Brad Davison scored 25 points as No. 13 Wisconsin won its sixth game in a row, beating No. 16 Ohio State 78-68 on Thursday in Madison, Wis.
The last loss for the Badgers (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten) was a 73-55 setback at Ohio State on Dec. 11.
On Thursday, Tyler Wahl had 20 points and Johnny Davis added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Badgers.
E.J. Liddell led the Buckeyes (10-4, 4-2) with 18 points, 14 in the second half before fouling out with 3:18 left and the Buckeyes down by 17.
Ohio State went on an 11-0 run to get within 74-68 on Zed Key’s layup with 55 seconds left. Davison made two free throws and Davis got a slam on transition with 26 seconds left to put the game away.
The Badgers led 40-27 at the half against the cold-shooting Buckeyes. Ohio State entered the night hitting 39.2 percent from 3-point range, with 9.3 made per game, but went 0-for-8 in the first half. They missed their first 11 long-distance tries and finished 3-for-19 (15.8 percent).
Jamari Wheeler scored seven of his 11 points in the first half for Ohio State.
The matchup featured two of the best players in the nation, Davis and Liddell.
Davis entered as the only Big Ten player to lead his team in points (22.3 per game), rebounds (7.3) and assists (2.6). His signature game this season was 37 points and 14 rebounds in a win at then-No. 3 Purdue on Jan. 3.
Liddell (20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists) broke a two-game slump with a career-high 34 points against Northwestern on Sunday.
The Buckeyes played without reserve guard Meechie Johnson Jr. due to facial injuries sustained in practice this week.
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann returned to the bench after missing the game vs. Northwestern because of a positive COVID-19 test.
Wisconsin plays at Northwestern on Tuesday. The Buckeyes host Penn State on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
