Wisconsin guard scores 39 points to down IU on Senior Night

Halfway through the second half Thursday, IU was in a threatening position to pull an upset on No. 10 Wisconsin.

Then Jordan Taylor took over the game.

The Badgers junior guard went off for 17 consecutive points in a nearly five-minute span to bury the Hoosiers in an insurmountable 13-point hole late in the second half as the Badgers pulled away for a 77-67 victory in Assembly Hall.

“Jordan Taylor had an incredible performance,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “Some that he just flat out made shots that maybe they’ve seen in practice, but I haven’t seen some of those in games.”

Taylor shot over, around and through Hoosier defenders on his way to a career-high 39 points.

IU used a myriad of guards to defend him — from freshman Victor Oladipo to senior Jeremiah Rivers — but the Hoosiers were burned on switches off screens.

Taylor shot over IU’s big men from the 3-point line all night as he finished 7-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Crean said putting the taller defenders on him after screens was part of the game plan, but Taylor was simply too hot to handle.

“When the kid is making shots over 6-8, 6-9 guys, and they’ve got their hands up, then I guess you’ve got to look at him and give him some credit,” he said.

The Hoosiers, powered by junior guard Verdell Jones’ team-high 18 points, were able to cut the deficit to two points four times throughout the game.

Crean’s squad drew to as close as 46-45 before Taylor’s offensive explosion.

IU continued to chip away at the lead as the second half wore on, bringing it down to six with 1:09 remaining. But the Hoosiers made just one field goal the rest of the way as Wisconsin held on.

The Badgers made 10 consecutive free throws in the final 1:30 to stifle any late comeback hopes.

When IU was still in the game, its defense found trouble in screening situations.
As defenders rolled over to help, it left Badgers like forward Keaton Nankivil, who finished with 16 points, with wide-open looks.

“The problem with them is they’re so good at dealing with the traps, because they just bait you, whether it’s pick and roll, the trap or a post trap,” Crean said. “There’s probably not another program in the country that has two better all-around players at the four and five position than what they have.”

Foul trouble also plagued the Hoosiers early and often. Rivers, assigned from the onset to defend Taylor, tallied two fouls before the 15-minute mark of the first half.

Freshman forward Will Sheehey and junior forward Tom Pritchard each fouled out late in the second half, and the Badgers went 20-of-22 from the charity stripe.

The Hoosiers were able to get to the line in their own right, getting 26 attempts. But Crean said that is not enough against a team like Wisconsin.

“We never want to get in a free throw contest with Wisconsin, but tonight we did,” Crean said. “To have more free throw attempts than them is a small miracle in itself.”

Though the loss was IU’s eighth consecutive to the Badgers and its sixth straight overall, the Hoosiers have shown marked improvement against Wisconsin.

Last season, IU suffered 28- and 32-point defeats against the Badgers.

It’s an improvement the star of the game was quick to point out.

“That’s a good team. They’re getting better,” Taylor said. “I was talking to Jordan Hulls, saying when they’re back at the top of the conference, I don’t know if I want to come back to this place. Because it is a loud arena to play in.”