The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team is now tied for first place in the Big Ten standings after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes 69-57 in Columbus, Ohio. Midseason Wooden Award List honoree Devin Harris led the Badgers with 29 points on nine of 12 shooting and added four assists to go along with five steals. Wisconsin improved to 14-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play. The Badgers are tied with Indiana for first place in the Big Ten. UW has won three-straight conference games.
The Buckeyes started the game with a 4-0 lead and eventually jumped out to a 12-6 advantage in the opening five minutes.
However, the Badgers went on an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 16-15, with 10:42 remaining. In the final minutes of the first half, Wisconsin out-scored Ohio State 16-7 to head into the locker room with a 10-point advantage. Boo Wade tipped in an errant shot as time expired in the first half to make the score 37-27 in favor of Wisconsin. Wade finished with six points on the night. Junior Clayton Hanson added six points off the bench in the opening half to spark the Badgers. Hanson made two of the Badgers’ seven 3-pointers in the opening half.
Wisconsin started the second half on a 12-2 run and limited Ohio State to only three field goals in the first 10 minutes of the second frame. Wisconsin out-scored the Buckeyes 21-10 during this period and eventually built a game-high 20-point lead on a Harris 3-pointer at the 13:58 mark. Ohio State mounted a rally in the closing minutes, but failed to cut the Badger lead to less than 12 points. The Buckeyes fell to 9-10 on the season and 1-5 in Big Ten action.
The Badgers held the Buckeyes to 40 percent shooting from the field and a 20 percent mark from beyond the 3-point arc. Wisconsin forced 21 Ohio State turnovers.
Zach Morley was the second-leading scorer for the Badgers, adding nine points to his team-high six rebounds. Big Ten Player of the Week Mike Wilkinson finished with eight points after picking up a pair of fouls in the first half, and senior center Dave Mader made three of four shots for seven points off the bench.
Leading the Buckeyes was guard J.J. Sullinger, who knocked down seven of 16 field-goal attempts, finishing with a team-high 14 points. Tony Stockman made his return to the lineup after being told to stay home on a recent road trip to Iowa due to a disagreement with head coach Jim O’Brien. The transfer from Clemson had minimal impact, shooting two for eight and scoring six points. Ranking third in the conference in steals entering the game, Stockman did not record any against the Badgers.
Senior center Velimir Radinovic caused early problems for Wisconsin, but finished the contest with only nine points, four rebounds and four personal fouls.
The Badgers and Buckeyes will meet later this season at the Kohl Center. Ohio State travels to Madison for the 6 p.m. (CDT) tip-off on Feb. 14. Wisconsin next plays on Feb. 4, when they host Minnesota at the Kohl Center.
-compiled from staff reports
