A good sign of a talented basketball team is its ability to rebound from losses, making sure to put together as few losing streaks as possible. An even better sign of a talented basketball team is when they are able to avooid a single losing streak over the course of an entire season. After their 64-56 victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes (7-7 Big Ten, 18-10 overall) in Columbus, Ohio, the No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers upped their record to 7-0 in games following a loss.
The Badgers, now 9-5 in Big Ten play and 18-7 overall , rebounded extraordinarily after a 77-64 loss at Michigan State Thursday night. Sophomore forward Alando Tucker scored 19 points, including 14 in the first half with senior forward Mike Wilkinson on the bench due to foul trouble. Wilkinson scored eight of the Badgers' first 10 points before he was sent to the sideline, and finished the game with 14 points.
The win proved to be crucial, helping Wisconsin to keep pace with the streaking Indiana Hoosiers, who defeated the Spartans at home earlier Sunday in overtime. The Badgers are now tied with Indiana for third place in the Big Ten.
Up 10 points early in the game, the Badgers began to falter with their senior front-court leader on the bench. The Buckeyes began to control the game, led by junior forward/center Terence Dials' 16 first-half points, and tied the game at 19. Then Tucker took over, stretching the lead back to ten, 37-27, by the halftime break.
Three-point shooting proved to be key in the game for Wisconsin, as they shot 53 percent from behind the arc, with the Buckeyes shooting a measly 23 percent. Senior guard Clayton Hanson hit a 3-pointer less than five minutes into the second half by-his third of the night-that pushed the Badger lead to 15.
The Buckeyes were able to battle back. After two Dials free throws, the Buckeyes cut the Badger lead to nine, 48-39. But senior guard Sharif Chambliss' jumper and Wilkinson's 3-pointer sealed the deal for Wisconsin, establishing a 14-point lead.
Head coach Bo Ryan's defensive-minded Badgers clamped down on Dials and the rest of the Ohio State offense in the second half, limiting the junior to four points and not allowing him a field-goal attempt over the final 18-and-a-half minutes of the game. Dials shot 80 percent overall and was the only Buckeye in double figures with 20, while his teammates combined for a paltry 30 percent from the field.
At halftime of the game, the Buckeyes paid tribute to NBA Hall of Famer John Havlicek, a key contributor to Ohio State's 1960 NCAA Championship, by retiring the former guard's No. 5 jersey.
Up next for the Badgers is a battle against the Indiana Hoosiers for the number three seed in the Big Ten tournament at the Kohl Center on Tuesday night. The Hoosiers-winners of three straight-had lost four in a row early in the season but have since built their record to 14-11. The Hooisers however, are only 2-8 on the road. Coming into the Kohl Center will most definitely pose a challenge for them, as the Badgers have only lost two games in the last two years on their home floor.
