Wisconsin dominated the Buckeyes during the first half and claimed a 17-point halftime lead. Yet, a pair of offensive droughts combined with an impressive second half from Bruce Thornton made the game a battle down the stretch.
The lead was trimmed down to one point with 14.9 seconds to play when the Buckeyes intentionally fouled John Blackwell. Blackwell missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Kamari McGee came down with the offensive rebound and knocked down both free throws to extend the lead to three.
After exchanging intentional fouls, Blackwell was sent back to the line with 1.5 seconds remaining and a one-point lead. Blackwell missed the first but made the second. Ohio State attempted a full-court pass to Devin Royal, who caught the ball and got up a three-point attempt, which was waved off because he stepped out of bounds, ending the game.
Wisconsin advanced to 14-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play with the 70-68 win.
Up-and-down defensive performance
Wisconsin turned heads for its offensive play early in the season, overshadowing an apparent step back on the defensive end. On Dec. 9 -- shortly after the Badgers lost at Marquette -- Wisconsin ranked 88th in defensive rating, per KenPom.
As of Tuesday morning, they rank 53rd.
Wisconsin limited Ohio State to 13 points under their season average and allowed merely 20 points in the first half.
The Buckeyes shot 9-for-28 (32.1 percent) from the field and made just one of their seven attempts from distance -- an uncharacteristic tally for an OSU team that had made 37 percent of its triples.
Wisconsin's defense didn't just force tough shots but made the Buckeyes make mistakes. The Badgers forced nine turnovers during the first half and turned the opportunities into 11 points. Their points off turnovers included a highlight fastbreak dunk by John Tonje that put Wisconsin ahead 17 at halftime.
Though Ohio State's offense matched its first-half point total by the midpoint of the second period, the Badgers had built up enough of a lead to pull out the victory and kept OSU well under its season average of 81 points.
Bruce Thornton (17.1 ppg) was limited to two first-half points before breaking out in the final 20 minutes. He scored Ohio State's first seven points of the period and finished with 21 total points.
Blackwell, Crowl keep rolling
Steven Crowl averaged 16.6 points, 6.4 reb, and 2.0 assists in his last five games while shooting 76.2 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from three during that stretch.
While he wasn't scorching hot Tuesday, shooting 5-10 from the field and 0-for-3 on three-pointers, Crowl finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Blackwell wasn't far behind Crowl, posting a 15-point, six-rebound, two-assist stat line despite missing a pair of clutch free throws. The sophomore guard had averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals in his last four games, including a 32-point outburst against Iowa.
Tonje does just enough for win
Wisconsin has drawn national attention for its performance at the charity stripe, where it leads the country in free throw percentage.
So when the jump shots weren't falling, it wasn't a surprise to see Wisconsin look to draw fouls.
They had plenty of success in the first half, going 13-for-14 at the line and getting the Buckeyes' top two centers -- Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw -- into foul trouble.
However, Wisconsin couldn't replicate its success early in the second half, attempting merely two free throws in the first 10 minutes of the period.
Their failure to draw fouls, paired with a prolonged shooting slump, allowed Ohio State to claw back into the contest and get to within four points.
John Tonje, a 93 percent free throw shooter on 7.2 attempts per game, dragged Wisconsin back to the free throw line in the final six minutes. He attacked the rim relentlessly and made four free throws in a 36-second span before draining a three-pointer to push the Badger advantage up to eight.
Wisconsin went scoreless in the four minutes after Tonje's seven-point burst, allowing Ohio State to get within one point with 14 seconds to play before intentional fouls were exchanged.