DENVER (AP) — For one night only, let’s just call them BY-Whew!
The BYU Cougars led the entire game Saturday but still had to make one, final defensive stop against Wisconsin's irrepressible guard, John Tonje, to seal a 91-89 victory over the Badgers and the program's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2011 — the days of Jimmer Fredette.
In a much-welcomed and rare March Madness nailbiter, Tonje finished with 37 points to become the first player to crack 30 this year in the tournament.
That included eight points during a desperate comeback down the stretch. But trailing by two, he shot a fadeaway airball just before the buzzer that allowed the Cougars to escape.
“You watched the game and you’re kind of like, ‘How did we get to a two-point game here, you know?’” said Fredette, who took things in from about 10 rows up in the stands in the same arena where he led BYU to its last Sweet 16 trip. “But look, I think that describes this team.”
Richie Saunders had 25 points and seven rebounds for the sixth-seeded Cougars, who will play Alabama or Saint Mary's next Thursday in Newark at the East Region.
BYU (26-9) kept its lead between six and 14 points for most of the second half, but things turned when officials ejected Cougars guard Dawson Baker (eight points) after ruling he intentionally elbowed Wisconsin’s Max Klesmit in the groin during a scrum in the corner with 3:11 left.
Tonje took over from there, making a 3, two free throws and a three-point play to trim a 10-point deficit to two. Wisconsin (27-10) got a BYU miss with 13.5 seconds left, then worked the ball to Tonje, but with Mawot Mag draped all over him, the senior never got a good look.
“We made the decision, we were coming down, we had done it before, put the ball in your best player’s hands and let him go make a play,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said.
The third-seeded Badgers became the first Big Ten team to lose in a tournament in which the conference started 10-0.
Tonje, who shot 10 for 18 from the floor and 14 for 16 from the line, scored 52 points over two games in Denver. The 37 points Saturday were the most by a Badger in NCAA Tournament history.
“I just tried to get downhill, just got kind of stopped around the block area,” he said of the game decider. "At that point, I didn’t know what options I had. I just tried to go up with it.”
John Blackwell had 21 points for Wisconsin, but of the many things that can turn a one-bucket game, this stat stood out: BYU’s bench outscored the Badgers 24-3.
BYU, meanwhile, is celebrating in a way it hasn’t since the days Fredette became a college cult hero by rewriting the record book in Provo in the early 2010s.
Egor Demin, a freshman from Russia, finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for BYU. Trevin Knell went 4 for 6 from 3 and finished with 14 points.
In all, coach Kevin Young's NBA-style offense — fast pace, lots of 3s (the Cougars shot 46%) and heavy on guys with long arms who alter shots — was too much for Wisconsin to overcome.
Still, this one got real, real close at the end.
“We felt like we couldn’t stop them at all in the second half, and in that last timeout, man, we just looked each other in the eye and said all we’ve got to do is get one stop, that’s it,” Young said.
Quickly after Baker’s ejection, the NCAA clarified that it would not lead to a suspension and he would be eligible for BYU’s Sweet 16 game.
Shortly after making a phantom blocking call against the Cougars late in the first half, refs slapped Mag with a technical.
Young asked why and the official explained that Mag had pointed at the scoreboard showing the replay (and minimal contact).
The game finished with three technicals and Baker’s ejection.
Bonus: Saunders, an heir of the man who invented the Tater Tot, has an NIL deal that gives everyone free Tater Tots after a BYU win in March Madness.
BYU had a lot to cheer about. One moment came when Keba Keita, a 39% free-throw shooter on the year, swished one to give the Cougars an 11-point lead with about 7 minutes left. Keita went 2 for 3 from the line and finished with 10 points.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Wisconsin guard John Tonje, right, drives past BYU guard Egor Demin during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/John Leyba)
Iran's top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the country's theocracy, even as activists said Wednesday that the death toll rose to levels unseen in decades, with at least 2,571 people killed so far.
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, made the comments about trials and executions in a video Tuesday, despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would “take very strong action” if executions take place.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the number of dead climbed to at least 2,571 early Wednesday. The figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
After Trump was informed of the number of deaths, he warned Iran's leaders that he was terminating any negotiations and would “act accordingly.”
Details of the crackdown began emerging Tuesday as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications countrywide when the protests broke out.
Here is the latest:
Tens of thousands of mourners thronged the streets near Tehran University for the funeral of more than 300 security forces and civilians on Wednesday.
Many held Iranian flags and identical photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and their relatives. The caskets, covered in Iranian flags, were stacked at least three high in the backs of trucks and covered with red and white roses and framed photographs of people who were killed. The crowd chanted and beat their chests in response to an emcee speaking from a stage.
One man in the crowd held up a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump during the Pennsylvania assassination attempt, emblazoned with: “The arrow doesn’t always miss!”
India's Embassy in Tehran urged Wednesday all Indian nationals to leave Iran, citing what it called an “evolving situation” in the Islamic Republic.
The statement, posted on X, also advised Indian citizens to remain highly vigilant and avoid areas where protests are taking place.
German police said Wednesday the two climbed over a fence into embassy grounds and tore down an Iranian flag. Both wanted to hoist two pre-Islamic Republic flags but failed, German news agency dpa reported.
They left the grounds when guards used pepper spray and were detained on the sidewalk outside.
The incident happened late Tuesday.
Major Middle East governments were discouraging the Trump administration from waging a war with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” in the volatile region, an Arab Gulf diplomat said Wednesday.
The Cairo-based diplomat, who was given anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said major governments in the region, including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, have been “in constant contact” with the U.S. administration over a potential American strike on Iran that could explode into a “full-blown war.”
Such a war will “certainly” have dire repercussions “not only on the Middle East but also on the global economy," he said.
Iranian state television said Wednesday’s mass funeral in Tehran would include 300 bodies of security force members and civilians. The funeral is expected to take place at Tehran University under heavy security.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the crackdown killed at least 2,571 people. It said 2,403 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.
Gauging the demonstrations and the death toll from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll, given the communications being disrupted in the country.
Melanie Lidman contributed from Jerusalem.
Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran could impact India, an expert said, as New Delhi already faces existing 50% U.S. trade levies due to its purchases of Russian oil.
Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, a senior economist at the Chintan Research Foundation in New Delhi, said the bigger risk is not India-Iran trade, but India’s access to the U.S. market, as its exports to Iran are modest.
India mainly exports rice, tea, sugar, pharmaceuticals and electrical machinery to Iran, while importing dry fruits and chemical products. Textiles and garments, gems and jewelry and engineering goods are likely to be the most vulnerable sectors, he said.
Trump’s latest move also could affect India’s investments in Iran, including the strategically important Chabahar port, which gives India a trade route to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Pakistan, Mukhopadhyay said.
Iran’s judiciary chief signals fast trials and executions for those detained in nationwide protests.
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television on Wednesday.
He emphasized the need for swift action, saying delays would lessen the impact.
His remarks challenge Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview aired Tuesday.
Trump stated the U.S. would take strong action if Iran proceeded with executions. The situation highlights escalating tensions between the two countries over the handling of the protests.
Dozens of Pakistani students studying in Iran have returned home through a remote southwestern border crossing, a Pakistani immigration official said Wednesday.
Federal Investigation Agency spokesperson in Quetta city, Samina Raisani, said about 60 students crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday through Gabd border in Balochistan province with valid travel documents.
More students were expected to return through the same crossing later Wednesday, she said.
Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, said Tuesday that Iranian universities had rescheduled exams and permitted international students to leave the country.
The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service to people in Iran who have access to the company's receivers, activists said Wednesday.
Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who helped get the units into Iran, told The Associated Press that the free service had started. Other activists also confirmed in messages online that the service was free.
Starlink has been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests swelled and they began a bloody crackdown against demonstrators.
Starlink did not immediately acknowledge the decision.
This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
