Wisconsin vs. UNC: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

Despite trailing for much of the game, No. 1 seed Wisconsin battled back and escaped with a 79-72 win over No. 4 seed North Carolina in their Sweet 16 matchup Thursday.

Sam Dekker was the star of the day for the Badgers, scoring a career-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with 10 rebounds in the win. Frank Kaminsky was a bit quieter than his usual self but still ended up with 19 points and eight rebounds.

Wisconsin is now one win away from advancing to the Final Four for the second year in a row.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein joked about the consistency of Badgers head coach Bo Ryan in March:

The Tar Heels put forth a great effort and were helped by some outstanding three-point shooting, finishing 8-of-13 from beyond the arc. Justin Jackson was especially impressive with 15 points on 3-of-3 shooting from deep, while Marcus Paige added 12 with a 3-of-5 mark from the outside.

However, the squad struggled to overcome foul trouble and could not close out the upset win.

North Carolina spent a good deal of time during the week preparing to slow Kaminsky, a task head coach Roy Williams said he took "very, very seriously," via Andrew Carter of The Charlotte Observer.

Sophomore forward Isaiah Hicks compared the center to two elite bigs the Tar Heels faced this season, via Carter:

"

I guess he can be a mix of Jahlil [Okafor of Duke] down low and [Arkansas forward Bobby] Portis from the outside, if you want to say that. Because Portis was stepping out, shooting a couple of threes. Driving and all that, and Jahlil—he just scores inside at will.

So you can probably mix them two, you get Frank right there.

"

The Tar Heels did a good job of limiting Wisconsin's star player to four points in the first half, but Dekker picked up the slack with 15 points to keep the Badgers competitive.

ESPN's Jeff Goodman, CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie and Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg were quite impressed by the forward's ability as well as his NBA prospects:

"

It’d basically be impossible to come away from this half and think Kaminsky is a better pro prospect than Dekker. Dekker’s been a monster.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) March 27, 2015"

Despite this showing, North Carolina got out to a 33-31 halftime lead thanks to great work in transition, as Aaron Dodson of The Daily Tar Heel described:

The second half featured more big plays from the Tar Heels as they controlled much of the action. TNT's Reggie Miller discussed the mindset of the group:

Former North Carolina star Harrison Barnes was enjoying himself as well:

The lead eventually evaporated, though, as Wisconsin took control with a 9-0 run in the closing minutes. ACC Sports described the momentum-changing sequence:

This ended up being the major turning point of the game, as the favorites never trailed in the final six minutes.

Some hot shooting by North Carolina helped keep it close—particularly two late treys from Paige—but the Badgers made their free throws down the stretch to hold on for a seven-point win.

Wisconsin will now advance to the Elite Eight to face the winner of No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 6 Xavier, with a spot in the Final Four on the line. Although either team could provide a challenge, the Badgers showed Thursday they have the ability to beat anyone in this region.

With point guard Traevon Jackson also making his way back onto the floor after missing the past two months with a broken foot, this is a dangerous team going forward. If the Badgers and Kentucky Wildcats both emerge from their respective regions unscathed, the Final Four matchup between the two could be the best game of the tournament.