All Badgers

Final stats, analysis: Wisconsin hangs on to top Ohio State, 70-68

Kamari McGee with the key play to help No. 24 Wisconsin hold off Ohio State
Dana Becker|
John Blackwell and Wisconsin host Ohio State in Big Ten Conference action Tuesday night.
John Blackwell and Wisconsin host Ohio State in Big Ten Conference action Tuesday night. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin BadgersOhio State Buckeyes

The newly-ranked Wisconsin men return to the court Tuesday night, hosting Ohio State in Big Ten Conference action.

On the heels of five consecutive victories, the Badgers (13-3, 3-2) returned to the most recent AP Poll Top 25 this week, sliding in at No. 24. Wisconsin has posted consecutive league victories over Minnesota, Rutgers and Iowa. 

The Buckeyes (10-6, 2-3) have gone 3-2 over their last five, including a late-December win over Kentucky. Last time out, they fell to Oregon, 73-71. 

The ESPN BPI gives the Badgers a 67 percent chance to win. They are 6.5-point favorites with the over/under set at 149.5 for the night.

Check out our live updates and in-game analysis of Wisconsin vs. Ohio State below:

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Final Stats, Analysis

It ended up being much harder than it seemed early on, but Wisconsin secured another key Big Ten Conference win, besting Ohio State, 70-68. The Badgers survived a drought of over four minutes from the field late, sinking several key free throws late. 

John Tonje had 17 points, including a 10 of 10 performance at the line, as John Blackwell added 15 points with six rebounds. Steven Crowl had 14 points and seven boards with Kamari McGee adding nine points and one key rebound.

As a team, Wisconsin was 25-for-28 at the charity stripe, shooting 42 percent from the field. They had just six assists on 20 made field goals, committing 12 turnovers.

For the Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton scored 21 with Devin Royal adding 12. They were the only Ohio State players in double figures, as Sean Stewart grabbed eight rebounds. 

The play of the game came from McGee, who grabbed his only rebound with 12 seconds left after Blackwell missed a 1-and-1 opportunity at the line. McGee would make both of his shots after being fouled, pushing the lead back up to 67-64.

Second Half Updates

Final: Wisconsin 70, Ohio State 68

Wisconsin 67, Ohio State 66, :06 left in second half: Bruce Thornton hits both free throws and the Badgers call a timeout with the ball and six seconds left. 

Wisconsin 67, Ohio State 64, :11 left in second half: John Blackwell with a miss at the free throw line but Kamari McGee is there with the rebound. After McGee is fouled, he calmly sinks both shots to make it a three-point game. Wisconsin has gone over four minutes without a made field goal in this one.

Wisconsin 65, Ohio State 62, :24 left in second half: A missed 3-pointer by John Blackwell and rebound by the Buckeyes gives Ohio State a chance to tie. Devin Royal made a layup to make this a one-score game with a minute left. 

Wisconsin 65, Ohio State 59, 1:43 left in second half: The Badgers should be able to salt this one away at the line, where they have gone 20 of 21 tonight. The Buckeyes, though, have definitely caused some concern, outscoring Wisconsin in the second half, 39-28. John Tonje is up to 15 points, John Blackwell and Steven Crowl both have 14, and Kamari McGee has seven off the bench.

Wisconsin 53, Ohio State 48, 8:06 left in second half: Just before the under-8 media timeout, the Buckeyes call a TO, having cut a 17-point deficit down to just five here in the second half. Ohio State has used a pressure-intense defense to get back in this one.

Wisconsin 48, Ohio State 41, 10:15 left in second half: The Buckeyes have outscored the Badgers since the break, 21-11, making this a game with just over 10 to play. Bruce Thornton has 13 points to lead Ohio State. 

Halftime Analysis

Wisconsin continues to play like the team we saw earlier in the year, leading 37-20 over Ohio State at the half. Steven Crowl has 10 points, John Blackwell nine and John Tonje six for the Badgers, shot are 11 of 25 from the field and 13-for-14 at the free throw line.

Carter Gilmore has anchored the bench with five points, as Xavier Amos and Kamari McGee each have two.

For the Buckeyes, they are shooting just 32 percent from the field, 14 percent from the 3-point line and have attempted just one free throw. Devin Royal and Aaron Bradshaw both have five points, with Micah Parrish grabbing six rebounds.

First Half Updates

Wisconsin 35, Ohio State 20, :26 left in first half: The Badgers are maintaining a solid cushion, shooting 44 percent from the field and 13 of 14 from the free throw line. Crowl has 10, Blackwell nine with five rebounds and Tonje six. 

Wisconsin 29, Ohio State 16, 3:54 left in first half: The Badgers have controlled things from the outset, as Blackwell is still at nine points but Crowl is up to eight. Carter Gilmore, Xavier Amos and Kamari McGee have seven off the bench.

Wisconsin 15, Ohio State 6, 11:01 left in first half: Others have gotten involved for the Badgers, as Steven Crowl has four points and John Tonje two from the free throw line. The Buckeyes remain off from the field, shooting just 21 percent with three turnovers.

Wisconsin 9, Ohio State 2, 14:33 left in first: It is all Badgers here early, as John Blackwell has come out hot, scoring all nine points for Wisconsin. He also has three rebounds, as the Buckeyes are an ice-cold 1 of 9 shooting from the field.

Pregame Updates

Both of these teams like to score, as Wisconsin comes in averaging 83 per game while Ohio State posts 81 a night. They are also each giving up over 70 points. 

Published | Modified
Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in north-central Iowa.

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