Wisconsin overcomes a 22-point deficit to stun Indiana 64-59

Wisconsin puts together a 27-point turnaround to keep Indiana’s Kohl Center losing streak alive

Coming into Wisconsin’s Big Ten opener against Indiana, nearly all of the talk was about a shocking losing streak. The Hoosiers (7-2, 1-1 BIG) had dropped 18 straight games at the Kohl Center, a run of misery that has lasted more than two decades. Even after 23 years of agony, Wisconsin’s Wednesday night heroics brought Indiana’s Kohl Center horrors to another level.

After trailing by 22 points late in the first half, the Badgers (8-1, 1-0 BIG) were able to conduct a stunning 27-point turnaround to keep the Hoosiers’ losing streak alive.

Everything went Indiana’s way early, as the Hoosiers leapt out to a 24-9 lead after the first ten minutes and change. As Badger freshman guard Chucky Hepburn exited with two early fouls, Indiana’s guards kept the pressure on from distance. The Hoosiers went 5-8 (62.5%) from distance in the opening stanza, led by Parker Stewart’s 3 made threes.

After a confusing first 20 minutes of defense from a team that has been exceptionally solid at that end, the Badgers put together a defensive masterclass. Wisconsin trailed 42-25 at halftime, but only allowed 17 more Indiana points on the night.

While it was Johnny Davis who led the way with 12 second-half points and the game-deciding corner three, it was Cincinnati transfer Chris Vogt who provided Wisconsin with an unexpected lift. The Badger center came into the night with 7 points on the season, and had 9 in the second half alone. He was  also able to find Davis for this game-changing three:

Trailing 59-54 with 2:59 left, Wisconsin finished the game on an 11-0 run with 8 of the 11 points coming from the free-throw line. The Badgers went 8-8 from the charity stripe over the last three minutes.

For the eighth game in a row, Davis scored 15 points or more to help pace Wisconsin. He ended up being the lone Badger in double-figures with a game-high 23 points on 8-17 from the field.

Wisconsin continues Big Ten play at Ohio State on Saturday, as the Badgers will look to keep their six-game winning streak alive.