STAT PACK: No.13 Wisconsin Knocks Off No.16 Ohio State, 78-68

MADISON, Wis. – With the University of Wisconsin at full strength in 2021-22, the Badgers have been nearly unbeaten. The only instance of defeat for the young squad was a humbling December afternoon in Columbus at the hands of Ohio State.

A little more than a month later, Wisconsin delivered some sweet payback.

Even with All-American candidate Johnny Davis not near his best, No.13 Wisconsin put three players in double figures and locked things up defensively for a 78-68 victory over No.16 Ohio State Thursday.

Getting 25 points from senior Brad Davison and 20 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high six assists from junior Tyler Wahl, the Badgers (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten) pushed their winning streak to six games.

The Buckeyes (10-4, 4-2) haven’t swept a season series with the Badgers since 2000.

We take a closer look at the game in the BadgerBlitz Stat Pack.

- Wisconsin had a pair of 20-point scorers for the first time in Big Ten play, production that picked up sophomore Johnny Davis. Leading UW with 22.3 points per game, Davis finished with 14 points and nine rebounds but went 4-for-18 from the floor and had four turnovers.

- Sophomore Steven Crowl finished with nine points and seven rebounds. After being outrebounded, 49-28, in the first meeting, UW finished in a 33-33 tie with a 14-13 edge in second-chance points.

- Other UW scorers include Chris Vogt (4), Lorne Bowman (3), and Jahcobi Neath (3). Wisconsin shot 46.6 percent from the floor and tied its season-high with 10 3-pointers on 23 attempts.

- The Buckeyes got 18 points from E.J. Liddell, 14 coming in the second half before he fouled out with 3:18 remaining. The Buckeyes shot 50 percent from the field with 46 points in the paint but went 3-for-19 from 3-point range.

- Giving up 14 fast-break points in the first meeting, the Badgers did not give up any in the rematch.

- UW went 14-for-20 from the foul line, a stark improvement from the 5-for-9 showing in Columbus.

- UW players admitted in the lead up to the game that the Badgers didn’t match the energy Ohio State had at the start of the first meeting between the schools. That wasn’t the case in the rematch. Although turnovers on consecutive possessions stalled some momentum, the Badgers started 4-for-6 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range, to lead 10-5 at the first media timeout.

- After scoring a career-high 21 points at Maryland Sunday, Wahl kept the momentum with a 3-for-3 start and seven points to build an 18-7 lead. Three of his points were beyond the perimeter, where Wisconsin started 4-for-5.

- The Badgers built their lead to 13 when Davis hit two free throws at 7:15. UW was 52.6 percent from the floor, but the defense had held Ohio State to just 38.9 percent. That number included 0-for-6 from 3-point range, zero transition points, and 1-for-2 on free throws. UW also had a 7-0 edge in points off turnovers.

- Lorne Bowman connected from the corner on a 3-pointer with 4:46 remaining in the first half, giving the Badgers their sixth 3-pointer and a 35-21 lead. It also marked the fifth assist for Wahl, setting a new career-high, and the seventh assist on 12 made field goals. UW hit 3-pointers on all of those assists.

- Wisconsin delivered a near-perfect first half, resulting in a 40-27 lead. Wahl had 12 points as UW shot 42.9 percent from the floor. Ohio State’s Liddell only had four points on 1-for-5 shooting, as the Buckeyes missed all eight of their 3-pointers and shot 42.9 percent.

- Wahl opened the second half with a 3-pointer but Ohio State tapped into one of its strengths by attacking the low block. After scoring 18 points inside in the first half, the Buckeyes scored baskets in the lane four times in five possessions span to cut the deficit to 43-35.

- A home crowd did not agree with Vogt being tagged with two low-post fouls in nine seconds, especially when the plays were replayed on the Jumbotron. The crowd got riled up when forward Zed Key missed both free throws and exploded when Wahl fed Crowl for a two-handed slam on the other end.

- Liddell – limited to four points in the first half – helped cash in two UW mistakes with five points on a 7-0 run that cut the lead in half. First hitting a 3-pointer off a second-chance opportunity, Liddell hit a jumper after Davis was whistled for an offensive foul.

- Ohio State’s 20th point in the paint in the second half cut the lead to six, the smallest since the 14:56 mark of the first half, but Crowl fought through contact to finish with his left hand and draw a foul. He missed the free throw, but the Badgers kept attacking. On the next possession, Davison went hard to the rim, drew the fourth foul on Liddell, and made a 3-point play to put UW up 66-55 with 5:01 left.

- Pushing the ball after a miss, Ohio State’s Justin Ahrens didn’t see Wahl behind him and got his pocket picked. Wahl headed uncontested for a dunk but got a bonus free throw when Jamari Wheeler inexplicitly fouled him from behind. The 3-point play put UW up, 69-55, with 4:15 remaining.

- Davison delivered the dagger for UW when he nailed a 3-pointer following Ohio State’s 30-second timeout and drew the fifth foul on Liddell on a defensive rebound. After hitting both free throws, UW had its largest lead (17 points) with 3:18 to go.

- Even without Liddell, Ohio State made things interesting with an 11-0 run over the next 2:14 but couldn’t score on either of their final two possessions.

- Wisconsin hits the road Tuesday for the only regular-season meeting against Northwestern. Tipoff from Welsh-Ryan Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

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