It was a late start last night when the nationally ranked Badgers (3rd) met the nationally ranked Ohio State team (5th). A good ten or twelve minutes before the game was scheduled to begin, the Kohl Center looked to me to be full to capacity (usually all of the empty seats don’t fill in until after the game starts). Because of the strength of these two teams, this game had been highly anticipated (and overly hyped in the local media) from the beginning of the season. The atmosphere in the building was truly electric as the anxious crowd waited for the game to begin.

After several missed shots (by both teams) to start the game, Ohio State scored the first basket. It would turn out to be their only lead of the game. But the score remained close throughout the first half, with Wisconsin leading by three points at half-time.

About midway through the second half, the Badgers were up 43-41. In the next four minutes, Wisconsin went on a 14-0 scoring run, giving them a sixteen point lead. At one point in the middle of that run, those of us in the crowd were encouraging the defense at such a level, it was the loudest moment I could remember in the times I’ve been in the Kohl Center.

Ohio State’s defense did a good job of holding back Alando Tucker (who some say is a candidate for national player of the year). The box score (PDF) said Tucker ended up with 17 points, but it seemed to me it was a struggle for him to get that many. But other players stepped up. Kammron Taylor had a season-high 25 points, and Marcus Landry and Michael Flowers contributed 10 points each to the solid team effort.

Another player worth mentioning was center Jason Chappell. Both he and forward Marcus Landry did an outstanding defensive job against Ohio State’s highly touted freshman center, Greg Oden. Oden and Mike Conley (Ohio State’s leading scorers this season) were held to 10 and 7 points respectively.

Even though Wisconsin had been leading the Buckeyes by as much as 16 points in the second half, Ohio State kept their poise and inched their way back into the game. With about a minutes to go, they were behind by eight. Dad said to me “they can’t make up eight points in one minute!”

They came ever so close. Ohio State executed their strategy in the final minutes of the game almost perfectly. Their defensive efforts, a few missed free throws by Wisconsin, and some clutch shots by the Buckeyes had them within three points with just a few seconds left. Ohio State’s Jamar Butler ended up with a very good look on a three point shot, which would’ve tied the game and sent it into overtime. He missed. Those of us in the Kohl Center breathed a huge sigh of relief, before cheering a loud, appreciative ovation for the Badgers’ victory.

Yes, there is nothing like college basketball.

After running back P.J. Hill scored a 60-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage, I thought we might be witnessing the start of a big blowout. But the score at halftime was actually fairly close (17-9), because of a three Wisconsin turnovers, and the solid play of Northwestern’s redshirt freshman quarterback, Andrew Brewer.

The second half was a different story. The Badger defense stepped it up, holding Northwestern scoreless, and allowing them only 83 yards of offense for the last two quarters. I was impressed with Brewer however, who started the game because the Wildcats’ regular quarterback was sidelined with an injury. Even though the tight Wisconsin defense held Brewer to 94 yards passing and 80 yards rushing, you could really see a lot of potential in him. He stayed cool as the pocket was collapsing around him, and quite often found open receivers or holes to run through (especially in the first half). Watch out for Brewer in the next couple of years — he could end up being very dangerous for opposing teams.

Wisconsin’s offense also played better in the second half, adding 24 more points before the game was over, and not turning the ball over once. By the end of the game, they piled up a whopping 307 rushing yards, with back P.J. Hill running 249 of those (a personal best for him). Hill is another redshirt freshman, who has the potential to be a big star here at Wisconsin in the next few years. The Badger’s quarterback, John Stocco, had a very solid game completing 16 of 21 passes for 220 yards, one touchdown, and only one interception.

With prefect autumn weather, and the way the game turned out, it was just an ideal day for football. Go Badgers!

The North Dakota State Bison, who are playing their first year as a division one team, made 50% of their field goal attempts, in a well-played upset of the nationally ranked Badgers. Wisconsin only made 16 of 72.

The last time the Badgers lost to a non-conference opponent on their home court was against Wake Forest, in December of 2002. I certainly don’t expect Wisconsin to be perfect at home, especially with the toughness of the Big Ten conference. However, I also did not expect them to lose today against an upstart division one team. I do expect a team that throws up 72 shots to make more than 16 of them.

North Dakota State does deserve a lot of credit. They walked into a a hostile arena against a nationally ranked team and played with an intensity that the Badgers could not match. North Dakota’s defense against Wisconsin, especially under the basket, was a big factor in the Badgers low shooting percentage.

Bright spots? Alando Tucker, who’s been struggling from the foul-line made the first seven of his free throws (he finished with 77% from the line). One of the biggest cheers the crowd had this afternoon was when he made his first two from the line.

For the record, the biggest cheer of the day occurred at halftime, when one of the fans in the Wisconsin student section sunk a half-court shot to win season tickets for next year. He made his layup, made his free throw, and had twenty seconds left to make the half-court shot. It only took him two tries, giving the student a shooting percentage of 75%.

But the Badgers only made 16 of 72.

I’ve said before that I think college athletics are the most exciting sporting events to watch, and last night’s close match was no exception. When Wisconsin lost the first game by a pretty good margin, I thought we would be in for a long evening. But they came back to win a second game, almost overcame a large deficit in the third, and kept that momentum going in the fourth game to force a fifth. The fifth game was the most exciting. Wisconsin built a 11-5 lead over the Gophers, but Minnesota wouldn’t give up and began a comeback. However, the Badgers’ lead was too much for them to overcome. Wisconsin won the game (and the match) by a score of 15-12.

As the Badgers’ playing intensified throughout the match, so did the crowd (which was fairly good sized). The old barn was rocking almost as much as I remember when I watched those close basketball games back in the day.

After the game, Dad and I were cheering Wisconsin on as the team left the floor. When Devon Harris approached (one of the best players in the country) we both reached over the rail and he jumped up and gave us high fives. That was sweet too. Great game Devon and Go Badgers!

How soon until basketball season starts?

For my money, there is nothing like college basketball. The intensity of the players, the passion and loyalty of the fans and just overall excitement is unmatched in any other sport. I was fortunate enough to see the Big Ten Champion Badgers play three games in Madison this year and each time was a blast. Just thinking about what it must have been like to be in the Kohl Center last night gives me goose bumps.