Live Blog: Follow Indiana's Game At Wisconsin in Real Time
MADISON, Wis. – Coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers are back in action Friday night at the Kohl Center, where Indiana hasn't won since 1998.
The Hoosiers are coming off an 87-66 home loss to rival No. 2 Purdue on Tuesday, and the Badgers lost 87-83 at Penn State the same night. No. 11 Wisconsin looks to maintain its first-place standing in the Big Ten, while Indiana enters the game 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the conference.
Welcome to our live blog, where we'll provide updates, highlights and thoughts on the game from press row at the Kohl Center in Madison.
9:43 p.m. – Free throws from AJ Storr push Wisconsin's lead to 85-70 with 2:40 left.
9:35 p.m. – Mgbako and Reneau convert back-to-back layups, and Wisconsin's lead is down to 77-65 with about five minutes left.
9:23 p.m. – Wisconsin is simply running Indiana out of the gym tonight. The lead has grown to 69-53 with 8:43 left in the game.
9:11 p.m. – CJ Gunn just elbowed Max Klesmit in the chin. That's a clear Flagrant 2 and ejection. Frustration is clearly boiling over for the Hoosiers in this one.
9:03 p.m. – Indiana is on a 9-0 run now, trimming Wisconsin's lead to 49-42 with 14:58 left in the game. Galloway knocked down a three, and Sparks got a steal and easy fast break dunk. Gard calls a timeout to try to stop the run.
8:54 p.m. – Klesmit knocks down back-to-back 3-pointers, and Wisconsin's lead is up to 49-33. Indiana calls a timeout, and assistant coach Yasir Rosemond gave Trey Galloway an earful in the huddle, presumably for allowing those open threes. Nothing has gone right for Indiana tonight.
8:50 p.m. – Crowl opens the half with back-to-back layups, but Indiana responds with a dunk by Reneau and five quick points from Mgbako. The Badgers lead 43-33.
8:33 p.m. – Halftime: Wisconsin 39, Indiana 26. Gunn made a mid-range jumper, but it was just after the buzzer so it doesn't count. That was a tough half for the Indiana offense, which often looked stagnant and too reliant on individuals being able to beat their defender off the dribble. Indiana shot 1-for-5 from three, compared to Wisconsin's
8:28 p.m. – Cupps gets the shooter's roll on a 3-point attempt from the left wing. He's got seven points already, which is already the second most of his career. He had 11 points in Indiana's loss to Auburn. Indiana trails 37-26 with 45.9 left in the half.
8:24 p.m. – After a missed mid-range jumper from Mgbako, Crowl puts a move on Reneau for an easy layup. Sparks takes it strong to the basket, then hits two free throws after being fouled. Wisconsin leads 33-22 with 2:21 left.
8:16 p.m. – Klesmit knocks down a three, giving Wisconsin its biggest lead of the game at 29-18. Wisconsin is 4-for-10 from three, and Indiana is 0-for-3. That's been a theme Indiana has been unable to reverse for most of the year.
8:14 p.m. – Walker turns it over trying to spin past his defender, and McGee takes it the other way and draws a foul on Galloway, his second. Galloway remains in the game, but Reneau checks in for Walker. McGee's free throws give Wisconsin a 26-16 lead with 5:16 left in the half.
8:13 p.m. – A strong drive from Anthony Walker cuts Wisconsin's lead to six points, but he picked up a foul reaching in on Crowl on the other end. Mgbako, Sparks and Galloway back in the game, so Indiana is going big again.
8:11 p.m. – Indiana going with a smaller lineup now of Cupps, Johnson, Gunn, Walker and Reneau. After coming up hobbled, Reneau is moving fine now.
8:07 p.m. – Malik Reneau just hit the ground hard, then stood up and limped while grabbing for his left knee. Woodson called a timeout, so we'll see if Reneau has to sit.
8:05 p.m. – Gunn pins Storr's layup attempt on the glass, but he's called for a shooting foul in the process. Storr knocks down one free throw, extending Wisconsin's lead to 18-12. Indiana hasn't scored in 3:38 after jumping out to an early lead.
8:02 p.m. – Johnson's first shot attempt rims out from three after another Storr layup. CJ Gunn checks in for the Hoosiers now, replacing Mackenzie Mgbako.
7:57 p.m. – Back-to-back 3-pointers from Blackwell and Storr give Wisconsin its first lead of the game, 11-10. After a Sparks layup, Blackwell darts to the basket for a layup of his own. Johnson picks up a foul on Storr's drive, sending us to the under-12 timeout, with Wisconsin leading 13-12.
7:56 p.m. – Xavier Johnson is the first Hoosier off the bench, replacing Gabe Cupps. Indiana could really use a boost from Johnson, who has struggled in four of five games since returning from injury. He also scored 18 points in Indiana's win over Ohio State.
7:55 p.m. – Really nice pass from Gilmore to McGee on a back cut for a layup. They were Wisconsin's first two subs, and they came in ready to play. Reneau answers with a spin-move layup, pushing IU's lead to 10-5. He's got six points already.
7:51 p.m. – Hepburn misses ugly from three, then throws a bad alley-oop to Klemsit on back-to-back possessions. Klesmit turns it over, adding to Wisconsin's bad start. Reneau with a tough finish inside, and Indiana leads 8-3 at the under-16 timeout.
7:49 p.m. – Galloway was a bit out of control on the drive, and he turns it over. Storr took it the other way, but Cupps bothered him enough to force a travel. Good defensive play by the freshman point guard. Cupps knocks down a mid-range jumper on the other end, and IU leads 6-3 with 16:45 left.
7:47 p.m. – Hepburn knocks down a three, then Mgbako turns it over on the other end trying to drive to the basket. IU leads 4-3 about two minutes in.
7:46 p.m. – Mgbako backs Storr down in the lane and draws a shooting foul. He goes 2-for-2 at the line, and Indiana has an early 4-0 lead.
7:45 p.m. – Payton Sparks wins the tip and we're under way. Indiana goes right to Reneau, and he puts back his own miss to open the scoring. Storr misses a layup on the other end.
7:35 p.m. – Sparks has come off the bench in 12-of-13 games for Indiana this season. His one start was on Dec. 29 against Kennesaw State, and he scored 10 points with eight rebounds, both of which are season-highs.
7:33 p.m. – Indiana starters for tonight are Gabe Cupps, Trey Galloway, Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Payton Sparks. That's definitely not the five Mike Woodson or anyone anticipated starting at this point in the season, but that's where the Hoosiers are at due to Ware's injury and Xavier Johnson's recent struggles. For the Big Ten first-place Badgers, it's Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit, AJ Storr, Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl.
6:30 p.m. – Indiana will be without starting center Kel'el Ware tonight against Wisconsin. He was not out there with the team during warmups after being listed questionable on the pregame availability report. In the one other game he missed, Indiana started Payton Sparks in his absence. Another option could be Anthony Walker.
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