With 8:23 remaining in the first half, Sunday's game between Ohio State and Wisconsin was knotted at 15 points apiece.
By the time halftime rolled around, the Buckeyes were facing an 18-point deficit from which they couldn't recover. The Badgers held a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half and proceeded to beat Ohio State, 70-57, at the Kohl Center in Madison.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 20 | 37 | 57 |
| WISCONSIN | 38 | 32 | 70 |
The Buckeyes, who have now lost twice to Wisconsin this season, failed in their attempt to get back to .500 in the Big Ten and extend their winning streak to four games. With the loss, their record fell to 15-8 overall and 5-7 in the conference.
Seemingly everything changed when Kaleb Wesson picked up his second foul of the game with 7:47 remaining in the first half. At the time, the game was tied at 15.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | WISCONSIN |
|---|---|---|
| 57 | POINTS | 70 |
| 18-49 (36.7%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 24-58 (41.4%) |
| 6-19 (31.6%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 12-32 (37.5%) |
| 15-16 (60.0%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 10-12 (83.3%) |
| 14 | TURNOVERS | 9 |
| 32 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 31 |
| 10 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 12 |
| 22 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 19 |
| 16 | BENCH POINTS | 30 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 5 |
| 5 | STEALS | 7 |
| 7 | ASSISTS | 17 |
By the time Chris Holtmann subbed him back into the game with just over a minute left until halftime, the Badgers were leading, 33-20. During the nearly seven-minute stretch without Wesson in the game, Ohio State went cold – only making two shots from the field – and Wisconsin scored 21 points. The Badgers entered the break with what proved to be an insurmountable 38-20 edge.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a quick seven-point run in the first three minutes of the second half, chopping Wisconsin's lead to 11 points. But the deficit never shrunk any further, and Ohio State fell behind by 20 points on a jumper from Brevin Pritzl with 11:21 remaining.
Aided by Pritzl going 5-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc, Wisconsin hit 37.5 percent of its 32 3-point attempts. Ohio State entered Sunday ranked last in the Big Ten in opponent 3-point field-goal percentage, and that'll likely remain the case.
Pritzl, who made 7-of-13 shots, led the Badgers with 19 points, one shy of his career high. Aleem Ford added 10 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. The Badgers totalled 17 assists.
Ohio State managed to shoot just 36.7 percent from the floor and made 6-of-19 3-point attempts. Andre Wesson led the team with 11 points. CJ Walker and Luther Muhammad both had nine points.
Next up: Ohio State returns to the Schottenstein Center to face Rutgers on Wednesday. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be shown on Big Ten Network.
Other Notes
- Chris Holtmann stuck with the same starting five he has used recently: CJ Walker, Luther Muhammad, Andre Wesson, Kyle Young, Kaleb Wesson.
- Former Ohio State big man Micah Potter made his first career star as a Badger. He had nine points and five rebounds.
- This marked the first of three games in a six-day period. Ohio State faces Rutgers on Wednesday and Purdue on Saturday.
- The Buckeyes are now 1-1 when facing Wisconsin on the road in the Holtmann era. They topped the Badgers, 83-58, on Dec. 2, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin.
