Social media reacts to Wisconsin's crushing loss to BYU, early NCAA Tournament exit

Wisconsin dropped a heartbreaker to BYU, 91-89, in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Saturday night. With that, the Badgers' 2024-25 season comes to a close.

Wisconsin was far from its best throughout the contest, starting from the opening tip. A high-powered BYU Cougars team captured early momentum, building a double-digit lead with 7:53 left in the first half thanks to relentless shotmaking and dominance on the offensive glass. BYU grabbed 26 rebounds (nine offensive) to Wisconsin's 14 in the first half. To make matters worse, the Badgers, the nation's best free-throw-shooting team, shot just 63% from the foul line in the frame.

Still, Wisconsin had plenty of chances to battle back, both in the first half and down the stretch. However, all of those chances seemed to fall in BYU's direction.

The first notable swing came with 20 seconds remaining in the first half. Wisconsin trailed by eight and held the ball with the shot clock unplugged. Steven Crowl, however, attempted an ill-advised jump shot with 13 seconds left. His shot missed, allowing BYU a chance to run down the court and steal three points before the break. That preventable five-point swing became significant in the game's closing moments.

Fast-forward 18 minutes of game time, the Badgers trailed by nine points with under two minutes to play. They then began what appeared to be a vintage March Madness comeback. Carter Gilmore converted an and-one layup to cut the deficit to six (89-83), BYU made two at the free-throw line (91-83), John Tonje nailed a three-pointer (91-86), BYU turned ball over, Tonje converted an and-one layup of his own (91-89) and Gilmore grabbed the ensuing BYU miss. Wisconsin trailed by two with the basketball and 13 seconds left.

Out of a timeout, John Tonje charged the length of the court, passed up a chance at a go-ahead three, drove to the baseline and missed a contested jump shot. With the miss, the Badgers' comeback hopes were eliminated. It marked an end to the team's season, a familiar feeling of postseason disappointment.

As we begin to unpack the loss, here first are some of the notable reactions from Wisconsin fans, and both local and national media:

Wisconsin didn't play well, but it needed that win

Greg Gard and the #Badgers needed that.

Didn't matter if they didn't deserve to win that game. Needed it by any means necessary.

Pressure to get to a Sweet 16/beyond mounts.
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) March 23, 2025

Big Cat reacts:

The Big Ten has suffered their first loss of the tournament pic.twitter.com/jCb9N8NFbm
— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) March 23, 2025

J.J. Watt:

Boycotting tater tots for the next 48 hours.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 23, 2025

Even in the loss, John Tonje was fantastic

From one cold-blooded scorer and generation to the next, it was fitting Jimmer Fredette was in the seats to witness John Tonje almost willing the UW into the Sweet 16 with 37 points. But there were too many defensive lapses to overcome and his last shot and miss will be haunting.
— Mike Lucas (@LucasAtLarge) March 23, 2025

Thanks for the ride JT. ❤️ https://t.co/UTCvg2GlU0
— Ryan Sjoberg (@Ryan_Sjoberg) March 23, 2025

Wisconsin made critical mistakes in important moments

- BYU hit a few NBA threes.
- Crowl took the worst shot in recent memory.
- Tonje faded away from contact.

That’s it 🤷🏻‍♂️
No reason to Luke Fickell the basketball program too. 💀
— The Red Shed (@TheRealRedShed) March 23, 2025

Wisconsin loses by two

All I can think about is Crowl taking a shot with 17 seconds left just for BYU to hit a 3
— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) March 23, 2025

Wisconsin's postseason drought is...noteworthy

Wisconsin basketball hasn't made a Sweet 16 since 2017.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 23, 2025

A lot of 'What-Ifs'

IF Badgers don't botch the last possession of the half. IF they don't miss two front ends of bonus FT. IF BYU doesn't make half of their 3's. If BYU shoots close to their season FT%. IF UW bench doesn't get a T. Lots of IFs...but the IFS all matter in a game like this.
— Badgermaniac (@THEbadgermaniac) March 23, 2025

Still an enjoyable season

This is on the short list of most enjoyable seasons I’ve had being around @BadgerMBB . It goes well beyond the talent & the continued evolution of the offense. It’s the people who make up the program. Thank you for the ride.
For those who tuned in, thank you for listening
— Matt Lepay (@MattLepay) March 23, 2025

Kamari McGee reacts:

What does it mean to be a Badger?

"A dream come true and then some"

"I'm so grateful for everyone I met"

"This is a brotherhood"

Hell of a run from this group. #Badgers pic.twitter.com/qRWznd9QTq
— Zach Hanley (@ZachHanley2) March 23, 2025

More reaction

Brutal.
— Alex Strouf (@alex_strouf) March 23, 2025

The life of a Badgers fan. Hold your head up John Tonje - you have the NBA in your future.
— Jake Nisse (@jakenisse) March 23, 2025

The night is dark and full of terrors.
— Charlie (@CharlieFreyre) March 23, 2025

could you at least draw up a play Greg pic.twitter.com/ie2K2ojgoH
— Grant Bilse (@WiscoGrant) March 23, 2025

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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball BYU NCAA Tournament game social media reaction

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