Big Ten Roundup (Jan. 17): Wisconsin Beats Penn State, Snaps Losing Streak

Wisconsin star Tyler Wahl returned from an ankle injury and Connor Essegian got his first start, and it all added up to a 63-60 win over Penn State, snapping a three-game losing streak. Here's our Big Ten roundup for Tuesday.

Wisconsin really missed senior forward Tyler Wahl the past week or so, losing all three games when he was out with an ankle injury. He was back on Tuesday night, and his presence was felt in the Badgers' 63-60 win over Penn State in Madison.

Coach Greg Gard threw Wahl right back into the starting lineup, and also did the same with freshman Connor Essegian, giving the guard a well-deserved first start. Throw in a nice night from center Steven Crowl as well — he had 21 points and 11 rebounds — and the Badgers are back in business after losing to Michigan State, Illinois and Indiana in a tough eight-day window without Wahl. 

Wisconsin, which fell out of the top-25 last week, is now 12-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten. Point guard Chucky Hepburn hit two free throws with 7.8 seconds to put the Badgers ahead by three and Penn State’s Andrew Funk missed a last-second three-pointer as the game ended.

“I'm really proud of our guys with how they've continued to persevere and stay the course and trust everything and find a way," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. "It hasn’t been a real fun last 10 days around here, but these guys have stayed with us and continued to battle and I’m really happy that they get rewarded for their efforts and their commitment.

"Obviously, having Tyler back helps. But we got a lot of contributions across the board and we were able to get stops there at the end when we needed to."

Penn State (12-6, 3-4 in the Big Ten) was playing its first game in six days after beating the Hoosiers by 19 points last Wednesday in State College.. This was their third loss in four games. The Nittany Lions have lost 22 consecutive games in Madison, including all 19 at the Kohl Center.

Crowl bounced back nicely from a five-point outing at Indiana, where he was completely outplayed by Trayce Jackson-Davis.  "He has turned into a grown man," Wahl said of Crowl. "He is a force in this league."

Essegian had 10 points and three rebounds in his first start, replacing Jordan Davis in the lineup. And now, with Wahl back, the Badgers are hoping to get right back in the Big Ten race. They have road games at Northwestern (Saturday) and Maryland (Wednesday) before returning home to play Illinois on Jan. 28. We'll have to keep an that Northwestern game, though. The Wildcats were forced to postpone Wednesday's game at Iowa because of COVID-19 issues inside the program. 

"Our players needed this because they’ve been putting forth everything they have," Gard said. "It hasn’t been easy without Tyler. It probably wasn’t going to be easy with Tyler. But to see them get rewarded, and the smiles in the locker room and the celebrations … just find a way in this league. Because you’re going to go through (tough) stretches."

Wednesday's games

• OHIO STATE at NEBRASKA, 7 p.m. ET: Two teams on the skids get together in Lincoln on Wednesday night, with Ohio State looking to snap a four-game losing streak. Nebraska has lost two in a row as well. This is their only meeting this season. TV: Big Ten Network. Point spread: Ohio State is a 6-point favorite according to the SISportsbook.com gambling website. The over/under is 137.
• NORTHWESTERN at IOWA, ppd. (COVID): The game has been postponed because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols at Northwestern. No makeup date has been announced. 

Thursday's games

• NO. 23 RUTGERS at MICHIGAN STATE, 6:30 p.m. ET:  Rutgers (13-5, 5-2) moved into the AP top-25 for the first time this season after winning seven of its last eight games. Michigan State (12-6, 4-3) has lost two in a row against Illinois and Purdue. TV: FOX Sports 1.
• MICHIGAN at MARYLAND, 7 p.m. ET: Michigan (10-7, 4-2) has lost its last two Big Ten road games, and Maryland (11-6, 2-4) has a 1-3 record in January. TV: ESPN
• NO. 3 PURDUE at MINNESOTA, 7 p.m. ET:  Purdue (17-1, 6-1) is in first place in the Big Ten, and Minnesota (7-9, 1-5) is in last place. TV: ESPN2
• INDIANA at ILLINOIS: 8:30 p.m. ET: Indiana (11-6, 2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Wisconsin on Saturday, and Illinois (13-5, 4-3) has won four in a row. TV: FOX Sports 1

Saturday's games

• WISCONSIN at NORTHWESTERN: Noon ET on Big Ten Network
• IOWA at OHIO STATE: 2 p.m. ET on FOX
• NEBRASKA at PENN STATE: 2:15 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network

Sunday's games

• MICHIGAN STATE at INDIANA: Noon ET on CBS
• MINNESOTA at MICHIGAN: 1 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network
• MARYLAND at PURDUE: 1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

Related stories on Big Ten basketball

• BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS: Rutgers keeps on winning and is 5-2 in the Big Ten now, moving all the way up to No. 2 in our rankings behind Purdue. Here are our Volume 4 rankings from 1-through-14 with movement in every spot from 2 through 12. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE: Tickets for the 2023 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament go on sale at Noon ET on Tuesday. The tournament takes place at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. from March 8-12. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN ROUNDUP (Jan. 16): Illinois won its fourth straight game with a win at Minnesota and No. 3 Purdue got a late basket from Zach Edey to beat Michigan State. CLICK HERE