Wisconsin Basketball: Top ten games in the last decade

6. December 2, 2009 – Wisconsin 73, No. 6 Duke 69

There was a special buzz around the state of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Madison prior to the 2009 season when everyone saw the prestigious Duke Blue Devils early on in the schedule.

Fresh off a third place Maui Invitational finish, the Badgers had no time to rest up as they welcomed Duke to Madison in their next game. Trevon Hughes scored a career high 26 points and Wisconsin fought off a furious three-point barrage at the end of the game to get revenge on Duke, who beat them by 24 a few years prior.

It was also the first time the Big Ten was triumphant in the Big Ten/ACC challenge, with Wisconsin being the deciding factor as part of the last slate of matchups.

Despite 28 points from Duke star Kyle Singler and a three-point showcase from Andre Dawkins late in the game, the Badgers stayed calm and collected throughout.

“Their offense just beat our defense,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

The Blue Devils led the nation in field goal defense entering the matchup, but the Badgers were able to score points by taking care of the ball and controlling the glass despite shooting just 44 percent.

Since the Big Ten won their first challenge in 2009, the conference had not lost until this past meeting.