Wisconsin takes down No. 5 Ohio State on the road

January 4, 2020
|In Badgers
|By MidWest Digital Marketing

Remember when Wisconsin couldn’t win away from Madison? Yeah, neither do the Badgers.

Coach Greg Gard’s team went on the road Friday night and upset No. 5 Ohio State 61-57. The two key stretches were at the end of each half. Wisconsin closed on a 8-0 run to take a 29-25 lead into the break, before the Buckeyes used a 13-2 stretch at the beginning of the second half to retake control. But the Badgers didn’t falter, keeping it close until finishing on a 14-6 run to steal one in Columbus.

Junior Nate Reuvers led the way with 17 points, including 10 from the free throw line. Perhaps the biggest shot of the night came courtesy of Brevin Pritzl. The senior got an open look in the corner off a nice inbounds play and drilled the 3-pointer with 1:10 left to give Wisconsin a 55-51 lead. Ohio State answered with a three of its own, but Reuvers and D’Mitrik Trice went a perfect 6-for-6 from the line to close it out.

The unsung hero of the night was easily Tyler Wahl. The true freshman continues to impress and was on the floor in key moments. He had just four points, but finished with seven rebounds (five on the offensive end), three steals and two assists in 25 minutes.

Sophomore Kobe King had 13 points, while Pritzl had nine. Micah Potter, in his first game against his former team, had four points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. Wisconsin is now 4-0 since Potter became eligible.

Ohio State was paced by Kaleb Wesson’s 22 points and 13 rebounds. His foul trouble in the first half allowed Wisconsin to keep it close when it wasn’t shooting the ball well.

The victory was just the second road win for a Big Ten team in conference play this year. It was also the fifth top-5 win under Gard in his five seasons as coach, including three away from Madison.

UW improved to 9-5 (2-1 Big Ten) and will now come home to face Illinois on Wednesday at the Kohl Center.