INDIANAPOLIS'It all came down to a few shots.
Wisconsin's hopes for a Big Ten title were lost within a matter of seconds, as the ninth-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes (19-15 overall) pulled off a narrow 58-56 victory over the No. 1 Badgers (18-12) Friday at the Big Ten Tournament.
Although Wisconsin defeated the Hawkeyes 64-56 the last time they met at the Kohl Center Feb. 19, the Hawkeyes presented a stronger, more explosive team that the Badgers just couldn't stop as the game wore down to the final seconds.
Wisconsin had an especially difficult time stopping senior guard Luke Recker. He put nearly half of Iowa's points on the board, collecting the game-high 28 points, which included the game-winning jumper with less than two seconds left. Recker later performed the same buzzer-beating shot against Indiana, when the Hawkeyes defeated the Hoosiers 62-60.
\Hats off to Recker,"" Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan said. ""He made the plays that we could not stop.""
However, Recker attributed his success on the court, much of which came in the final 10 minutes, to the efforts of his team as well as his shooting skills.
""My teammates did an excellent job of screening for me and they looked for me,"" Recker said. ""It was a team effort ... and we were able to pull this off.""
Recker was not the only Hawkeye to turn the game around. Senior forward Duez Henderson tipped the ball in with 41 seconds left and then shot a free throw after senior forward Charlie Wills fouled him to tie the game at 56.
""I just happened to be in the right position and I went up and was able to put it in and Wills went over my back and that was it,"" Henderson said.
And that was it. With the last shots by Henderson and Recker, the Badgers' hopes of facing Indiana, who defeated Michigan State 67-52 earlier in the day, leaving only a memory of the game that came so close and the desire to avenge their performance.
""We can't forget it though, we've got to learn from it,"" freshman guard Devin Harris said. ""Hopefully we'll be able to carry on our season.""
Although the Badgers suffered a defeat they won't likely overlook, the loss has given the players the desire to continue.
""When you're playing a game and it's coming down to the wire and you can't quite get it, it's hard,"" junior guard Kirk Penney said. ""It brings a new hunger, and you live and hunger for the games you have left.""
The Badgers acknowledged the mistakes they made during the game and will hope to correct them in the NCAA Tournament against St. John's. Wisconsin had 22 turnovers against the Hawkeyes, a stat both Ryan and the players said will require work.
""As a team, we've got to get better and take better care of the basketball,"" Ryan said.
Wills agreed. ""I think they were sloppy turnovers on our part,"" he said. ""I don't think it was due to so much their pressure but it was just us being sloppy with the ball.""
Above all, the Badgers agree that Friday's loss was not due to Recker's performance or the beat-the-buzzer pressure but to their own faults.
""There's no excuse,"" Penney said. ""We had a great week of practice, and [the coaches] prepared us well. We just didn't perform and do the things Coach asked us to do.""
