ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Wisconsin’s pressure defense and half-court offense was too much for the fourth-seeded LSU Tigers to handle Thursday night as the Badgers advanced to the Elite Eight and the Tigers’ season ended in the Sweet 16.
LSU (28-6) finished a remarkable season by turning the ball over 23 times. Senior Jabari Smith, playing his final game as a Tiger, led LSU with 12 points.
The Badgers led by as much as 19 in the second half, 38-19, before LSU cut the lead to nine, 47-38, with just under two minutes to play.
However, Wisconsin iced the game with a wide-open three pointer and LSU would get no closer.
In the first half, LSU failed to score in the final five minutes and Wisconsin turned around a three-point LSU lead into a eight-point advantage at halftime, 22-14.
The Badgers also opened the second half with 14-4 run.
In the 1999-2000 season, LSU was the Southeastern Conference Co-Champion and won the SEC’s Western Division for the first time.
Head coach John Brady was named the SEC Coach of the Year in just his third season after improving from 9-18 and 12-15 records in his first two seasons in Baton Rouge.
Sophomore Stromile Swift was named the SEC Player of the Year and a First-Team All-SEC Selection. Jabari Smith was named to the SEC Second Team and Torris Bright was named to the Third Team, as well as the Co-Freshman of the Year by the SEC Coaches.
LSU opened the season with 13 straight victories before losing three of its first four SEC games.
The Tigers then went on to win 10 straight and finished the season with seven victories over ranked teams. After starting the season ranked 129th in the Sagarin Rankings to open the season, LSU moved up as high as 10th in the Associated Press Top 25 and ninth in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
LSU advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since 1987 with wins over Southeast Missouri State and Texas before losing to the Badgers.
The Tigers will return four starters next season, including Swift, freshman Torris Bright, junior Lamont Roland and junior Brian Beshara. Also, freshmen Collis Temple and Ronald Dupree, and sophomores Brad Bridgewater and Jermaine Williams return to the team.