#22 Creighton beats #9 Wisconsin 79-67

There was an aura of electricity in the building tonight. The crowd was full throated, fully liquored, fully amped to participate as a sports fan tonight, clad in Bluejay blue and prepped to explode like a powder keg in a cigar shop.

It was deafening at the opening tip.

It was ear splitting after Marcus Foster hit his first three.

I felt my heart beginning lose its beat when Foster hit his second three and Wisconsin was forced to take a time out.

From then on, the Badgers managed to hit a couple threes. Then a couple more. The Bluejay defense began collapsing on any hooper wearing red who entered the paint, leaving a man wide open on the wing. The Jays may have shut down the post offense but they were unable to avoid an uncharacteristic shooting performance by the boys in Madison.

Another three went down, Creighton began to lag behind.

Then another. Wisconsin started the game off 8-13 from beyond the arc, silencing the magnificent crowd on hand for tonight’s affair. Wisconsin had built an 8-point lead, and all seemed lost.

Then, Justin Patton put in a bucket. The crowd began to stir back to life. Marcus Foster came back and got a bucket. The lead now sat at 4.

After Bronson Koenig put in a lay up, Maurice Watson Jr. unleashed his basketball genes and proceeded to score on back to back possessions, cutting the lead to two.

Zach Hanson then proceeded to score the next three points - on a free throw and on a layup - to put the Jays up by one.

Then, on a absolutely devastating dunk, Marcus Foster sealed the half at 33-30.

The second half started with a Wisconsin run, that lasted until about the 6 minute mark where the two kids from Omaha in Khyri Thomas and Justin Patton.

The two combined for 10 points in 2.5 minutes of play, with an added three by Toby Hegner, to completely turn the game around and give the Jays an 11 point lead.

This was a lead they’d keep for the next three minutes. It became a tedious affair of back and forths, with Wisconsin getting a generous call, then Creighton getting a generous call.

Wisconsin managed to get the lead down to 8 points with roughly 3 minutes and change to play.

That’s where the lead would hover for the next two minutes.

Then, Wisconsin managed to cut the lead to 6.

From there, they began to foul with just a minute and change left. Watson Jr., was sent to the line twice; both times he made only one of his two free throws.

With 47.3 seconds left the Jays led 73-67.

Back to back dunks by Bluejays put it out of reach. 79-67 is the final.