BTN.com staff, March 9, 2012
Rob Wilson scored 30 points to lift No. 12 Wisconsin to a 79-71 win over No. 15 Indiana on Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Tourney. Both Wilson and Jared Berggren played well for Wisconsin (24-8). Wilson knocked down 11-of-16 shot attempts and tied a school record by making 7-of-10 from long range. Get BTN.com Senior Writer Tom Dienhart's take on the game from courtside inside this post plus full recaps, videos, and more.
No. 4 Wisconsin 79, No. 5 Indiana 71: BOX | AP RECAP | SCOREBOARD | LIVE BLOG
Tom Dienhart's key Wisconsin player: Jared Berggren had 16 points and nine boards, but Rob Wilson torched Indiana for a career-high 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting (7-of-10 from long range). And he didn?t start! How improbable was that? The senior entered the game averaging 3.1 points and had reached double-figures in just one other game this season. In the last four games, Wilson scored an aggregate 32 points. Amazing, as Wisconsin committed just five turnovers to Indiana?s 11 and shot 50 percent from three-point range (13-26).
Tom Dienhart's key Indiana player: Christian Watford. The big guy is like the proverbial box of chocolates. You never know what you?re gonna get from game to game. On this afternoon, the junior was on his game, hitting five-of-10 shots for 17 points with a team-high 10 rebounds. Watford also hit the two of Indiana?s three-pointers of the game. Cody Zeller and Jordy Hulls also had 17 points, but Watford was the star.
Tom Dienhart's key moment: Wisconsin was clinging to a 69-65 lead in the final minute, when Rob Wilson drained a three-pointer from the left side of the arc to give the Badgers a 72-65 lead with 32.7 left in the game. Wisconsin sealed the game away at the free-throw line to knock off Indiana.
What?s next for Wisconsin? The Badgers will play No. 1 Michigan State in the semifinals on Saturday. It will be Wisconsin?s first trip to the semifinals since winning the Big Ten tourney in 2008. How much have the Badgers struggled in this event? The previous three tourneys, Wisconsin has been one-and-done. And this quality win could enhance the Badgers? NCAA seeding.
What?s next for Indiana? The Hoosiers arrived in Indianapolis as a trendy pick to win their first Big Ten tourney title. Alas, Indiana?s quest will have to wait another day. But the Hoosiers still figure to be no worse than a Nos. 4 or 5 seed in the NCAA tourney when brackets are announced on Sunday. Indiana needs to regroup and know it still is capable of beating any team-if it protects the ball, shoots well and rebounds.
FINAL RECAP: Rob Wilson scored 30 points to lift No. 12 Wisconsin to a 79-71 win over No. 15 Indiana on Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Tourney.
Both Wilson and Jared Berggren played well for Wisconsin (24-8). Wilson knocked down 11-of-16 shot attempts and shot 7-of-10 from long range. Berggren had 16 points, corralled nine rebounds, and shot 5-of-9 from the field.
Neither team could seize control of the game, as there were nine lead changes.
Josh Gasser had a quality shooting game, nailing 3-of-5 shots from the field and scoring nine points. The Badgers shot 48 percent from the field (27-of-56). Wisconsin was on fire from beyond the arc during the game, shooting 50 percent (13-of-26). The Badgers also got double-digit contributions from Jordan Taylor and Ryan Evans, who each scored 12.
Christian Watford contributed 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for Indiana (25-8) in the loss. Jordan Hulls shot 7-of-10 from the field and scored 17 points for the Hoosiers. Indiana hit 49 percent of its field goals (25-of-51). More Indiana scoring came from Cody Zeller, who scored 17.
Both teams grabbed 26 rebounds in the game. The win for Wisconsin breaks the Hoosiers' five-game winning streak.
-Recap by Narrative Science.
HALFTIME RECAP: Jared Berggren and Josh Gasser combined for a successful first half as No. 12 Wisconsin leads 36-31 over No. 15 Indiana. Berggren scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Gasser scored nine points and had three assists.
Both teams took turns controlling the momentum as there were nine lead changes. The Badgers trailed 13-11 when they broke out for a 9-0 run to overtake the Hoosiers and seize a seven-point lead. Wisconsin hit seven threes in the first half, shooting 47 percent from deep. Seven Indiana players scored in the half.
Christian Watford led the way for Indiana in the first half, with eight points and six rebounds.
-Recap by Narrative Science.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
TWEETS: @BTN_Wisconsin | @BTN_Indiana | #B1Gtourney
https://twitter.com/#!/BTNTomDienhart/status/178204225711509504
https://twitter.com/#!/BadgerMBB/status/178203675934724097
https://twitter.com/#!/BTNTomDienhart/status/178196460830064640/photo/1
https://twitter.com/#!/HoosierSource/status/178196353657208832
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