E.J. Liddell vs. Wisconsin River (Photo: Steve Helwagen, 247Sports)

Year in and yr out, WI is known as one of the body politi's best defensive teams.

Simply connected Saturday IT was Ohio State's defense – and just as meaningful, its defensive attitude rebounding – that helped the Buckeyes send the Badgers home to Madison with a loss.

No. 21 Ohio State held Nobelium. 22 Wisconsin to 34 per centum shooting in taking a 73-55 Big Ten men's basketball win at Value Metropolis Sports stadium. OSU held a commanding 49-28 edge up rebounding, limiting Wisconsin to just one shot on most possessions.

"This was a prize convert a real number lineament team up and syllabu," OSU coach Chris Holtmann said. "We know how great Wisconsin is and how consistent they've been and how well coached they are. Evidently, they had an emotional win (over Indiana) a duet of nights ago. I give our guys a lot of credit.

"Outside of about turnovers early and some of the sloppy plays in that particular area, I was genuinely proud with our effort here. We had a good enough workweek. We had a touring win (at Penn State), a tough gain ground (over Towson) at Wed and we through up with a home win."

The Buckeyes (8-2, 2-0 Big Tenner) won their fourth unpermed game and also improved to 3-1 against ranked opponents. Meanwhile, the Badgers (8-2, 1-1) had their six-game winning streak snapped.

Forward E.J. Liddell led Ohio State with 28 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Helium was a spiffy 11 of 16 from the ball over (1 of 3 connected threes) and 5 of 7 at the foul railway line.

"He is much a artillery," Holtmann said. "The kid can roll of bed and buzz off you 15 or 20. It's just how he's wired. Helium's ever been that direction. We've been able to travel him around and play him a lot of different positions schematically with his increased versatility. That's what helps."

Liddell added, "When we do the simple things and take care of the ball, I feel like we get a great colorful every metre. We'Re going to keep construction and preserve getting better and guys will keep adding assurance. Everybody is upcoming off the bench and qualification great efforts."

Liddell talked about the importance of limiting Wisconsin to round.

"We didn't want to give them secondly chance shots," he said. "We had each 5 guys on the glass. Nobody was leaking proscribed. We wanted information technology more it felt like."

OSU guard duty Jamari Wheeler talked about what it substance to have a guy like Liddell finishing tough shots in and around the paint.

"It's great," Wheeler said. "He needs to keep playing the elbow room he has been playing. He plays like a Canis familiaris and we go along following him. He's playing to his level."

Center Zed Key added 11 points and eight rebounds, going 5 of 7 from the floor. Kyle Young had five points and a career-high 14 rebounds.

Wheeler had nine points, five rebounds and five assists. Meechie Johnson added eight points, while Cedric Russell scored seven.

This game was played more at Ohio State's pace. Wisconsin came into the game 27th nationwide in points allowed (59.1 per game) and 59th in field goal percentage defense (39.3 percent). But the Buckeyes hit 50 percent of their shots (29 of 58). OSU's 73 points were the instant-most allowed by the Badgers this season.

Wisconsin led by as many as eight points halfway through the first half as OSU struggled with 10 first of all-fractional turnovers. The Buckeyes rallied for a 34-29 halftime result and gradually improved the lede in the second half. OSU sole had quadruplet moment-half turnovers.

"Outside of our turnovers, we've been one of the best offensive teams in the country," Holtmann aforementioned. "Regular in spite of our turnovers, really. We have a top 10 offense again. We will see if we buttocks be consistent with that. Only our versatility along the front line helps. If our guard play can continue to grow -- I thought we had some good moments from some of them this evening – that will allow us to keep on to have an elite offense."

Guard Johnny Davis led Wisconsin with 24 points, 7 rebounds, three assists and iii steals.

Guard Brad Davison added 13 points and five rebounds for the Badgers.

How stony a day was information technology for Wisconsin? Miles Davis and Davison were a united 15 of 34 from the floor. Their teammates were a combined 7 of 31 (22.6 percent), including 1 of 13 on threes. Wisconsin managed just Little Phoeb offensive rebounds for the unfit.

"Credit to Ohio River State," Wisconsin train Greg Gard said. "I opinion E.J. Liddell was really good. I thought we got a little out of sync in the middle take off of the first half. They got reverberating a little bit. We were never able to get back into a rhythm method of birth control offensively like we had been.

"I thought we were in good order defensively. Offensively, we were out of sorts for the majority of the halting."

The Giant Ten Network reported that OSU's leash wins against ranked teams are believed to be the almost by any Big Cardinal team before Christmas in the last 20 years. And the Buckeyes can bring to it next Saturday when they face No. 10 Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas.

"When we hunt down our stuff, I feel like we are the incomparable team in the nation easily," Liddell said matter-of-factly. "When everybody is doing the simple things, making the right plays and taking the right shots, I think we can be up there with anybody."

Holtmann was asked around Liddell's bold judgment.

"I love confident players," the coach same. "I haven't seen every team up in the country … I just want US to represent the top-grade version of us."