The sound in the Kohl Center went from excitement to a harmonious gasp as fast you could say Eric Gordon"" when UW senior forward Brian Butch threw up a three pointer with just over six seconds to go.
It got so silent you could almost hear the ball hit the backboard from Bloomington, Ind.
But when it bounced off the glass and into the hoop the average fan wouldn't have known that there were only 2,400-plus people in the Kohl Center - the shot might as well have fallen in front of a sold-out crowd at home.
Butch's three with five seconds left gave UW a hard fought 68-66 road win against the Hoosiers, propelling the Badgers right back into the hunt for the Big Ten title.
With the game being broadcast on the Big Ten Network, the UW Athletic Department opened the doors of the Kohl Center Wednesday night to fans that otherwise would have been left out in the cold. The result was an atmosphere that didn't rival a usual home game, but there wasn't much of a difference when Wisconsin pulled off another road stunner.
""I think it's great what they did here tonight,"" UW-Madison senior Kurt Bindrich said. ""This is much better than a packed bar. I wish more students had shown up though.""
The majority of the crowd consisted of parents and children, not students, but there were a number of them who chose the Kohl Center over the bars.
Nonetheless, the crowd was in it the entire game. The optimism grew as UW stayed in it longer and longer and as the teams traded leads seven times in the final two minutes, one could easily forget that the game was happening on a scoreboard, not on the dark empty court beneath it.
""I mean, obviously it would have been great if the game had actually happened here, but a lot of us didn't get tickets this year so it was a great opportunity to cheer in this building and hear the band,"" Bindrich said.
Not only was the band at the Kohl Center, the scoreboard was lowered to eye-level in the lower bowl and it was in full operation with live stats. The PA announcer had a familiar voice and the cheerleaders and dance team performed their usual routines. The only thing missing was a basketball, 10 players and about 15,000 more fans.
And obviously the logistics of watching the game on a scoreboard had its effects. The WIBA radio feed with Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas was broadcasted on the speakers instead of the audio from the Big Ten Network. There wasn't much of a delay, but Lepay's voice was a nano-second ahead of the video.
In a rather humorous moment, there was some confusion as Wisconsin called its final timeout with 12 seconds left. As sophomore guard Trevon Hughes dribbled up the court with Wisconsin down 66-65, the crowd in the Kohl Center was roaring with anticipation.
But then Hughes threw a 30-foot shot at the basket, missing badly and you could hear the confusion and disappointment in the crowd. But lost in the translation of a WIBA-Big Ten Network broadcast from two states away was that Bo Ryan had called timeout and Hughes' shot was just practice.
The crowd realized it and a gentle, but rattled laugher clouded the building.
The band played another song and the fans got ready for Wisconsin's third opportunity at a game-winning shot on the road this season.
Junior forward Marcus Landry took the inbounds pass with 12 seconds to go and lightly pushed it to Butch who cut along the perimeter. There were still eight seconds left though. No one thought he was going to shoot it.
But he did.
Silence blanketed the Kohl Center, followed by a surprised and relieved roar as Butch's shot banked off the glass and in.
And when JaMarcus Ellis' last second heave fell short, fans weren't sure what to do. Some reacted like it happened right in front of them. Others realized it was on a scoreboard and kept their cool. And a few students even took a stab at charging the court.
It was a unique situation, but it was also a unique sporting event: a crowd lacking a game on the court in front of them.
""I won't lie. When that shot went in, I forgot I wasn't really at the game,"" Bindrich said.
