Badgers take down No. 1 Villanova

Wisconsin moves on to play Friday against Florida in NYC.

The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team eliminated the No. 1 team in the NCAA tournament.

La Crosse native Bronson Koenig was 7-for-11 from the field in scoring 17 points as the eighth-seeded Badgers beat Villanova 65-62 on Saturday.

Nigel Hayes led all scorers with 19 points, getting the go-ahead, deciding basket with 14 seconds remaining.

Hayes set a career record for most games played ever at UW, which will play Friday against either fourth-seeded Florida at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Wisconsin controlled for most the contest, but late in the second half things looked bleak, as the Wildcats managed to get up 57-50 with 5:31 remaining.

That, however, is when the seniors for UW put the team on their back.

First it was Hayes with a layup, followed by back-to-back scores by Koenig to cap off a 7-0 run. First Koenig hit a jumper, then a 3-pointer on an assist from Hayes to tie it with 3:28 left.

With 2:01 remaining, Koenig nailed a 3-pointer to go up 62-59, before the Wildcats tied it with 37 seconds remaining when Donte DiVincenzo went 1-for-2 from the line.

On the ensuing possession, Hayes scored the go-ahead and the Badgers held on from there.

Wisconsin held Villanova to 43-percent shooting, while shooting 53 percent.