Defending Champs, Top Overall Seed Villanova Bounced From Tournament By Wisconsin

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Defending champion and top overall seed Villanova bounced from NCAA Tournament in second round by Wisconsin.

Villanova fell 65-62 to No. 8 seed Wisconsin on Saturday in the second round of the East Regional.

BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 18: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats walks off the court after being defeated by the Wisconsin Badgers 65-62 during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 18, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Nigel Hayes led Wisconsin (27-9) with 19 points.

Nigel Hayes scored 19 points, dropping a layup in traffic with 11.4 seconds left to put Wisconsin ahead 64-62, and Bronson Koenig added 17 for the tournament-toughened Badgers (27-9), who are going back to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year. They'll play next week at New York's Madison Square Garden after knocking off Villanova (32-4).

Josh Hart scored 19 to lead Villanova, but the senior guard was stripped by Wisconsin center Ethan Happ on a drive in the final seconds. Wisconsin's Vitto Brown then split a pair of free throws with four seconds left, but Villanova couldn't get off a final shot.

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