Happ keeps Wisconsin on top down the stretch

Staying close to his man on the perimeter, Ethan Happ anticipated Josh Newkirk’s pass and maneuvered his 6-foot-10 frame around Indiana forward De’Ron Davis for a steal.

Happ converted the turnover into a layup on the break with 3 minutes 33 seconds to play for one of the few easy looks that No. 10 Wisconsin had down the stretch in a 65-60 victory over the Hoosiers on Sunday at Madison, Wisc.

Happ scored 20 points and gave his team a defensive spark, and Nigel Hayes had 15 and 10 rebounds.

“When it gets late in the game, you’re going to dig deep,” Happ said.

The Badgers (20-3, 9-1 Big Ten Conference) won their seventh consecutive game and took sole possession of first place in the league.

The 6-8 Hayes joined Happ to give the Hoosiers problems up front. But the Badgers were plagued by mistakes and missed foul shots earlier in the game after building a 12-point lead midway through the first half.

Indiana (15-9, 5-6) stayed within two or three possessions of Wisconsin for much of the final 30 minutes.

Newkirk led the Hoosiers with 22 points.

at No. 15 Florida State 109, Clemson 61: Dwayne Bacon tied a career high with 29 points and the Seminoles (20-4, 8-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) rolled. The sophomore guard has scored in double figures in 34 consecutive games. The 48point margin marks Florida State’s biggest win in conference history, surpassing the 36-point victory over Virginia in 1994. Avry Holmes led the Tigers (13-9, 3-7) with 15 points.

No. 12 North Carolina 83, No. 20 Notre Dame 76: Justin Jackson scored 16 points to help the Tar Heels (21-4, 9-2 ACC) win a game postponed a day and relocated from their campus to Greensboro, N.C., because of a water shortage. V.J. Beachem scored 20 points for the Fighting Irish (17-7, 6-5), who lost for the fifth time in six games. North Carolina led by 15 points midway through the second half but Notre Dame cut the deficit to 75-73 on Beachem’s three-pointer from the corner with 3:47 left. But Joel Berry II answered with a jumper at the 3:33 mark to start an 8-0 run and turn away the comeback.