UW vs. Texas: Beyond the Box
December 23, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Star of the Game
It''s hard to look in any direction other than Trevon Hughes' for this one tonight. The junior posted a team-high 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, tied for the team-high with four rebounds and had three assists against a single turnover. Add in the fact that he went 3-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc and was all over the floor defensively, and he easily was the Badgers' ' catalyst. Hughes had 13 points in the first half and keyed a couple of the runs that had the home team within two points at intermission, and he also assisted on our Play of the Game (see below).
Honorable mention honors to Jason Bohannon, who scored 16 points on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range and a 4-of-4 performance at the free-throw line.
Play of the Game
Badger fans hoped this one would also serve as our Turning Point of the Game, but Jason Bohannon''s clutch 3-pointer was no less spectacular just because it didn' 't turn out to be the game-winner. With the Badgers trailing by two, 66-64, Bohannon set up on the wing and was left wide ' really wide ' open for a momentum-shifting trey. Bohannon found himself all alone in front of the UW bench after the Texas defense collapsed in on Hughes, who was charging to the basket for a layup. He missed, but collected his own offensive rebound and kicked out to Bohannon, who calmly wound up for a shot with the 35-second clock ticking down. The Kohl Center crowd swelled to its feet as Bohannon stretched for the jumper, which seemed to arc in slow motion before splashing through the net to give the Badgers a 67-66 lead with 3:10 to play.
Turning Point of the Game
Bohannon gave the Badgers the lead with his long-range shot with three minutes left, but a deep jumper by Gary Johnson gave the Longhorns the lead for good with only 20.1 seconds showing on the clock. The shot, which Johnson banked in from the top of the key, proved to be the game-winner for the Longhorns, who never trailed again. Johnson finished the night with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor.
Stat of the Game
As has been the case so many times already this season for Wisconsin, rebounding played a key role. This time, however, it was to the Badgers'' detriment. The Badgers missed 32 shots on the night, the Longhorns ended up with 23 defensive rebounds. Despite the fact that the UW hauled in 10 offensive boards for the seventh time in 12 games this season, Texas limited the Badgers'' ability to score second-chance points.
It''s also worth noting that the Badgers lost despite shooting 47.4 percent from 3-point range and hitting six more 3-pointers than the Longhorns. Texas managed just 18.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Game Notes
Tuesday''s loss snapped a nine-game home win streak for the Badgers, dating back to a loss to a 72-67 loss to Purdue (Feb. 9, 2008). ' The Badgers are now 113-8 all-time at home under head coach Bo Ryan, including a 58-5 mark in non-conference home games.' The Badgers trailed at halftime (39-37) for just the 23rd time in 121 home games under Ryan. ' The Badgers fell for just the second time ever to Texas, and now hold a 4-2 lead in the teams' ' all-time series. ' With 10 offensive rebounds, the Badgers have now posted double-digit totals for offensive boards in seven of their 12 games this season. ' The UW is now 1-3 on the season when being outrebounded by an opponent ... Tuesday''s loss was the Badgers'' first this season when scoring at least 60 points. ' The 76 points scored by Texas were the most by a UW opponent this season. ' The Badgers are now 1-2 when allowing an opponent to score at least 70 points. ' Texas'' 40 rebounds were the most allowed by the Badgers to an opponent this season, and just the third time this year the UW has allowed 30 or more.
