The Kohl Center has not been a friendly place for most visiting teams since
Bo Ryan took over the Badger program four years ago. Wisconsin dropped only
its first contest at home during his tenure when the top-ranked Illinois Fighting
Illini used a late run to snap the 38-game winning streak at the Kohl. The Badgers
entered Wednesday Night's contest against the Michigan Wolverines with that
still the only blemish on their stellar home run (28-1). With the undermanned
Wolverines reeling from injuries and the suspension of Daniel Horton, they stood
little chance of handing the Badgers their second.
Chris Hunter was absent from the lineup for Michigan's 71-62 home loss to the
Badgers last month, and the Wolverines hoped his presence in this contest would
make a difference down low. He got off to an encouraging start, grabbing a rebound
and stuffing it home to give Tommy Amaker's club an early 2-0 lead. Minutes
later, though, the 6-11 forward went crashing to the floor after re-injuring
his left ankle. His departure meant there was even less interference in the
post for Wisconsin senior Mike Wilkinson. The versatile forward had 28 points
and 15 rebounds in the previous meeting and scored the opening six points for
his club Wednesday to give the Badgers an early 6-4 lead.
Michigan kept up early, getting six points in the post, including four straight
from Courtney Sims to stay within two points (10-8) at the 14:02 mark. The Badgers
then responded in authoritative fashion. The home team went on a 13-0 run, keyed
by back to back three pointers from Alando Tucker, to take a 21-8 lead with
9:19 left in the half. Graham Brown finally ended the drought with a three-point
play down low, but that did little to stem the tide. The Badgers outscored the
Wolverines 15-6 down the stretch and took a 37-17 lead into the half.
When the Badgers emerged from the locker room, they delivered the knockout
blow. An 18-5 run to start the second half put Wisconsin up by thirty (55-25)
with 13:35 left in the game, before cruising to the 76-50 victory.
Courtney Sims led the Wolverines with 16 points and eight rebounds. Mike Wilkinson
led three Badgers in double figures with 22 points and 10 boards. For the complete
boxscore, click here.
Michigan's losing streak now stands at nine games. They will look to end their
skid Sunday afternoon at Crisler Arena versus the Indiana Hoosiers.