The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten) upset No. 5 Ohio State University Buckeyes (11-3, 1-2) Friday night in the team’s first signature win of the season.
Coming off of an impressive road performance against Tennessee last weekend that resulted in a 20-point victory, the Badgers came out cold against the Buckeyes, trailing 7–0 after six minutes.
Following a layup by former Buckeye Micah Potter, the Badgers found a bit of rhythm and tied the game 9–9. Wisconsin continued to shoot well through the remainder of the first half, heading into the break with a 29–25 lead.
Coming out of halftime, the Badgers performed similarly to how they did at the beginning of the game, with OSU going on a 13–2 run in the first five minutes. Wisconsin turned it around quickly, crawling back to tie the game up at 47–47 with just under seven minutes remaining.
The Badgers closed the game on a 14–10 run, winning 61–57 in a marquee conference road win. The win also represents the first Badger road win over a top-5 opponent since 2016.
With the victory, the Badgers created a blueprint for how to be successful as they get deeper into their conference schedule.
Junior forward Nate Reuvers had another great performance, finishing with 17 points — including 10-for-12 shooting from the free-throw line — and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Kobe King also added 13 points.
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While Reuvers and King have been leaders of the team all season, some under-the-radar players also emerged in the victory.
Redshirt senior Brevin Pritzl knocked down a three-pointer with just over a minute remaining to extend the Badger lead to 55–51. Pritzl finished with nine points and three rebounds.
Freshman Tyler Wahl scored just four points, but also added seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end.
Wahl’s biggest moment came with under 30 seconds remaining and the Badgers leading 55–54. Following a missed floater by D’Mitrik Trice, Wahl got into the paint, grabbed the rebound and passed it back to Trice who then drew a foul — draining both of the ensuing free throws and icing the game.
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The Badgers were clutch down the stretch, drilling all six free-throw attempts in the final minute and playing lockdown defense to prevent the Buckeyes from getting back into the game.
Following a disappointing start to the season that included losses to multiple unranked opponents, the Badgers have now upset Tennessee and OSU on the road to move to 9-5 on the season.
Wisconsin will face Illinois (9-5, 1-2) Wednesday night at the Kohl Center in another conference matchup. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
