Senior swingman Charles Matthews had 18 points and junior center Jon Teske tied career highs with 17 points and 12 rebounds as No. 7 Michigan retained sole possession of first place in the Big Ten by cooling off No. 19 Wisconsin 61-52 on Saturday.
The Wolverines (22-2, 11-2 Big Ten) avenged one of their two losses and remained undefeated at home. The Badgers, who saw their six-game winning streak snapped, ended the Wolverines' 17-game winning streak with a 64-54 home victory on Jan. 19.
Jordan Poole added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Wolverines while Isaiah Livers contributed nine points off the bench.
The Badgers (17-7, 9-4) were led by Ethan Happ, who racked up 18 points and 11 rebounds. Nate Reuvers and Brad Davison had nine points apiece and D'Mitrik Trice chipped in eight.
The Wolverines shot 44.6 percent from the field and held the Badgers to 40.7 percent shooting.
The game was tied at 27 at halftime.
The Badgers got off to a quick start and held the lead for over 14 minutes, as Michigan's biggest lead was two points. Happ carried Wisconsin's offense with 14 points, though he also made four turnovers. Poole and Teske combined for 15 points and 10 rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
Neither side scored during the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half. Teske ended the drought with a pair of free throws. His three-point play with 14:35 left gave Michigan a five-point lead at 36-31.
Trice drilled a 3-pointer midway through the half to cut Michigan's lead to 42-40. Davison made another with 7:34 left to pull Wisconsin within one.
Matthews answered with a jumper. Teske converted a three-point play with 5:57 remaining but Reuvers' 3-pointer moments later once again made it a one-point game.
Zavier Simpson's layup with 3:52 remaining gave Michigan a 53-50 advantage. Both sides came up empty for more than two minutes until Matthews knocked down a baseline jumper. He drained a shot in the lane with 23 seconds left to clinch the win.
--Field Level Media
Wisconsin | Michigan | |
Ethan Happ 18 | Scoring | Charles Matthews 18 |
Brad Davison 1 | Assists | Zavier Simpson 5 |
Ethan Happ 11 | Rebounds | Jon Teske 12 |
N/A | Free Throws Made | Jon Teske 4 |
Brad Davison 1 | Steals | Zavier Simpson 3 |
Nate Reuvers 3 | Blocks | Jon Teske 3 |