And so we go another year without a #16 seed upsetting a #1 seed. While few expected it to happen this year, in March Madness anything is possible. However, we will have to wait at least one more year to see it. That was confirmed on Friday night when the Wisconsin Badgers thoroughly dominated the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers by a score of 86-72 on the back of a dominating performance from their offensive scoring triumvirate.

All season long Frank Kaminsky, Nigel Hayes and Sam Dekker have carried the bulk of the offensive scoring burden, and it was no different on Friday night. Kaminsky was undoubtedly the best player on the court all night, and he finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. He shot the ball well all game long, and Coastal Carolina had no chance of stopping him once he got the ball.

Yet, it was not just Kaminsky doing it for the Badgers. Hayes and Dekker both scored in double figures, and Dekker's three-point shooting lit up the arena. He finished with 20 points, and was only slightly more stoppable than Kaminsky was. When it was not one of those two dominating offensively, it was Hayes dominating. He finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Not only was he a match-up nightmare, but he passed the ball superbly well. His three assists don't accurately show that, but he made a number of passes before an assist to keep the offense moving. 

The Badgers didn't completely dominate the entire game, but that was only because Coastal Carolina played well. Warren Gillis finished with 22 points and Elijah Wilson finished with 20 as they carried the Chanticleers offensively. They played superbly well, but were simply outdone by Wisconsin's superior players.

All game long, it felt as if the Badgers were in control, yet they never completely pulled away. For that, credit must be given to Coastal Carolina. As was mentioned above, Coastal played very well. Unfortunately for them, they came up against a far superior team who is played superb basketball. With the victory, Wisconsin improves to 31-3 and they will play Oregon on Sunday in the Round of 32.

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About the author
Liam McMahon
American sports journalist based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin who has been affiliated with VAVEL for more than a year. Co-editor of the soccer section at VAVEL USA and international football writer at VAVEL UK.