ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Ryan Evans scored 18 points and Jordan Taylor added 17 points and six assists for Wisconsin, which ended Montana’s school-record 14-game winning streak with a 73-49 win on Thursday.
The fourth-seeded Badgers (25-9) improved to 10-1 in NCAA tournament openers under Bo Ryan, the winningest coach in the program’s history.
Wisconsin will face the Vanderbilt-Harvard winner in the next round of the East Regional on Saturday at the Pit.
Art Steward’s 18 points led the Grizzles (25-7), who were familiar with the Badgers’ style because one of their assistants, Freddie Owens, played at Wisconsin from 2001-04. Still, his inside information couldn’t help the 13th-seeded Grizzlies pull off the upset.
