TUCSON, Ariz. ? Wisconsin?s floppy-haired kid was in the right place at the right time.
Twice, actually. The first time, after the Badgers forced a turnover, Mike Bruesewitz caught a pass on the perimeter and drained a 3-pointer with the game tied and a 1:31 left on the clock. ?Tim Jarmusz was running down the wing with me,? Bruesewitz said. ?He ran to the rim and took a guy with him then I was open and just knocked it down.?
The second time, the 6-6 sophomore with enough curly red hair to make Annie jealous, picked up a loose ball and fed it ahead to teammate Jon Leuer, who made a couple of free throws with 16 seconds left to give the Badgers a three-point lead they would make stand in a 70-65 victory with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
?Unbelievable feeling in the locker room celebrating with your teammates knowing you are one of 16 teams still playing,? Leuer said. ?At the same time we think we're far from over. We have a lot of work to do still and are looking forward to our next challenge.?
Wisconsin, the No. 4 seed in the Southeast region, won despite the best efforts of Kansas State senior Jacob Pullen, who was Sporting News? Big 12 Player of the Year. Defensively, he helped hold Badgers guard Jordan Taylor to 2-of-16 shooting from the field ? by far his worst shooting game of the season ? two days after Taylor went 5-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc in a win against Belmont.
But that?s not what will be remembered from this game. On his way to setting the Kansas State career scoring record during the game, Pullen had more than half of the fifth-seeded Wildcats? points ? 38 to be exact ? but it wasn?t enough to pull off the victory.
?He was the best player on the floor tonight,? Taylor said. ?But we're moving on and going to New Orleans. So that's all that matters.?
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