Wisconsin back in March Madness win column, 85-66 over Montana

DENVER (AP) — Wisconsin backup forward Carter Gilmore made a sweet 3, then turned to the Montana fans and signaled for them to “shhhh.”

Back on defense, he took a charge from one Montana player, then altered another’s shot. By the time Gilmore’s flurry was over Thursday, the game pretty much was, too. The Badgers pulled away for their first March Madness win in three years, 85-66 over the Grizzlies.

“He’s a major key to our team,” said John Blackwell, who finished with 19 points and was one of five Badgers in double digits. “He’s a spark plug off the bench, a guy who’s always going to give us energy whether he gets 15 points or zero points.”

Gilmore finished with eight points, and Wisconsin set aside the bad vibes from its first-round loss last year to James Madison. Next, coach Greg Gard’s team will try to make the Sweet 16 for the first time in eight years with a game against BYU, which defeated VCU 80-71.