The Wisconsin Badgers, finding themselves trailing at several points in the 1st half against the Indiana Hoosiers, needed someone to step up.
That someone was Jordan Taylor, who finished with one of the best individual games by any Big Ten player this year. Taylor scored 39 points on 11 of 19 shooting, hitting on 7 of his 8 three-point attempts, no matter how much pressure Indiana put on him. The Superman effort from Jordan Taylor pulled Wisconsin to their 13th conference win of the year, and their 8th consecutive win over Indiana. Wisconsin swept away the Hoosiers, 77-67.
Indiana? Too many missed layups. Too many offensive boards allowed. Too much room given to Jordan Taylor. Despite getting into the bonus for the first half and the double bonus in the second half, the Indiana Hoosiers were trying to keep even, as they couldn't pull away. Ultimately, their lockdown defense of Leuer that held Wisconsin's leading scorer to just 2 points in the first half fell apart down the stretch, as Leuer was able to find his way into double figures for the 29th time this season.
Jordan Taylor. 39 points on 11 of 19 shooting, 10 of 10 from the free throw line, 7 of 8 from outside. One point from becoming the first player on an opposing team to score 40 since Shawn Respect of Michigan State. So close, yet just enough. Jon Leuer added 10 points and 7 rebounds, but was in foul trouble for most of the game. Keaton Nankivil got the Badgers going in the 1st half; he finished with 16 points and a pair of offensive rebounds. Mike Bruesewitz added 7 rebounds (3 of them on offense). Josh Gasser recorded a team-high 3 assists and 4 points before fouling out. Putting that number into context: the Badgers had just 7 assists.
Indiana was able to take leads early thanks to Verdell Jones III, who had a team-high 18 points. However, Jones finished 6 of 17 shooting from the field, making 6 of his 8 attempts from the free throw line. Jordan Hulls had 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting, and Christian Watford 13 points on 3 of 5 shooting (with 7 free throws, all made). Every single Indiana player scored. Jeremiah Rivers? 6 points. Victor Oladipo and Matt Roth? 4 points each. Derek Elston, Tom Pritchard, Will Sheehey? 2, 2, and 3 points, respectively. However, Indiana players were only 2 of 11 from beyond the arc. Making matters worse: Indiana got only 5 assists, to 5 turnovers (which doesn't count the multiple missed layups).
Bo Ryan's Badgers were incredibly efficient from the free throw line, hitting 20 of their 22 attempts. The Hoosiers? 21 of 26, which is better than their season average. Wisconsin managed 9 of 16 shooting from outside, compared to Indiana's 2 of 11.
Wisconsin now travels to Value City Arena to take on Ohio State. Indiana, losers on Senior Day, now travel to play Illinois, a team very much on the bubble.
FINAL GAMES:
Wisconsin (23-6, 13-4 Big Ten): @ #1 Ohio State
Indiana (12-18, 3-14 Big Ten): @ Illinois