SPORTS
Win puts Wisconsin back atop Big Ten
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Also by Ben Voelkel:
- Hughes maturing as season progresses (February 4, 2008)
- Win puts Wisconsin back atop Big Ten (February 1, 2008)
- UW hosts IU, hopes to rebound from upset loss (January 31, 2008)
- Bo stands by play call after loss (January 29, 2008)
Related Stories:
- Defensive effort of Flowers on Gordon pivotal in victory (February 1, 2008)
- Indiana dominates Penn State (February 13, 2004)
- Hoosiers come to Madison (October 10, 2003)
- UW hosts IU, hopes to rebound from upset loss (January 31, 2008)
- Badgerball climbs up rankings (January 22, 2002)
by Ben Voelkel
Friday, February 1, 2008
Indiana wins most games in the star power category, but as
Wisconsin showed Thursday, that doesn’t necessarily translate to ownership of
the win column.
Despite potential All-Big Ten selections Eric Gordon and
D.J. White scoring a combined 38 points for Indiana, Wisconsin was able to
control the rest of the Hoosiers’ scoring options and emerge with a 62-49 win.
Similar to Saturday’s physical slugfest of a game, neither
team shot the ball particularly well from the field — the Hoosiers shot just 33
percent for the game, the Badgers, 34.5
— but when Indiana (17-3, 6-1) had some chances late in the second half
to get to within legitimate striking distance of Wisconsin (17-3, 7-1), UW always
seemed to have an answer.
“At critical situations, I thought Wisconsin was better than
us,” Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said. “When they needed a basket, they got
it.”
The Badgers opened up the second half in style, pushing
their 10-point lead to 20 with 12:53 left thanks to a 16-6 run to open the
frame.
“It’s the runs,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “You need to
have some of them because you’re building some confidence, making some things
happen on the offensive end, because sometimes it goes dry.”
Wisconsin did what it likes to do most — get easy looks from
the inside — to build the lead. Brian Butch, Marcus Landry, Michael Flowers and
Greg Stiemsma all converted baskets in the paint.
The run was highlighted by Flowers’ reverse layup off a
stunning behind-the-back feed from Trevon Hughes that brought the loudest home
crowd of the season to its feet.
What made the flashy play possible, however, was the gritty
hustle of swingman Joe Krabbenhoft, who did his best to play Superman for the
Badgers Thursday with a 12 rebound (six offensive), six point, five assist,
zero turnover performance.
“I’ve seen [Hughes] make many plays like that, so I’m just
glad I got it to the right guy,” Krabbenhoft said. “Trevon is one of our best
playmakers, and a great finish by Mike.”
Stiemsma punctuated the run with a block of hefty Hoosier
DeAndre Thomas followed on the other end by a put-back finish of a Hughes miss
to make it a 46-26 game.
The Hoosiers didn’t go down without a fight, however.
Indiana responded with a spurt of its own. Held under wraps for most of the
game, Gordon got loose enough to spearhead that run, scoring 10 consecutive
points for the Hoosiers.
All told, the Hoosiers fired off a 17-2 run and pulled to
within five on a D.J. White hook over Brian Butch with 7:24 to cap it off. That
is as close to Wisconsin as Indiana would get.
That the Badgers were able to maintain a comfortable lead
despite the surge only underscored the importance of their own run earlier in
the half.
“That was huge in the beginning of the second half, because
we were scoring on our possessions and getting some things done,” Ryan said.
“We had a cushion in there, [and] if we didn’t have that cushion, it might not
have turned out this way.”
Late in the game, Krabbenhoft was back at it again.
With his team up 10 with just more than a minute remaining
and the shot clock winding down, Jason Bohannon was forced to heave up a deep 3-pointer.
The shot missed off the back iron, arching high into the air. However, there
was Krabbenhoft trampolining to keep the ball alive and pulling down his sixth
offensive rebound. Hughes would be fouled and make two free throws to squelch
any faint hope Indiana had of a comeback.
Matched up against White for most of the game, Landry didn’t
back down from the challenge. The junior notched his first-career double-double
with 14 points and 11 rebounds and also stood his ground, taking a charge from
the Hoosier senior midway through the first half.
Anonymous (February 2, 2008 @ 10:45pm):
The Badgers played superior ball. They imposed the will of their style of play on Indiana. I'm not a Badgers fan. But kudos to Bo and the team, esp. that Joe K kid, for a masterful performance. Truly deserving of a victory and national recognition.
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