One win down, four to go in Chicago.
Ohio State extended its Big Ten Tournament run to a second day with a 65-57 win over 12th-seeded Wisconsin in Wednesday’s first-round matchup at the United Center. The 13th-seeded Buckeyes avenged their regular-season loss to the Badgers on Feb. 2 and may have ended their opponent’s NCAA Tournament hopes in the process.
| Team | 1 | 2 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| #13 OHIO STATE | 36 | 29 | 65 |
| #12 WISCONSIN | 18 | 39 | 57 |
It was all scarlet and gray early, but the Badgers made Ohio State work for all 40 minutes in a game that went down to the wire.
The Buckeyes couldn’t miss in the first half. Ohio State shot nearly 70% in the first 20 minutes, of which it led for 17:19, and put the typically low-scoring Badgers behind by 18 to start the second half. They increased that lead to 27 before Wisconsin began chipping away at it with a late push spearheaded by veteran forward Tyler Wahl.
Momentum flipped entirely in the final few minutes, and Wisconsin made it a two-possession game behind a 3-point barrage down the stretch. With 1:09 on the clock, Ohio State clung onto just a four-point edge. But ultimately, the lead was just enough for the Buckeyes, who made enough plays to keep Wisconsin at bay as they held on to secure their first Big Ten Tournament win in two years.
First Half
Ohio State hit seven of its first 12 shots to jump out to a nine-point lead, 16-7, by the under-12-minute media timeout. By that point, three Buckeyes had already knocked down multiple shots from the floor while the Badgers collectively missed all but three of their first 10 attempts. And that trend didn’t let up for the duration of the opening half.
Sean McNeil scored seven straight points for Ohio State in under 90 seconds during one stretch before the midway mark of the period, and the Buckeyes took a double-digit lead as a result. After McNeil’s third consecutive bucket, Ohio State went up 10 with 11:08 to go. Wisconsin went nearly five full minutes of game time without hitting a field goal as part of the same stretch.
Ohio State separated itself even further with a 7-0 run in just 1:17 to extend its lead to 15 points. The Buckeyes made nine straight field goals as McNeil and Bruce Thornton both went over double figures before the seven-minute mark.
The Badgers had no answer. While Wisconsin missed seven of its last eight shots to end the half, Ohio State hit 10 of its final 12 to take an 18-point edge to halftime, 36-18. Thornton and McNeil combined to score 23 of those by themselves, and the pair only missed one shot between the two of them.
Ohio State shot a scintillating 68.2% from the floor while Wisconsin hit just 30.4% of its attempts on the other end. The Buckeyes also pulled down seven more rebounds and hit four more 3-point shots than the Badgers, who went 0-for-7 from downtown.
Second Half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | WISCONSIN |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | POINTS | 57 |
| 23-44 (52.3%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 21-61 (34.4%) |
| 6-13 (46.2%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 4-22 (18.2%) |
| 13-20 (65%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 11-18 (61.1%) |
| 16 | TURNOVERS | 10 |
| 35 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 32 |
| 7 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 15 |
| 28 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 17 |
| 18 | BENCH POINTS | 11 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 8 | STEALS | 8 |
| 8 | ASSISTS | 8 |
The Buckeyes picked up right where they left off in the first couple minutes of the final frame. Ohio State knocked down its first two shots to take a 22-point lead on the Badgers, and Wisconsin was forced to call timeout after a Brice Sensabuagh three at the 16:22 mark
Ohio State scored seven of the first nine points in the period, and the Badgers missed five of their first six attempts from the floor. Oh, and the timeout didn’t help. The Buckeyes just kept piling on, and a quick 7-0 run from Thornton and Sensabaugh put them up 27.
But Wisconsin woke up after that. The Badgers fired back with a 9-0 run from 14:17 to 11:59, a 13-3 stretch going back even further, to make it a 17-point game. Chris Holtmann was forced to call timeout as Ohio State watched Wisconsin chip into its lead.
McNeil silenced the predominantly pro-Badger crowd soon thereafter. The West Virginia crowd stopped Wisconsin's run with a corner 3-pointer followed by a transition layup that extended Ohio State’s lead back 22 points.
Right after that, though, Badger forward Tyler Wahl scored eight unanswered points as part of a 17-5 Badger run down to the 8:38 mark. Wahl took advantage of Ohio State’s lack of size inside to draw fouls and score around the rim, and suddenly the Badgers were only down 55-41.
Ohio State adjusted defensively, bringing Felix Okapra back into the game to stifle the Badger big man, and a Justice Sueing jumper at 4:25 pushed the Buckeye lead back to 16 points. But after that, Wisconsin went on another 11-0 run, hitting three straight 3-pointers to make it a five-point game in the final 90 seconds.
Wisconsin’s aggressive fullcourt press put Ohio State at the foul line frequently down the stretch, and while the Buckeyes didn’t make them all, they hit just enough to hold off the Badgers until the final buzzer.
What’s Next?
Ohio State advances to take on fifth-seed Iowa in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams split their two matchups in the regular season.
Game Notes
- Ohio State started four true freshmen for the fifth time this season as Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Brice Sensabaugh and Felix Okpara all got the start alongside veteran forward Justice Sueing.
- Both Sensabaugh and Wisconsin’s Connor Essegian made the Big Ten All-Freshman team on Tuesday.
- Wisconsin beat the Buckeyes, 65-60, at the Schottenstein Center on Feb. 2 in the lone regular-season matchup between the two programs.
- Wednesday marked the sixth Big Ten Tournament matchup between Ohio State and Wisconsin, with the Buckeyes winning four of the previous five. The Buckeyes beat the Badgers in the Big Ten Tournament championship game in both 2007 and 2013.
- Ohio State won 14 of its previous 21 Big Ten Tournament openers entering this postseason.
