March 9, 2012
BY KARL ANDERSON
UW ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
STAR OF THE GAME
I'm sure this will come as a surprise to absolutely no one but Rob Wilson is our player of the game. The senior forward came off the Badgers' bench to score a career-high 30 points, matching a UW school record with 7 3-pointers along the way. It was a UW single-game Big Ten tournament record, and Wilson recorded just the 12th 30-point effort in tournament history. The seven 3-pointers also equaled a Big Ten tournament record.
PLAY OF THE GAME
While this could arguably go to any of Wilson's 3-pointers, we're giving this honor to Ryan Evans and his thunderous dunk in the second half. The Badgers led 59-54 with 7:52 to play when Evans got the ball on the left elbow. Guarded by Indiana's Christian Watford, Evans used a shoulder fake to create space. He then drove down the lane before rising up and throwing down a huge one-handed slam.
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Wilson's first 3-pointer of the game splashed down with 15:09 left in the first half. Trailing 13-11, the trey gave UW a 14-13 edge. While a one-point lead in the first half is fairly inconsequential, it would turn out to be a lead UW would never relinquish. Wilson's 3-pointer jump-started a 14-4 Wisconsin run, as the lead ballooned to a game-high 11 points at 28-17.
STAT OF THE GAME
Wilson was obviously the story, but he was not the only Badger to get hot from beyond the arc. Wisconsin tied a Big Ten tournament record by making 13 3-pointers. The productivity from long range helped Wisconsin score 79 points, a school Big Ten tournament record. In addition to Wilson, Josh Gasser made three 3-pointers (all in the first half), while Jordan Taylor added two and Jared Berggren hit one.
