84 - 74 Virginia Tech came in as a very interesting and determined team under head coach Buzz Williams, who has found success during the big dance. But it wasn’t going to be easy against Wisconsin, who was actually the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten during the tournament.
Many might have thought the Badgers deserved a higher seed, so it was certainly going to be one of the toughest matchups for an ACC opponent to face in the first round.
Both teams looked to play their game and for much of it, it remained in the single-digits. But the Hokies could never get over the hump really in the second half, as Wisconsin always had an answer and was led by the hot outside shooting of Bronson Koenig.
Koenig finished the game with 28 points, hitting eight 3-pointers in the win, while Nigel Hayes finished with a double-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds.
It was also the offensive rebounding advantage that troubled the Hokies, as Wisconsin had a 17-6 edge on the offensive boards, giving them an 18-10 advantage in second chance points.
For the Hokies, they were led by Zach LeDay, who came off the bench to score 23 points before fouling out, while Ty Outlaw finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Justin Robinson had 11 points, six assists while Seth Allen finished with 10 points.
Overall, the Hokies shot 47 percent from the field, hit seven three-pointers, and went 21-for-26 from the line… all stats that certainly could spell out a win in most cases.
Virginia Tech finishes their season with an overall 22-11 record.
