The big center with floppy hair and an endearing grin, Frank Kaminsky, hit every shot Wisconsin needed to make the Final Four on Saturday. Top seed Arizona didn’t go down without a fight, though, and the Badgers needed to come back and force overtime before their slim, 64-63 OT victory. Following the heartbreaking loss for Wildcats fans, students faced off against riot police in a scary epilogue to the elite eight contest.
Kaminsky was the biggest reason 2-seed Wisconsin is headed to North Texas next week. The junior is listed at 6-11, but he played a lot bigger than that on his way to a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds. He wasn’t just an inside force, either; Kaminsky knocked down three triplets during his big game and Traevon Jackson was 4-for-14 for 10 points — the only other Badger to crack double-digits on the night.
Highly touted freshman Aaron Gordon only finished with eight points, but added 18 rebounds in a bruising game in the paint. Nick Johnson led the Wildcats with 16 points, but he failed during two chances to win in the final seconds of OT, getting charged for an offensive foul on one, and failing to the shot up before the game ended after getting a second chance.
The 64-63 win for Wisconsin means 69-year-old coach Bo Ryan, who clinched win No. 704 last night, will be making his inaugural trip to the Final Four.
After the game, though, things turned even darker for Arizona fans as students and riot police clashed in a volley of violence involving bean bag rounds, thrown beer, tear gas and more.
One man confronts the line of advancing #Tucson Police as they tried to disperse the crowd. Photo by @KellyPresnell pic.twitter.com/YQDRl61HEY
— Arizona Daily Star (@StarNet) March 30, 2014
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A lone man confronts a line of Tucson Police as #ArizonaWildcats fans get out of hand. https://t.co/34p26udRVj pic.twitter.com/ZS1ArgDSVh
— Kelly Presnell (@KellyPresnell) March 30, 2014
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Of course one Arizona coed decided a riot was the perfect time for a selfie (h/t Deadspin).
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