Of the 17,230 fans in attendance Saturday, many rushed onto the Kohl Center court after the Wisconsin men’s basketball team upset previously undefeated Ohio State 71-67. Forward Jon Leuer and point guard Jordan Taylor celebrated as well, riding on the shoulders of their peers.
Wisconsin men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan relished in the hard-fought victory at his weekly press conference Monday, knowing a rather unorthodox coaching decision may have tipped the scales in favor of his Badgers.
After defeating Iowa 62-59 in overtime Wednesday, Wisconsin could finally turn its full attention to the top-ranked team in the nation. The Buckeyes entered Saturday having won each of their 24 games this season, but the Badgers were sporting an undefeated record at home. Something had to give, and after 20 minutes of play, the Buckeyes led by only two points.
Ohio State came out of halftime roaring, with national player of the year candidate Jared Sullinger and senior forward William Buford shouldering the load. Sullinger was scoring at will underneath the basket, and Buford scored eight consecutive Buckeye points in a two-minute span. With 13 minutes remaining in the game, the Buckeyes were up 15 and had all the momentum.
“They felt comfortable,” Ryan said. “If they could have stayed in that comfort zone just a little while longer, then that would have been really tough.”
That’s when the head coach decided to do something a little different than normal.
“I simply tried not to get in the way,” Ryan said.
He let his players, namely Taylor, take over the game, and that’s exactly what they did. Taylor keyed a 15-0 run by scoring eight in a row, and he finished with a game-high 27 points.
Ryan attributes the clutch performance by his 6-foot-1 point guard to the experience he had gained from his first two years with the Badgers.
“There are certain things you can’t teach somebody,” he said. “Jordan has a better feel than most about making sure he gets a good shot. I think last year it really helped him when he wasn’t the primary guy taking care of the ball.”
Freshman guard Josh Gasser finished the stretch with a big three-pointer to tie the game with under 10 minutes left. Throughout the run, the fiery Badgers’ head coach took a step back and let his players run the show.
“I saw shots going down, guys playing,” Ryan said. “The crowd gave us that energy defensively.”
With seven minutes remaining, Badgers’ sophomore forward Mike Bruesewitz hit a three to tie the game at 55, and the Badgers never trailed again. Though two Sullinger free throws cut the Badgers’ lead to two with a minute left, Bruesewitz nailed another shot from behind the arc, effectively securing the victory for the Badgers.
Just as they did four months earlier at Camp Randall for the Badgers’ victory over the top-ranked Buckeyes’ football team, the student section spilled onto the court in celebration.
Ryan described the scene and added that UW has the best student body in the world. The Wisconsin students’ avid support of their team is a source of pride for the university, but it also provides a true home court advantage, he said.
The Badgers are now 14-0 at home this season, and Ryan improved his personal Kohl Center record to 150-11.
Looking ahead, the Badgers will travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to play the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers and their standout forward, JaJuan Johnson. With a win, the Badgers would gain sole possession of second place in the Big Ten, along with the national attention that comes with beating a highly ranked opponent on its home court.