When Wisconsin guard Jordan Taylor elevated off the ground for a long-range shot, his arms, legs, and hands worked in perfect harmony. For five out of the nine times he shot, the ball split the net.
After a while, all you could do was shrug.
Taylor and the rest of the Badgers buried Belmont’s bid for an upset in the second round of the NCAA tournament under a barrage of 12 3-pointers.
“I don’t know how we could have done much better (defensively),” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “If you don’t help off of those guys on (Taylor), then he’s going to shoot lay-ups all night.”
After falling behind by 10 early in the second half, the Bruins fought back with two 3-pointers from senior forward Jordan Campbell.
The momentum was shifting Belmont’s way when Wisconsin forward Mike Bruesewitz—who only made five 3-pointers in Big Ten play—knocked down two long-range shots.
Bruesewitz’s 3-pointers were part of a 13-1 run that kept the Bruins at bay.
“That’s tough when you go for 33 seconds and they make deep three’s that you can’t do anything but contest,” sophomore guard Kerron Johnson said.
“I don’t think you could do any more than we did.”
The Bruins ended the season with a 30-5 record, and still have yet to win an NCAA tournament game.
“I’m so proud of our team and their effort for 35 games times 40 minutes a game,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said.
“I just couldn’t be more proud to coach a team.”