ANAHEIM, Calif. — Since the moment they entered the one-and-done world of the NCAA Tournament last week, the mantra for Wisconsin has remained the same: Forty more minutes.
With each game, that was what the Badgers have been chasing. For themselves, of course. But mostly for their coach, Bo Ryan, whose decorated resume has check marks next to everything … except a Final Four.
Now Ryan finally can check that box.
After No. 2 seed Wisconsin's 64-63 overtime victory over No. 1 seed Arizona in the West Regional final at the Honda Center, anyone who had questions about whether Ryan is one of the elite college coaches of all time because of that hole in his resume no longer has an argument on which to lean.
Bo and the Badgers are going to the Final Four in Arlington, Texas, to play the winner of Sunday's Midwest Regional final between Michigan and Kentucky — the coach for the first time and Wisconsin (30-7) for the first time since 2000.
Bo and the Badgers get 40 more minutes.
Arizona coach Sean Miller, who was in his third Elite Eight with the Wildcats, was denied his first Final Four just hours after his younger brother, Archie, saw his season end in the Elite Eight when Dayton was defeated by Florida.
After a first half that was controlled by Arizona, which led for all 20 minutes, the second half and overtime were positively scintillating, with ties and lead changes until the very end.
And the end was frenetic.
Wisconsin clinched the game when Arizona's best player, guard Nick Johnson, failed to get off a jump shot before the final buzzer. Moments earlier, Johnson had been called for a charge with 3.2 seconds remaining in OT while making a desperate attempt to win the game on a final shot. Arizona got the ball back for one final possession after an officials' review of the ensuing inbounds play — which the officials determined had been knocked out-of-bounds by Wisconsin.
Fittingly, the winning points came from Wisconsin's 7-foot junior, Frank Kaminsky, who put back a follow with 1:09 remaining to give the Badgers a 64-61 lead at the time.
As in the Badgers' win over Baylor on Thursday night, Kaminsky was magnificent — the difference in the game, finishing with a game-high 28 points. This all came a year after Kaminsky was a little-used reserve as a sophomore, averaging four points in 10 minutes per game.
Wisconsin tied the game at 34-34 on a Kaminsky 3-pointer with 15:54 remaining in regulation — his second trey of the game.
That got the 17,814 — all clad in red (a color worn by both teams) — to their feet and the building got louder than it had been all night. As if it weren't there already, there was a game-on feel to the moment.
On its next possession, Wisconsin took the lead for the first time in the game when reserve Bronson Koenig hit a jump shot with 15:10 left for a 36-34 Badgers advantage.
Moments later, Koenig, who averages 2.3 points per game, drained a 3-pointer to give Wisconsin its largest lead, 41-36.
At this game went, though, Arizona tied it before you could blink, on a 3-pointer by T.J. McConnell and a tip-in by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and it was 41-41 at 11:06 with little hint of who was going to advance to Texas.
Arizona regained the lead, 44-41, on a Johnson 3-pointer.
Kaminsky, who has emerged into one of the stars of this NCAA Tournament, gave Wisconsin a 50-48 lead with 4:25 remaining with his third 3-pointer of the night. He had 22 points at that point — eight more than his season average.
A Hollis-Jefferson basket tied the game at 50-50, then a Josh Glasser tip-in gave Wisconsin a 52-50 lead and then freshman Aaron Gordon's first basket of the night for Arizona tied it at 52-52, where it stood at 1:58.
Wisconsin's Traevon Jackson made it 54-52 Badgers with 1:08 remaining and then a follow slam dunk by Arizona's Hollis-Jefferson tied it at 54-54 with 32 seconds remaining.
Wisconsin had a chance to win it, with possession for a final shot, but Jackson missed a jumper and the game went to OT.
After Arizona led the entire first half, there were five lead changes and six ties in the second half.
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