On Ray Nixon Day at the Kohl Center, the Wisconsin men's basketball team turned back a scrappy performance by Minnesota and captured its ninth conference win by defeating the Gophers 80-74. Junior forward Alando Tucker paced the Badgers (9-5 Big Ten, 19-8 overall) with 22 points and was supported by strong performances from freshman forwards Joe Krabbenhoft (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Kevin Gullikson, who scored a collegiate-high 12 points.
The first half was close throughout as the lead changed hands repeatedly and saw neither team lead by more than six.
Minnesota (5-9, 14-11) was up 38-34 before Tucker took the ball the length of the court and banked in a runner to draw the Badgers within two at the end of the first half.
Playing in his final game at the Kohl Center, senior guard Ray Nixon had a relatively quiet day, scoring seven points on only two field goal attempts and did not score until the 10:43 mark in the second half when he hit a three-pointer to put the Badgers up 52-49, much to the delight of the sellout crowd.
'To see the things he has accomplished over his four years, from not playing very much his first two years and sticking with it ... it's great to see him out there contributing,' Tucker said of his roommate and the Badgers' lone senior.
After Minnesota took the lead at 60-59 with 5:45 to play, sophomore forward Brian Butch hit a jumper to give the Badgers the lead, one which they would never relinquish as Wisconsin scored on 11 of its last 13 possessions and watched the Gophers repeatedly fail to come up with the big shot.
After a tough offensive performance against Northwestern, the Badgers made a concerted effort to attack the rim and it clearly showed on the stat sheet. Wisconsin posted season highs in free throws attempted (36), makes (29), and percentage (80) and hit a perfect 10-of-10 in the final minute of the game to put the Gophers away.
'We did a much better job today than some other games of getting into position and getting post feeds or getting people off their feet, that's how you get to the line,' Ryan said.
After struggling in his first contest against the Gophers earlier this year, Krabbenhoft displayed the substantial progress he has made over the ensuing 12 games and posted his first double-double of the season.
Gullikson, a Minnesota native, came up big against the Gophers and played possibly his best all around game as a Badger.
'You see the points, I see the points, too, but I also see the other things Kevin did. He did a great job,' Ryan said of the Gullikson's play.
The Badgers will next take on Michigan State Thursday in East Lansing, Mich.
