Quick thoughts about a double 80-73 defeat in overtime in Wisconsin:
How did this happen: It looked, for an eight-minute stretch, that Indiana could be kicked out of the Kohl Center in the first half of Thursday night. After the Hoosiers took an 11-9 lead over a Jerome Hunter 3-pointer with 11:23 to play in the middle, the Badgers took off 20-7 run to grab a 29-18 lead with 3:04 to play. Indiana, desperate for an offensive, received an unexpected impulse to close the midfield tightly. Freshman Anthony Leal opened a pair of 3 points to tie the Hoosiers to five at 29-24 in the interval. Despite scoring just 0.78 points for possession and having a turnover of 23 points, Indiana resisted because they defended Wisconsin well. The Badgers hit just 12 of 27 before the break and scored just 0.94 points for possession.
This final streak in the first half led to a strong offensive performance in the second half. The Hoosiers met Trayce Jackson-Davis early and often, and the second-year big guy went to work. Wisconsin seemed visibly frustrated at times trying to defend him and by the 5:55 mark, Indiana led 56-50. The Hoosiers encountered little resistance on either tour or reaching the rim, which led to 44 points in the painting at night. After a 7-0 run in Wisconsin gave the Badgers the lead in 57-56, Rob Phinisee responded with a 3-point left winger to give IU a 59-57 lead with 1:27 to play. Wisconsin responded with a couple of free throws from D’Mitrik Trice to equalize at 59 before Jerome Hunter responded with a dunk to put IU back in 61-59 with 37.8 seconds to play. Trice responded with a difficult kick on the track, creating a chance for IU to gain final possession. Jackson-Davis took a good look at the rim and was unable to finish, sending the game into overtime.
Overtime started with a 3-point Leal basket, which Wisconsin responded with a 3-point Brad Davison. No team would score again until Hunter dunk 1:50 to play. Wisconsin handed in the next possession, but Hunter took a questionable 3 points out of a timeout. Trice responded with a 3-point basket with just 1:02 to play to give Wisconsin a 67-66 cushion. Durham missed a jump with the kick clock decreasing in the next possession, but Indiana forced a tie and Durham then hit a tray and tied a foul for a 3-point play with 26.4 seconds to play to a 69-67 lead. Trice responded with an 11.1 second shot to play. Indiana called a couple of timeouts, but did not fire when Davison drew Durham. Davison then lost a runner at the doorbell to score a second overtime.
Indiana’s inability to finish the game in regulation and overtime proved expensive. Tyler Wahl hit a pair of 3 points to give Wisconsin a 77-70 lead, which put the game out of reach.
Featured Performer: Jackson-Davis was fantastic in 49 minutes, ending with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Leal also had a breakout with nine points in 35 minutes.
Stands that stand out: Indiana was surpassed by 10 points on the free-throw line and by a 13-7 margin on turning points.
Final individual UI statistics:
Final statistics without pace:
Filed for: Wisconsin Badgers