Ohio State men's basketball: Matta finally gets win at Wisconsin
Jared Sullinger is fouled by Wisconsin's Mike Bruesewitz, left. Sullinger had 24 points in Ohio State's 58-52 victory.
MADISON, Wis. -- On one of the several times he picked himself up off the Kohl Center floor, Jared Sullinger found himself a few feet from the Wisconsin’s “Grateful Red” student section that, allegedly, had showered him with abuse the last time he had gotten within firing range.
This time, he fairly strutted past, smiling, before turning toward the free-throw line.
“What happened last year is last year,” Sullinger said.
One year later, he was having the last laugh.
“We won,” he said, “and that was the main goal. We came out of here with a victory.
“On top of that, we’re sitting at the top of the Big Ten.”
Sullinger had 24 points and 10 rebounds today, and Deshaun Thomas 16 and six to help third-ranked Ohio State exorcise an old demon with a 58-52 win over No.19 Wisconsin and stay in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.
It was the Buckeyes’ first win in the Kohl Center since Jan. 13, 2000. They had lost nine straight games in the arena since then, including last season, when they were undefeated and ranked No.1 and gave up a 15-point lead in the second half.
“I’m going to state the obvious: It’s a great win,” said coach Thad Matta, whose only previous triumph in the arena came as Butler head coach in 2001. “When you look at Wisconsin basketball, it has stood the test of time. How many times have we and other teams come in here and gone home without a win?
“But with that said, we’ve got eight more Big Ten games to play, and they’re going to all be just like that. As I told the guys, let’s enjoy this until we get back and then get ready for the next one.”
Ohio State (20-3, 8-2), which will host Purdue on Tuesday night, has one fewer loss than second-place Michigan and Michigan State, which will play Sunday.
Ryan Evans scored 14 points to lead Wisconsin, which attempted nearly half its shots from outside the three-point arc and made only 5 of 27. The Badgers (18-6, 7-4) shot 40 percent overall.
Coach Bo Ryan said he liked the three-point looks his players had against an Ohio State defense ranked the nation’s most efficient.
“When we’re hitting them, we can look pretty good,” Ryan said. “I thought (Ohio State) shut off stuff going to the rim, so then you’ve got to go to what’s next.”
The Buckeyes took the lead for good on a basket by William Buford with 5:08 left in the first half, led by four points at halftime, and increased their margin to 47-40 with 6:22 remaining.
But Wisconsin scored on five consecutive possessions, including a run-capping three-pointer by Mike Bruesewitz, to cut its deficit to 51-50 with 3:44 left and force an Ohio State timeout.
“The first thing I thought about was when we played them here last year and we were up 15,” Sullinger said. “But we came together as a basketball team and got it done.”
The Badgers had a chance to take the lead after Aaron Craft missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity with 3:10 left. But Sullinger tipped away a post-entry pass at the other end, and Ohio State extended its lead to 54-50 on a Buford three-pointer with 2:26 left.
It was the Buckeyes’ only three of the game and only the fourth field goal for Buford in 15 attempts.
“I didn’t want it to be like Indiana,” said Buford, who missed a late three-pointer in Ohio State’s loss at Indiana on New Year’s Eve.
A charging foul on Wisconsin point guard Jordan Taylor on the ensuing possession gave the ball back to the Buckeyes, and four free throws by Craft and Buford in the final minute kept Wisconsin at bay and ended the Badgers’ 12-year hex over them.
“It feels great,” Buford said. “They’re so used to beating us. Nobody on this team had gotten a win in here. This would have been the only team I hadn’t beaten (on the road) in my four years. It’s great to get one my last time coming in.”
bbaptist@dispatch.com
