The No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers (3-1) and the No. 12 Maryland Terrapins (3-1) added another installment to their growing list of classic encounters Tuesday night after Wisconsin emerged victorious in a hard-fought 69-65 game and gave the Big Ten its only win in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge thus far.
The game was close throughout, each team exchanging runs back and forth. With such a tight match-up, depth ultimately proved to be the difference. Wisconsin's reserves outscored Maryland's 26-5, and senior guard Sharif Chambliss and freshman center Brian Butch provided huge sparks off the bench. Chambliss was especially effective, scoring 15 points in his 26 minutes of duty.
\Any time you get a player coming off the bench, and having the stats that [Chambliss] did, obviously, that's a great contribution,"" Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams said. ""And that's what you want your bench to be, and we didn't get a lot out of our bench tonight.""
Chambliss provided the perfect complement to sophomore forward Alando Tucker, who scored a game-high 27 points. Tucker shouldered much of the scoring load in the first half, but in the second half, Maryland's increased pressure seemed to take its toll. Though Tucker managed just seven points in the second half, Chambliss chipped in eight and senior Zach Morley helped the cause with 12 points in the half.
A strong defensive performance was also pivotal in turning the game in Wisconsin's favor. Two of Maryland's top three scorers, junior guard John Gilchrist and junior forward Nik Caner-Medley, were held well below their season averages, thanks to hounding defense by the Badgers. Caner-Medley went two for nine, had seven points and turned the ball over six times, while Gilchrist finished two for 14 from the field with just six points. Williams had only praise for the staunch UW defense.
""Wisconsin plays good defense,"" Williams said. ""That's part of the deal. They did a good job and I think they took [Gilchrist] out of his game.""
Yet despite Gilchrist and Caner-Medley's poor nights, the Terrapins were never out of the game and even had a chance to win it in the final moments. With Wisconsin leading 66-61 and under a minute remaining, Chambliss went to the free-throw line to seemingly clinch the game. But Chambliss missed on both throws and Maryland took advantage as Caner-Medley emerged from his slump to knock down a three-pointer.
Morley then went one for two from the line, giving the Badgers a 67-64 lead. Maryland had the ball and 17 seconds to tie the game, but Chambliss atoned for his missed free throws as he knocked the ball out of Gilchrist's hands. Morley recovered the loose ball and was fouled. He proceeded to make both of his free throws, sealing the win for the Badgers.
After the game, UW Head Coach Bo Ryan was glad to see his team could compete with a squad the caliber of the Terrapins.
""[Maryland] didn't win the ACC Tournament last year and do what they've done without being able to finish games like that,"" Ryan said. ""We just happened to finish a little better.""
It is a huge win for Wisconsin coming off of an ugly loss against Pepperdine Saturday night in California. Tucker called the win a ""statement game"" and said redeeming themselves after the debacle at Pepperdine was ""big-time motivation."" Ryan was equally pleased with how his team bounced back.
""I am pretty excited,"" Ryan said. ""I don't get too high or too low, so I didn't get too low after Saturday, and I don't have to get too high tonight. I like the way we responded tonight. ... There were no pity parties thrown-the guys just came and played tonight.""
