3 reasons IU basketball lost to Wisconsin: Hoosiers go cold in 2nd half, blow 22-point lead
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MADISON, Wis. – A second-half collapse cost Indiana its best chance in years to end its long losing streak at Wisconsin, the Hoosiers falling 64-59.
Here are three reasons why Mike Woodson’s team built a substantial lead Wednesday night, only to waste it:
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Excellent first half
It was the best 20 minutes of basketball Indiana has played in some time, inside the Kohl Center or anywhere else.
After spotting Wisconsin five points, the Hoosiers tore off a 26-4 run made by good work at both ends. Offensively, IU was patient and precise, breaking Wisconsin down off the dribble and off the ball for open 3s, easy lobs and layups. The Hoosiers finished the half plus-10 in the paint and plus-12 behind the 3-point line, where Indiana made five 3s to the Badgers’ one.
That’s because IU was equally strong at the defensive end. The Hoosiers made everything difficult for Wisconsin, holding players not named Johnny Davis to just 14 points in the opening 20 minutes. As the half wore on, Wisconsin’s possessions got sloppier, and the Badgers would’ve faced a bigger deficit at the break but for a couple of late Davis buckets. Even then, Wisconsin’s 20-point-a-game scorer needed 10 shots to score 11 points.
Fully deserved its 42-25 halftime lead.
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Johnson outstanding
Xavier Johnson played a big part in that success. He finished the first half with seven points, five rebounds and six assists. His patience within Indiana’s offense and his ability to change pace on his defenders created all sorts of problems for Wisconsin.
It wasn’t at all by accident that Johnson finished the first half plus-15 in the plus/minus, best on either side. And it wasn’t by accident that, when he went to the bench early in the second half with three fouls, IU’s offense slowed down.
That allowed the Badgers to eat slowly into Indiana’s lead. Wisconsin got it down to 15, then 12. The Hoosiers took their punches but saw it come within single digits before the halfway point in the second 20 minutes.
When Woodson decided to ride his bench through the middle portion of the half, Wisconsin got that lead firmly into single digits, ensuring Indiana would not be allowed to simply stroll to its first win at Wisconsin in 23 years.
Offensive collapse
In the end, the Hoosiers wouldn’t win at all.
The free-flowing, one-step-ahead offense of the first half was never allowed to gear up after halftime, Wisconsin substantially better at that end of the floor as the game wore on. Empty possessions piled up. At the last media timeout of the second half, Indiana had scored just 15 points.
Johnson returned, but he couldn’t find that first-half rhythm. Wisconsin threw different coverages at him and frustrated him into a much more inefficient second-half performance.
Patiently, Wisconsin ate into that lead, steadily bringing the Kohl Center crowd along. At the same pace, Indiana lost its confidence, then its poise, then its lead. It wasn’t the dagger, but Davis’ falling-away 3 with 1:17 left to give Wisconsin its first lead since early in the first half might as well have been. The teetering Hoosiers finally toppled over.
Of all IU’s losses in what is now an inexplicably long dry spell in the Wisconsin capital, this one will have hurt more than most. Indiana was in complete control, dictating both the tempo and the terms of the game to a short-handed Wisconsin team without any real answers.
Indiana’s last gasp was a Parker Stewart drive to the left off a good action with less than a minute to go. The call got him a free run into the lane, but his take wasn’t strong enough and was blocked. Wisconsin iced it with free throws. IU wasted another enormous opportunity to secure a road win, and saw its Madison misery extended for at least another year.
Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
No. 22 Wisconsin 64, Indiana 59
INDIANA (7-2): Jackson-Davis 4-10 1-2 9, Kopp 3-6 0-0 7, Thompson 6-11 0-0 12, Johnson 4-16 2-6 10, Stewart 3-7 0-0 9, Bates 1-3 0-0 3, Phinisee 1-4 0-1 2, Geronimo 0-2 3-4 3, Durr 2-3 0-0 4, Leal 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-62 6-13 59.
WISCONSIN (8-1): Crowl 2-6 0-0 5, Wahl 2-7 3-4 7, Jon.Davis 8-17 6-7 23, Davison 3-12 0-0 8, Hepburn 0-4 4-4 4, Vogt 4-6 1-1 9, Carlson 1-4 1-2 3, Jor.Davis 1-4 0-0 3, Gilmore 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 22-62 15-18 64.
Halftime—Indiana 42-25. 3-Point Goals_Indiana 5-13 (Stewart 3-5, Kopp 1-1, Bates 1-2, Geronimo 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Thompson 0-1, Phinisee 0-2), Wisconsin 5-23 (Davison 2-7, Crowl 1-2, Jon.Davis 1-3, Jor.Davis 1-4, Gilmore 0-1, Wahl 0-1, Carlson 0-2, Hepburn 0-3). Rebounds_Indiana 39 (Thompson 9), Wisconsin 38 (Wahl 12). Assists_Indiana 14 (Johnson 7), Wisconsin 12 (Crowl, Wahl, Davison 3). Total Fouls_Indiana 19, Wisconsin 15. A_16,013 (17,230).
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How IU basketball blew a 22-point lead in road loss to Wisconsin
