It was a night of inversions: an undefeated team falling, a 10-point lead immediately erased by a 12-point run, fans of a perennial college basketball powerhouse storming the court. Indiana, an opponent that Wisconsin hadn’t lost to since sophomore forward Sam Dekker’s middle school years, finally turned the tide.
The soon-to-not-be No. 3-ranked Badgers (3-1 Big Ten, 16-1 overall) fell for the first time this season in front of a raucous crowd at Indiana’s Assembly Hall.
The game started with neither team capable of missing, combining for 11-of-12 from the field in the first five minutes. From there, the Badgers slowly took control until Indiana responded with attack after attack to the basket.
Indiana sophomore guard Yogi Ferrell and senior forward Will Sheehey drove with abandon, taking advantage of an off night for the normally unforgiving Wisconsin defense. This aggressive strategy, combined with cold shooting from the Badgers, pulled the Hoosiers within one to end the first half.
At the start of the second half, it was all junior guard Traevon Jackson, who accounted for all of the Badgers’ points in a half-opening 9-4 run. The lead continued to expand until a 3-pointer from Dekker put the Badgers up 52-42 with 13:30 remaining.
Indiana head coach and noted rival Tom Crean seemed distraught, with ESPN’s cameras catching him screaming in frustration at the scorer’s table. He eventually benched Ferrell and star freshman forward Noah Vonleh.
After that, however, things fell apart for the Badgers.
Five different Hoosiers scored during a 12-0 run, giving Indiana a lead it would barely relinquish. Vonleh returned from the bench to tie the game, then give his team its first lead since early in the first half. The Badgers attained their final lead from a Jackson 3-pointer, which was immediately erased by a 3 of Indiana’s own from Sheehey.
From there, it was one step forward and two steps back for Wisconsin. The abuse from up close continued and the Hoosiers finished with a staggering 52 points in the paint. Ryan’s teams’ usually relentless defense gave up what seemed to be a record amount of easy lay-ups, leading the Badgers to a three-point deficit with 19 seconds left in the game. A couple of contested and missed 3-point attempts later, the buzzer rang and Wisconsin’s undefeated record was no more.
On the stat sheet, Ferrell led the Hoosiers with 25 points, four assists and no turnovers. As a team, Indiana outrebounded Wisconsin 33-28, and combined for more assists and fewer turnovers.
Jackson led the Badgers with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, pacing a group of starters that all scored in double digits. However, with only six points coming from the bench (all by freshman forward Nigel Hayes), it wasn’t quite enough.
The Badgers’ free-throw shooting was particularly problematic, with only one point scored from the charity stripe after four attempts. Twenty-five percent is an obvious downgrade from the team’s season percentage of 73.1 percent.
Ball movement was also a problem, as the usually crisp Badger passing game wilted, leading to several turnovers and blown plays.
This win over Wisconsin is Indiana’s first since 2007, and Crean’s first since his days at Marquette. The ensuing court storm from Hoosier fans was the program’s first since a program-reviving buzzer beater over No. 1 and eventual national champion Kentucky in December 2011.
Wisconsin will continue its quest for the program’s first Big Ten regular-season title since 2008 with a home game against Michigan Saturday.
Only three unbeaten teams remain in college basketball: the Arizona Wildcats, Syracuse Orange and the Wichita State Shockers. As another team falls, the targets on those teams’ backs will only continue to grow.
