Wisconsin snaps Indiana's 12-game win streak 82-79
MADISON, Wis. -- The numbers didn't add up for Indiana.
Too many turnovers and too many fouls gave Wisconsin more than enough opportunity to pull out an 82-79 victory in overtime on Tuesday night that snapped the 19th-ranked Hoosiers' 12-game winning streak.
Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell scored 30 points, including making a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left that pulled the Hoosiers within 80-79 before Nigel Hayes stretched the lead back to three with two free throws.
Indiana (17-4, 7-1 Big Ten) committed 19 turnovers and finished off the game with a turnover. Ferrell didn't get one last chance to tie after Hayes tipped away OG Anunoby's inbounds pass as time expired.
"All things considered, I'm proud with the way my team battled," Indiana coach Tom Crean said. "But at the same time, there were too many mistakes to win the game."
Hayes scored 31 points, and Ethan Happ added 25 for the Badgers (12-9, 4-4), who missed several chances in the closing minutes of overtime to put the game out of reach after Bronson Koenig and Jordan Hill each went 1 of 2 at the free throw line.
But Indiana had an empty final possession. The Hoosiers had a better look at the end of regulation but fell short then, too, when Ferrell missed a short, off-balance jumper.
Crean took notice of the disparity in foul calls and said the differential was a "head-scratcher to me." Wisconsin was 28 of 37 at the free throw line, compared with 16 of 18 for Indiana.
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"We've got to figure out a way to get our guys -- like Yogi Ferrell, he gets 30 points but only gets to the line twice," Crean said. "We've got to figure out a way to get him to the line more, too, not to mention our other inside guys."
Wisconsin extended its home winning streak against Indiana to 14 games.
CLOSE CALLS
In a season of upheaval, Wisconsin has finally found its groove.
The Badgers have won three straight games, each by six points or less, after having lost three straight by five points or less.
They're learning how to win close games, and interim coach Greg Gard said that was in part due to the chemistry that has developed of late.
It can be quite a shock when a team loses its coach at midseason, like what happened to the Badgers when Bo Ryan retired last month.
"The chemistry and culture in the locker room has grown tighter and tighter," Gard said.
HAPPENIN' HAYES
Hayes, a veteran of Wisconsin's back-to-back Final Four runs, had a role in the game's two biggest defensive plays.
Besides the steal to end overtime, Hayes also picked up Ferrell near midcourt on his drive at the end of regulation. The forward was in Ferrell's face when the 6-foot guard threw up his shot with the score tied at 71.
IN THE LANE
Happ, a redshirt freshman, is Hayes' new running mate up front. He was 10 of 15 from the field, deftly positioning his 6-9 frame in the lane against Indiana's physical big man Thomas Bryant for baskets. Crean said Happ is especially tough when he's able to hook an arm around a post defender.
Bryant, a freshman, had 16 points and seven rebounds.
TIP-INS
Indiana: The Hoosiers' blueprint for success this season is similar to the plan used by Wisconsin the previous two seasons. Entering Tuesday night, Indiana was averaging 1.20 points per possession, the second-most efficient mark in the country. The Hoosiers were third in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 64 points a game.
Wisconsin: The Badgers took their first lead of the game, 24-22, late in the first quarter when guard Jordan Hill drilled a 3 from the corner. It came during a brief stretch when the Badgers had all five starters on the bench. ... Wisconsin last lost at home to Indiana on Jan. 25, 1998, 69-59.
UP NEXT
Indiana: Hosts Minnesota on Saturday.
Wisconsin: At Illinois on Sunday.
