Performer of the Day: Wisconsin's Sam Dekker

Sixteen- and eight-game days have sadly come to an end during the NCAA tournament, but that's not to say March Madness is out of big-time performances.

While fewer games are being played, the stakes are much higher. That's what makes an outing like the one Sam Dekker had for Wisconsin on Thursday so special.

Dekker scored a career-high 23 points and added 10 rebounds for the double-double, leading the Badgers back to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row with a 79-72 win over North Carolina.

The junior forward did most of his damage in the first half while his teammates were having trouble scoring. Despite the fact the offense was running through Dekker, the Tar Heels were unable to stop him, even when everyone on North Carolina tried to pitch in:

Dekker saved his best moment for the end of the half, using quick-thinking to rebound his own tip attempt and just beat the buzzer to cut the North Carolina lead to two at the break. 

Dekker finished the half with 15 of Wisconsin's 31 points, and his performance allowed the rest of the Badgers to find their offensive footing in the second half and escape with the victory. With the win coming against UNC head coach Roy Williams in the Sweet Sixteen, the performance also put Dekker in some elite company.