Badgers Singed But Not Scorched In Barn Burner » Brats & Beer

January 10, 2006
posted under: Badgers basketball

It was a close one, but Wisconsin came out on top in the end. UW nearly saw their perfect Big 10 record go down the drain against a never-say-die Minnesota Gophers squad, but Alando Tucker, freshman Joe Krabbenhoft, and Kam Taylor came through when the Badgers needed it at the end to give Wisconsin a 64-62 victory at The Barn. Tucker, who played the final minutes without his protective facemask, hit two layups to give the Badgers the lead while Krabbenhoft and Taylor both made free throws to seal the win. It was a real tale of two halves, though, as UW jumped out to a 25-6 lead early in the game, but Minnesota battled back at the end of the half and kept fighting through the final 20 minutes. A 13-3 run gave Minnesota their first lead of the game with about nine-and-a-half minutes to play. Turnovers almost proved to be the Badgers’ undoing as the Gophers scored 28 points off 22 giveaways.

Having escaped with the ugly win, Wisconsin now stands atop the conference with a 3-0 Big 10 record and a 13-2 mark overall. The Badgers host the 9-4 Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday.