No. 3 Buckeyes shut down No. 19 Badgers
MADISON, Wis. – Jared Sullinger wore out Wisconsin. Then William Buford put the Badgers away.
No. 3 Ohio State wasn’t going to give No. 19 Wisconsin a shot at another comeback.
Sullinger scored 24 points and Buford hit a critical three-pointer down the stretch, helping the Buckeyes beat the Badgers, 58-52, on Saturday.
Sullinger was shocked when he wasn’t double-teamed on defense to start the game, and he pounced immediately.
“I don’t think I saw single coverage since first part of the season of my freshman year,” Sullinger said. “When I saw that, I got excited. I decided to go to work.”
Deshaun Thomas scored 16 points and Buford added 11 for the Buckeyes (20-3, 8-2 Big Ten), who held onto their lead in the conference standings. Sullinger also had 10 rebounds.
With the victory, Ohio State ended a nine-game losing streak to Wisconsin in Madison – and avoided a repeat of last year’s comeback by the Badgers, who erased a second-half deficit to defeat the Buckeyes 71-67.
“What happened last year is last year,” said Sullinger, who became the 48th Ohio State player to score 1,000 career points. “We won, and that was the main goal.”
Ryan Evans scored 14 points for the Badgers (18-6, 7-4), who were 5 for 27 from three-point range.
Wisconsin has lost four home games in a season for the first time under Badgers coach Bo Ryan.
No. 20 Indiana 78, Purdue 61: At West Lafayette, Ind., Victor Oladipo scored a career-high 23 points to help Indiana break a five-game losing streak to its in-state rival.
Cody Zeller had 16 points and eight rebounds and freshman Remy Abell scored a season-best 13 points for the Hoosiers (18-6, 6-6 Big Ten). Verdell Jones III, one of Indiana’s primary ballhandlers, missed the game with a shoulder injury.
Iowa 77, Penn State 64: At Iowa City, Iowa, Bryce Cartwright has been in and out of Iowa’s starting lineup all season. Now the senior looks like he’s there to stay.
Cartwright scored 17 points with five assists and one turnover as the Hawkeyes beat Penn State.
