On the night of the forty year anniversary of Indiana's 1976 undefeated champions, Indiana didn't show out. With that being said they still got the win, no matter how ugly it was.
Bad night of offense, still a good game
It was a very low scoring game, with both teams not even breaking sixty points by the end of the game. Was good defense to credit for this? More like lack of offense honestly.
With both teams not being able to score in this game, it was a close battle all the way until the end. Actually, Wisconsin had a chance to tie the game with about 33 seconds left on the clock, but Indiana tightened up their defense and was able to steal the ball. After that, the foul game started. Wisconsin fouled Yogi Ferrell, Indiana's best free throw shooter, and he proved why he is the best not missing a single free throw the rest of the game.
It was a close call at the end as well. With Wisconsin down by four, Nigel Hayes came down and hoisted up a three pointer and he almost drew a foul as well. The shot went in, but if he would have been fouled he could have tied the game at the buzzer. It was a very close call for Indiana.
Wisconsin was led by Ethan Happ, who scored 10 points and had 8 rebounds. Chipping in with 15 points each were Nigel Hayes and Branson Koenig.
Hayes looked a bit off the entire game. Although he still finished with 15 points, you could tell he wasn't comfortable with his outside shooting at all this game. He has said that he changed his shot this summer, but getting used to it in a game environment is much harder than in practice.
Indiana had it's own troubles in this game on offense, but that didn't shut out Yogi Ferrell. Ferrell had 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. He shot 6-14 from the field and also had 5 turnovers, which leaves some room for improvement, but he will be happy with getting a win at home.
What does this mean for both teams?
This loss for Wisconsin drops them to 9-7 on the year with a bad record of 1-2 in the Big Ten conference. In order for them to turn their season around, Hayes will have to get his shot figured out because this team will depend on his scoring heavily this year.
On the other hand, Indiana improves what was already a good start to the year. They add another win and now sit at 13-3, with an undefeated record of 3-0 in the Big Ten. Yogi Ferrell is this team's centerpiece, and it showed tonight. Just like Wisconsin depending on Hayes for leadership and buckets, Indiana will lean on Ferrell a large amount the rest of the year.
What's next for the Badgers and Hoosiers?
It doesn't get any easier for the Badgers as they take on No. 3 ranked Maryland Terrapins Saturday at Noon CT. There is good news for the Badgers though, this game is at home in Wisconsin.
The Hoosiers will have another home game, this time against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Sunday at 12:30 CT.