DENVER (AP) — Wisconsin grinded its way back into the March Madness win column Thursday, getting 19 points from John Blackwell and double-digit scoring from four others on the way to an 85-66 victory over Montana.
The third-seeded Badgers won in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022. Last year, they were a first-round upset victim to James Madison.
Next, coach Greg Gard’s team will try to make the Sweet 16 for the first time in eight years with a game against either VCU or BYU in the East Region.
Blackwell also had five rebounds and three assists for the Badgers (27-9), but it was backup forward Carter Gilmore’s burst early in the second half that helped them grab breathing room in what had been a tight, single-digit contest to that point.
After the 14th-seeded Grizzlies cut their deficit to 51-47 with a poke-away steal, then an easy layup by Money Williams, Gilmore came back with a quick 3 that he punctuated by putting a finger over his mouth and taunting the Montana crowd to “shhhh.”
Gilmore (8 points) drew a charge on Montana’s next possession, then altered Te’Jon Sawyer’s shot on the next, part of an 8-0 run that gave Wisconsin its biggest lead of the game to that point — one that would expand to 21 points.
Sawyer and Kai Johnson led the Grizzlies (25-10) with 15 points each.
Crowl leads the other Wisconsin double-digit scorers
The other Wisconsin double-digit scorers were Steven Crowl (18 points on 8 for 10 from the floor), John Tonje (15), Xavier Amos (11) and Nolan Winter (10). Tonje, the second-team All-American who played his first four years of college up the road at Colorado State, made all nine of his free throws.
Cold shooting, cold Money for Montana
Montana, champion of the Big Sky Conference, came in as the nation’s second-best shooting team (50.2%) but made only 39% in the program’s first March Madness game since 2019.
Williams, the Grizzlies’ leading scorer this season, was blanketed by Blackwell most of the game and finished with eight points on 2-for-8 shooting.
Looking to cover
The commotion rippling through Ball Arena over a couple of late garbage-time possessions for Montana likely had to do with the 16 1/2-point spread on this game.
Adam Shoff and Jeremiah Dargan each had relatively open 3-point looks in the last minute, but neither hit the rim and the Badgers covered.
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