Saturday losses by Penn State and Minnesota put the Badgers in control of their own destiny for seeding in next week's Big Ten Tournament. On Sunday night, Wisconsin took advantage of this opportunity with an 85-61 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers.
With the win, the Badgers (10-8 Big Ten, 19-11 overall) clinched a No. 4 seed and first-round bye for the Big Ten Tournament. The win was particularly bittersweet for seniors Morris Cain, Kevin Gullikson, Joe Krabbenhoft and Marcus Landry, who played their final games on the Kohl Center floor.
Both teams shot the ball well early on, led by two 3-pointers apiece from Wisconsin junior guard Jason Bohannon and Indiana freshman guard Verdell Jones III. Five minutes into the contest, the teams were knotted up at 10.
The Badgers took a 26-16 lead with under seven minutes remaining in the half, and the Hoosiers answered with four points to cut the deficit to six. Then, Wisconsin finished off the half on a high note, using a 14-3 run to take a 40-23 lead into the break.
After the game, Krabbenhoft praised the play of fellow senior forward Kevin Gullikson during Wisconsin's first-half run.
""I thought Kevin came in and did a really good job there in the last few minutes of the first half,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""That baseline jumper with a couple of seconds to go was huge; a big momentum swing. He was a real big lift off the bench today. He came in there and did what he's been doing here for four years, just came in and brought a lot of energy.""
In the second half, the Hoosiers were able to cut the deficit back to 12 twice within the first five minutes of the period. But the Badgers never let the Hoosiers gain control, holding Indiana without a field goal in the final four minutes to solidify the win.
Wisconsin's defense was key to the team's victory. The Badgers forced 16 Hoosier turnovers, resulting in 20 points. Junior guard Trévon Hughes had a season-high five steals, including four in the first half.
The Badgers were also efficient on the offensive end, dishing out 19 assists while committing just six turnovers. Wisconsin took advantage of Indiana's 25 team fouls, shooting 26-for-32 from the free throw line.
Krabbenhoft led the Badgers with a career-high 19 points to go along with nine rebounds. Indiana coach Tom Crean had a lot of praise for Krabbenhoft in his final home game for the Badgers.
""From the day he got here, he's made Bo [Ryan]'s team better,"" Crean said. ""With his defense, with his offense, moving the basketball. You just win with guys like that.""
The Hoosiers were without their leading scorer, junior guard Devan Dumes, who re-aggravated a knee injury in the team's previous game against Michigan State. Jones filled in with a career-high 23 points to lead the Hoosiers.
Following the contest, Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan discussed his team's turnaround. The Badgers responded to their six-game losing streak in January to win seven of their last nine games.
""I thought our guys stepped up pretty big in a lot of games after the first half of the Big Ten,"" Ryan said. ""How many teams absorb six in a row and then still come back to make a statement like our guys did? I think these guys have accomplished a heck of a lot so far and I certainly hope they want to play a lot more.""
The Badgers will now set their sights on competing for a Big Ten Tournament Championship. That challenge begins Friday when No. 4 Wisconsin takes on No. 5 Ohio State at 1:30 p.m. Central Time.
