Michigan never had a chance of coming back.
With seven minutes left in the first half of UW's game against the Wolverines Wednesday, Michigan's leading scorer, junior forward LaVell Blanchard, took the bench with his third foul and Wisconsin gained the momentum to pull off a 74-54 victory over Michigan. The victory handed Wisconsin at least a share of the Big Ten conference title, a feat unmatched by the men's basketball team in 55 years.
In the first 13 minutes of the game, UW dueled with the Wolverines, gradually gaining a 33-21 edge. Wisconsin went on a 14-point scoring drive, shutting out UM for the rest of the half.
The first 20 minutes revolved around junior guard Kirk Penney and freshman guard Devin Harris, who combined for 35 of the team's 48 first-half points and outscored the entire Michigan squad, which only had 23 points at the half.
\The players know the score at halftime: It's 0-0,"" Head Coach Bo Ryan said.
And though Michigan outscored Wisconsin in the second half, Michigan never came within 15 points of the Badgers. Neither Penney nor Harris matched their respective 18- and 17-point first-half performances, but each capped the second half with dramatic scores in the last minute of the game.
Wisconsin kept the Wolverines from capitalizing on their errors and held Michigan to seven points off UW's six turnovers.
Senior guard Travon Davis, who finished with 10 rebounds, seven assists and five points, credited his teammates and his coach's dedication for UW's first conference championship since 1947.
""You're only as good as the head on your monster,"" Davis said. ""[But] we've got a lot more games to play,"" he added, referring to the Big Ten Tournament, which begins Thursday in Indianapolis. The Badgers will play against the conference's eighth or ninth seed, which will be Michigan, Purdue or Iowa.
Ryan dedicated his season to the players and coaches since the 1947 season and said the players will try to focus one game at a time going into the tournament.
""We're just going to play who we match up against,"" Ryan said shortly after the team was awarded the Big Ten Championship trophy.
Penney added that while he did not expect the championship victory, the team went into each game with strong aspirations and was pleased with its work.
""It's a pretty sweet feeling,"" Penney said. ""We're just going to relish it.\
