Penn State Ends a Decade of Frustration Vs. Wisconsin
How rare is a Penn State men's basketball victory over Wisconsin? Here's just part of the history, before the Lions' impressive 81-71 victory Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center.
- Wisconsin was 23-2 against the Lions since 2006.
- Wisconsin had won 13 consecutive games in the series. It was the team's longest active Big Ten winning streak.
- Wisconsin had won eight consecutive games at Penn State, its longest road winning streak in school history.
- Penn State had not defeated Wisconsin since a 36-33 victory in the Big Ten tournament on March 11, 2011.
- Wisconsin had won 25 consecutive games against Penn State when scoring at least 60 points.
- And Wisconsin is 20-2 vs. Penn State in Madison, where the teams will play again Tuesday.
For now, though, the Lions will enjoy this one.
"I thought that was a great team win and a great program win," Penn State interim coach Jim Ferry said.
After so many close calls against Wisconsin over the past decade, and so many close calls during this grueling Big Ten season, Penn State finally completed the purchase Saturday against the No. 14 Badgers. The win, which came 10 years and one day after Penn State's last home victory over Wisconsin, uprooted Wisconsin's decade of tempo control in this series.
Penn State had not scored more than 63 points against the Badgers since 2014. And in those 13 straight losses, Penn State topped 65 points just twice.
But Ferry, who has maintained this season that his team's upbeat tempo would frustrate opponents, insisted that Penn State would force Wisconsin to run. He noted the statistic that Wisconsin is 17-1 in games over the past two seasons when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points. Ferry wanted to crash through that ceiling.
So after getting caught in Wisconsin's pace early, Penn State began exerting its defense-and-transition game, outscored the Badgers 21-3 in fastbreak points and delivered its highest point total ever in the 50-game series against Wisconsin.
At the center of it were Izaiah Brockington and John Harrar, two players who have become fun to watch. Brockington (18 points, nine rebounds) was the game's best player, which Harrar readily acknowledged.
"Izaiah Brockington was the toughest dude on the court tonight, and that's why we won," Harrar said.
Harrar, meanwhile, had 17 points and eight rebounds and continued to make those hardscrabble plays that embolden Penn State. Ferry has likened Harrar to water: "He just morphs into whatever you need him to do," the coach said.
That was apparent late in the game, when Harrar solidified the victory. With 2:45 remaining, the 6-9 senior forward morphed into a fast-break dynamo, outrunning the Badgers to a defining 3-point play. Harrar, who sprinted coast to coast for a looping layup, didn't realize at first that the basket had fallen. But he loved everything about the play and the way Penn State opened up the floor.
"We did that for [assistant coaches] Ross [Condon] and [Keith] Urgo and the dudes who have been here 10 years and haven't beaten Wisconsin," Harrar said. "We were close last year. I think we've been close like 6-7 times, but we finally got it, and now we have a chance to do it again. It means a lot to those dudes to finally get that win against probably the best-coached team in the Big Ten."
Now, the Lions (6-7) get to do it all over again, visiting Wisconsin (13-5) on Tuesday night for the rare Big Ten basketball doubleheader. That marks a real opportunity for the Lions to gain some traction in the conference.
Following Wednesday's 83-79 loss to Ohio State, in which Penn State led by eight points in the second half, Ferry made a prediction about his team: "We're just going to keep getting better and we're going to win these games. We will," he said.
Saturday was the start. Another opportunity arrives Tuesday in Madison, where Penn State has lost 19 consecutive games since 1995.
"Do you think I really want to go on the road and play Wisconsin on Tuesday?" Ferry said, laughing. But later he added, "I would definitely rather go into it with a win than with a loss."
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