NCAA West: Wisconsin slows, stops top seed Arizona

SALT LAKE CITY -- Slowly but surely, Wisconsin lured another speed-loving opponent into playing its deliberate pace. <br><br>Mark Vershaw scored 15 points as the eighth-seeded Badgers upset No. 1 seed

Saturday, March 18th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

SALT LAKE CITY -- Slowly but surely, Wisconsin lured another speed-loving opponent into playing its deliberate pace.

Mark Vershaw scored 15 points as the eighth-seeded Badgers upset No. 1 seed Arizona 66-59 on Saturday to advance to the final 16 for the first time since the NCAA tournament went to its current format.

The Wildcats (27-7) are the first No. 1 seed in two years to lose in the second round, where they hadn't lost since 1990.

The Badgers (20-13) hadn't won a second-round game under the current 64-team format. They were NCAA champions in 1941 when it took just three games to win the title.

Freshman Gilbert Arenas led the Wildcats with 21 points. Five times they closed within six points in the final 1:51 only to have Wisconsin reserve Maurice Linton answer.

Linton scored nine of his 14 points in the final 2:57, when the Wildcats hit three 3-pointers, but still couldn't overcome after trailing virtually the entire game.

At the buzzer, the Badgers mobbed each other, with guard Mike Kelley leaping into Vershaw's arms. The team stayed on the floor, shouting to the small group of Badgers fans as the band blared.

The Wildcats had a 6-4 record when scoring in the 60s this season, but they were limited to 49 percent field-goal shooting against the nation's fourth-best scoring defense.