No. 11 Wisconsin gets physical, brushes aside No. 23 Maryland

MADISON, Wis. — Nigel Hayes was in vintage form, going strong to the hoop. Bronson Koenig returned from a leg injury to provide a jump-shooting boost off the bench.

No. 11 Wisconsin played like it was fighting to get into the NCAA Tournament, even if the Badgers virtually are guaranteed to be playing into mid-March.

Hayes scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half, and Ethan Happ had 20 points to help Wisconsin beat No. 23 Maryland 71-60 in a choppy, foul-filled game Sunday.

The Badgers (22-5, 11-3) snapped a twogame skid and stayed in a tie atop the Big Ten standings with Purdue.

Melo Trimble scored 27 points for the Terrapins (22-5, 10-4).

After consecutive losses to Northwestern and Michigan — two squads looking to pad their resumes to get into the NCAAs — Wisconsin took the court with the mindset of a bubble team trying to prove a point.

“I would definitely say ‘Yes,’ that’s kind ROUNDUP of why we dropped the last two,” Hayes said when asked if his team was playing with a sense of urgency.

Koenig scored all nine of his points in the second half, giving the Badgers a lift with his jump shot after the senior missed a game with a nagging left calf injury. Wisconsin shot 51 percent in the second half.

The Badgers pulled away slowly, turning a six-point halftime deficit into a 12-point edge with three minutes to go.

No. 20 Creighton 87, Georgetown 70 — At Omaha, Neb., Marcus Foster scored 35 points for the Bluejays (22-5, 9-5 Big East), who shot 53 percent. The Hoyas (1413, 5-9) shot 38.5 percent while missing 19 of 22 3-point attempts.

No. 24 Butler 82, DePaul 66 — At Indianapolis, Nate Fowler scored 15 points for the Bulldogs (21-6, 10-5 Big East), who went on a 21-0 run spanning halftime. Eli Cain scored 24 points for the Blue Demons (8-19, 1-13), who have lost 10 straight.