournament, supposed to be finishing 12th in the Big Ten maybe, and this group just bought in and committed to each other, and it was so much fun to be around every single day, and so much fun to coach, and the joy that they played with and how they all bonded together is really, really special.

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“Today stings a lot because we worked a long time to get to this position and have a chance, but in the big picture, I couldn't be more proud of the group—how they committed to each other—to our program, and continued to get better throughout."

Defensive struggles prove costly

Give BYU credit. The Cougars shot 49.2% from the field, 46.2% from three, and racked up 21 assists on 32 made baskets.

They spaced the floor, got downhill, and turned every small mistake into a clean look. Wisconsin simply couldn’t keep up defensively. And listen—if you score 89 points in a tournament game, that should be enough. But the Badgers couldn’t string together stops when it mattered most.

"In terms of the game, I thought BYU did some good things; it took us a while to get our feet defensively—didn't really until a little bit in the first half and then a little bit better in the second half," Gard said.

"Just probably the offensive display that everyone expected having two really good offensive teams. So, unfortunately we weren't able to get traction a little bit earlier defensively, and then obviously don't have a ball go in there at the end."

That’s the reality of the postseason. BYU’s ball movement carved up the Badgers early and often, and even when Wisconsin responded offensively, they couldn’t string together stops until it was almost too late.

The Cougars led wire to wire—capitalizing on nine first-half offensive rebounds and building an 11-point lead by halftime. They won the rebounding battle 41-32, got 24 points from their bench compared to just 3 from Wisconsin’s, and even with the Badgers getting a favorable whistle for most of the game, BYU controlled the flow.

And still, the Badgers made it interesting.

Down nine with just over two minutes left, Wisconsin made one last push—ripping off a 9-2 run to give themselves a shot and turn it into a one-possession game. And they got exactly what they wanted: a chance to tie or even win the game, with the ball in the hands of their best player.

Tonje had been brilliant all night, and given the way he carried Wisconsin down the stretch, it felt fitting that the game would come down to him.

The look wasn’t terrible—it was well-contested and just didn’t go. Given the totality of the circumstances, it’s hard to ask for a better shot—or a better player to take it. After everything they poured into that comeback, that was a tough way for the Badgers season to end.

Costly moments add up

This one didn’t come down to a single possession. It was death by a thousand paper cuts—small miscues that added up over the course of 40 minutes and ultimately proved too much to overcome.

There were defensive breakdowns, especially in the first half, when BYU carved Wisconsin up and built an early cushion. There were missed layups, missed opportunities at the free-throw line—including two front ends of one-and-ones—and a handful of empty trips that the Cougars turned into instant offense.

Then there was the final possession before halftime. Downright terrible.

With a chance to hold for the last shot and chip away at an eight-point deficit, Wisconsin got out of rhythm. Steven Crowl took an early jump hook with 13 seconds left, BYU rebounded, and Trevin Knell drilled a transition three at the buzzer after a missed steal attempt.

What could’ve been a five- or six-point game turned into an 11-point hole going into the break.

And early in the second half, with Wisconsin trying to build some momentum, the bench was hit with a technical foul on an assistant.

"I don't know, the official couldn't tell me what was said," Gard said.

"Apparently, two assistants stood up. I didn’t know you got technicals for standing up and stomping your feet."

BYU hit both free throws and turned it into a four-point swing. In a game decided by two points, those moments loom large.

It’s what makes March so unforgiving. Every mistake is magnified, and even the smallest lapse can tilt the scales. Wisconsin made just enough plays to have a chance to win—but more than enough mistakes to walk away with the loss.

John Tonje leaves it all on the floor

If Wisconsin had any shot in this game, it was because of John Tonje.

The senior transfer, playing in what will now go down as his final game in a Badgers uniform, poured in a game-high 37 points on 10-of-18 shooting. He knocked down three triples, went 14-of-16 from the free-throw line, and didn’t commit a single turnover in 35 minutes.

He also added four rebounds and four assists—and most importantly, gave Wisconsin a shot when it looked like they were dead in the water.

Down the stretch, Tonje scored six straight points to bring the Badgers within two. He willed them back into the game, put them on his back, and gave them a fighting chance in a game they arguably had no business being in.

And when the game was on the line, the ball was right where it needed to be—in the hands of Wisconsin’s best player.

“No, put the ball in my best player's hands,” Gard said, when asked if he would’ve preferred a different look on the final possession. “We were in a flat alignment with some bumping action with the bigs on the other two guards, and it was his decision. You trust your players.

"I mean, we're not in this position without John Tonje. We don't have that comeback, we don't have the year and win 27 games without JT. So we made the decision—put the ball in your best player's hands and let him go make a play.”

Tonje took the inbounds, drove the length of the floor, got into the lane, and rose up from the baseline. It wasn’t a perfect look, but it was one he’s made plenty of times.

“Just tried to get downhill,” Tonje said postgame. “Got kind of stopped around the block area. At that point, I didn’t know how many options I had. I just tried to go up with it. Yeah, I’m not sure. I guess I’d have to watch the film.”

The shot didn’t fall. And just like that, Wisconsin’s season was over. But it doesn’t change what Tonje meant to this team.

I’ll remember Tonje for a long time. He gave Wisconsin everything he had—no drama, no ego, just showed up every day and went to work. What he brought to this team, on and off the floor, is hard to put into words. Tonje just delivered one of the best individual seasons we’ve ever seen in a Badgers uniform—scoring 724 total points, the second-most in a single season in program history. Tonje passed Alando Tucker and finished eight shy of Frank Kaminsky. Flat-out stud.

Best portal pickup in the country.

A bitter end to a special season

Let’s get one thing out of the way—Greg Gard coached really well this season. This program is in a good place, and Wisconsin basketball is far from broken.

The Badgers exceeded expectations, earned a No. 3 seed, finished as Big Ten Tournament runner-up, and were one of the last 32 teams standing in a loaded NCAA field. That’s a strong season by almost any measure.

But the truth is, for a lot of Badger fans, the standard isn’t just about being relevant—it’s about winning in March. And when you fall short of the second weekend again, the noise ramps up. Coach Gard is now 7-7 in the NCAA Tournament all time. It's not unfair to want more.

It's not wrong to say this felt like a missed opportunity. Because, well, it did.

This wasn’t a throwaway roster.

The analytics loved this team. The experience, the depth, the balance on both ends—all the ingredients were there for a Sweet 16 run and maybe even more with the right matchups.

And yet, here we are again, talking about what could’ve been.

Now, I’ve always had a hard time reducing an entire season—37 games of work, growth, and progress—down to one result in a single-elimination tournament. One lousy stretch, one cold shooting night, one tough matchup, and it’s over. That’s part of what makes March what it is.

But this year felt different. Like it should have ended differently.

The disappointment isn’t just about the BYU game. It’s about the narratives—fair or not—that seem to get louder with every passing year for the faction of the fanbase Coach Gard may never win over.

Wisconsin hasn’t made it past the first weekend since 2017—back when Gard still had "Bo's guys." Since then, there’s been the canceled tournament in 2020, Johnny Davis gutting through an ankle injury in 2022, only to lose starting point guard Chucky Hepburn to injury, a few tough draws, and some early exits where the Badgers just didn’t have it. And now, another talented group walks off the floor earlier than anyone hoped.

The problem is the pattern. BYU now gets added to the growing list that includes James Madison last year, Iowa State in 2022, Oregon in 2019, and even missing the field entirely in 2018 and 2023. You can go through those seasons one by one and find some valid explanations—but the cumulative effect is hard to ignore.

The longer it continues, the harder it becomes for some fans to keep believing a breakthrough is coming.

Suppose everything Gard did this year—restructuring his staff to adapt to the evolving direction of college basketball, rebuilding the roster after losing his top two players, tailoring the team's offense to his new personnel, getting a 3-seed, and putting together one of the most fun teams in recent memory—wasn’t enough to win those people over.

In that case, I’m not sure anything short of a Final Four will change their mind.

That doesn’t mean the program is off track. Far from it.

Most programs would love to have what Wisconsin does with Gard: stability, a winning culture, consistent NCAA Tournament appearances, and a coach who isn’t chasing the next big job. And while people love to draw comparisons, it’s worth remembering that even Bo Ryan took his lumps early in March.

In his first 10 seasons, Ryan made three Sweet 16's and went out in the Round of 32 or earlier six times.

His legacy wasn’t cemented until after year 10. Gard just finished year 10.

Is it frustrating to feel like the ceiling hasn’t been reached yet? Sure. Is it fair to expect more? Of course. But calling for job changes over it? Let’s pump the brakes and live in reality for a minute.

Greg Gard is a really good basketball coach, and this team was a joy to watch all season long. John Tonje delivered a Second-Team All-American season. John Blackwell emerged as a star—and a foundational piece for the future. Nolan Winter also took a major leap and showed he’s got a sky-high ceiling.

Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee saved their best for last. And then there’s Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, and Markus Ilver—three seniors who gave everything to this program and made up the kind of class we may never see again in an era defined by constant movement.

From program guys, to in-state transfers who made a massive impact and proved you can still use the portal to find players you can develop and win with over several years, to a one-year rental who fully bought in and led the way offensively—this group was special. It just was.

Multiple people told me this was the group that made them fall back in love with watching Wisconsin basketball. That matters. In a Wild Wild West era of college hoops, the Badgers have found a way to adapt that actually feels sustainable—recruit your backyard and pipelines, develop and retain your homegrown talent, use the portal to plug holes, and do it all while maintaining the kind of continuity that fits your system.

That’s a win in today’s game—and a reason to believe in where this program is headed. Wisconsin pulled this off with a forward-thinking approach that has the basketball program operating more like a professional model. They did it with limited NIL resources too, which, to be fair, are now in a better place.

If that continues to improve, I think Gard has already proven he can build a winner with what he’s got—and he’ll do even more with the backing he deserves.

But yeah—fans wanted something to show for this season. Something tangible. A trophy. A banner. A Sweet 16 berth—maybe something even more. The wins at Purdue, against Arizona at the Kohl Center, Michigan State in the tournament—all of it deserved a little more shine at the end.

Do I think Gard will eventually break through in March? I do. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it can’t. People seem to forget that.

But until then, this kind of postseason heartbreak is going to linger. That’s just how it goes when expectations rise.

It means you’ve built something people care about. It means fans are locked in and fully invested, even in the transfer portal era. And even though this one stings, it’s a credit to the Wisconsin basketball program that so many people feel that way. The journey is the reward.

"The ending stinks, but the ride was a hell of a lot of fun," Gard said.

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