Badgers snap Indiana’s 18-game home win streak
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Two first-half airballs – including one on a wide-open 3 – had the fans on Mike Bruesewitz’s case for the remainder of the evening. Wisconsin’s long-haired power forward heard vociferous jeers each time he touched it or – even better – dared to venture near Indiana’s student section during a stoppage.
Those red-clad students, back from Christmas break, were showing all at once how they could make Assembly Hall even more loud and chaotic and how strongly they felt their second-ranked Hoosiers were about to finally thwart a longtime tormentor.
Instead, Bruesewitz struck back, and the Badgers bit Indiana for an 11th consecutive time. Bo Ryan tied the legendary coach John Wooden, from nearby Martinsville, Ind., for 38th place on the all-time wins list as Wisconsin grinded out a rare victory by an opponent in this building. The Badgers won 64-59 Tuesday night, handing Indiana just its second loss.
Bruesewitz hadn’t scored or really tried to since his second whiff. But with a little over 12 minutes remaining, the senior sank a 3 to put Wisconsin ahead 47-39. As he assumed defensive position on the other end, Bruesewitz touched both fists to his head before extending his arms. Bruesewitz later made three free throws in the final two minutes as the Badgers finished off the upset.
As Bruesewitz stood courtside for a postgame interview, he looked toward the stands and cupped a hand to his ear.
Some teams and players – most famously Kentucky and Terrence Jones a season ago – become noticeably rattled by the noise, spirit and atmosphere of Assembly Hall. Bruesewitz and Ryan’s Badgers are not among them.
Here’s how it went down inside a sold-out, bummed-out Assembly Hall:
IN A NUTSHELL: Indiana (15-2) shot a season-low 37 percent from the field for the game and suffered through its lowest-scoring half of the season (27 points) after leading 32-31 at intermission. Neither team led by more than five in a first half with five ties and six lead changes. Perhaps a bad omen for the Hoosiers was that Cody Zeller was the only option working offensively, and when he produced just five points in the final 20 minutes, after scoring 18 in the first 20, Indiana was left high and dry. Yogi Ferrell made a pair of free throws with 14:52 remaining. On the next possession, Wisconsin guard Traevon Jackson got to the basket for a 40-39 edge, and from there the Badgers never relinquished the lead. Indiana fell behind by 10 at the midway point of the second half. Immediately, Christian Watford and Ferrell fueled a 12-3 run to pull within 54-53 with 3:40 remaining. The air escaped quickly. A 7-1 Wisconsin run over the next three minutes sealed the deal.
STAR OF THE GAME: Wisconsin (13-4) won on the strength of its team defense. Small forward Ryan Evans (13 points, eight rebounds) was the only one of the group to shine individually. But shine he did. When his coach asked him to go against Victor Oladipo, a nightmare on both ends, Evans was up to the challenge. In fact, Evans held Oladipo to 10 points and five rebounds, each beneath his season average. Meanwhile, Evans scored in double figures for the 16th consecutive time in Big Ten play, the longest active streak in the conference. To understand what respect Indiana coach Tom Crean has for Evans, know that when Evans got the ball in the post against Oladipo – an all-world defender – the Hoosiers immediately sent a double team to force Evans to throw it out. Evans made the biggest shot of the night – and oh, was it a crazy tough one. Stationed close to the free throw line, shaded a little to the left, Evans held the ball with Oladipo right in his chest. Using his left foot as the pivot, Evans swung left, turned back right and attempted a challenged fallaway with 3 seconds on the shot clock. Good. A roaring crowd groaned. The Hoosier momentum was killed. And Wisconsin had breathing room at 56-53 with 3:05 left. All thanks to a 6-foot-6 senior from Phoenix.
BEHIND THE SCENES: Indiana made a season-low three 3-pointers and tied a season-low by attempting just 12. Jordan Hulls, a 45 percent career shooter, was 0-of-1 from behind the arc. Hulls only had four points. In the Hoosiers’ only other defeat this season, Hulls was 0-for-2 from 3. The team went 5-for-12 in that overtime loss to Butler. Asked whether Wisconsin did anything special to disrupt Indiana’s normally deadly outside shooting, Oladipo said, “I’m not really sure. We’ve got to get that corrected if we want to be successful in this league.” Part of the problem was the slower pace. Wisconsin often held the ball and waited until much of the shot clock had expired until trying a field goal. This significantly depressed the number of possessions available. But most of the struggle to find the long ball owed to Wisconsin’s physical perimeter defense. None of the three makes came against a true halfcourt set. Oladipo made one on a broken play after Indiana came up with a loose ball. Watford hit his triple off a rare opportunity in transition. And Ferrell stepped into one seconds after dribbling across midcourt. Otherwise, the Hoosiers couldn’t find looks. Crean said the lack of 3s was probably a byproduct of insufficient passing. “We weren’t moving the ball like we do,” Crean said. “We didn’t keep reversing it. We started standing.”
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: With sixth man extraordinaire Will Sheehey and a litany of other talented options, the Hoosiers’ bench shaped up as a major strength for this season. Tuesday, it was a source of weakness. Wisconsin reserves outscored Indiana’s 16-2. Worse, the cream-and-crimson backups couldn’t avoid fouling. The group had six personals in its 42-minute stint (the starters had 10 in 158). Indiana’s bench is 1-for-16 from the field in the past two games. Sheehey didn’t score in either of them. Yet Crean cared more about his perception that Sheehey and company are out of concert with the game plan and strategic adjustments. “I’m not as concerned about the lack of offense from the bench,” Crean said. “I’m concerned about the lack of pace. We’ve got to talk. We had guys that didn’t cut and read situations. We over-helped on defense, which you don’t need to do against Wisconsin. We’ve got to have more energy from (second unit point guard) Remy (Abell).”
YOGI-ISMS: After a 13-point, eight-assist beauty in Saturday’s huge win over Minnesota, Ferrell had no highlight-film bounce passes, no crowd-pleasing layups and none of the drive-draw-and-kick game he can play so well. For the freshman point guard, this game was all about his inability to lift up a weary and stagnant Hoosiers offense on a night they desperately needed it. Once Ferrell got here, taking over as the chief pick-and-pop ballhandler, Indiana’s attack went to another level, with other pieces welded together more seamlessly. But in this loss, Ferrell lacked burst and played passively. He didn’t find the open teammate. And he missed 6 of 8 shots.
NEXT: Indiana chases an important bounce-back win Sunday at Northwestern at 1 p.m. The Wildcats are 10-7 overall but just 1-3 in Big Ten play. Northwestern senior forward Drew Crawford, arguably its best player, is out for the season due to a torn labrum.
Also: Cliff Brunt’s Sports XChange/Reuters story about the Indiana-Wisconsin game: Wisconsin 64, Indiana 59.
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