Hoosiers lose last-second heartbreaker

MADISON, Wis. -- With 10.1 seconds left and IU and Wisconsin tied at 60, the Hoosiers faced the same situation as they did in Sunday's win against Michigan State.\nThis time, however, the Hoosiers couldn't execute.\nWisconsin's Alando Tucker air-balled a three from the left wing, but Mike Wilkinson rebounded. Wilkinson missed his twisting shot, but Tucker wouldn't be denied as he grabbed Wilkinson's miss off the rim and layed it in as time expired to give the Badgers a 62-60 victory.\n"It was a spot where it was coming right to me and I just grabbed the ball and layed it in," Tucker said.\nIU coach Mike Davis said the Hoosiers played aggressively.\n"I just think coming in here we know it would be a challenge for us," Davis said. "We played the best game we can play."\nThe exact same situation happened Sunday against Michigan State, but the Hoosiers rebounded Kelvin Torbert's missed 3-pointer.\nSophomore Roderick Wilmont was guarding Tucker on the play and forced the sophomore into the bad miss. But Wilmont couldn't keep him off the glass.\n"I should have boxed (Tucker) out," Wilmont said. "I was going up for the rebound too. He got a lucky bounce and he got the ball and scored."\nThe officials consulted the courtside video monitors, but quickly ruled that Tucker's shot counted.\nWilmont had tied the game at 60 after scoring on an offensive rebound following junior Bracey Wright's miss.\nTucker's basket was the first Wisconsin basket since the 9:35 mark in the game.\n"Our guys grew up again tonight," Davis said. "I thought our guys had a chance to win and came up short. To come on the road and hold a team without a field goal for nine minutes, we should win the game." \nThe Hoosiers failed to win their second game against a ranked opponent in three days with the loss to No. 20 Wisconsin. IU had beaten No. 10 Michigan State Sunday to bolster its NCAA Tournament résumé.\nThe Badger's win, however, puts the Hoosiers' backs to the wall again heading into the regular season finale against Northwestern, 4:30 p.m. Saturday and the Big Ten Tournament the following weekend.\nThe last time IU beat two ranked opponents in consecutive games was in January 2002 when the Hoosiers beat then-No. 25 Michigan State and No. 13 Iowa.\nWisconsin's Wilkinson wouldn't allow IU to repeat the feat though as the senior forward scored 28 to lead the Badgers. Tucker had 17.\nIU trailed by seven at half and, unlike the Hoosiers' last visit to the Kohl Center, hung with the Badgers throughout. The Hoosiers fell behind early in the first half, but sensing the game's importance, showed resiliency by scrapping and clawing their way back in it.\nIU trailed by one at 55-54 with 3:10 to play after junior Marshall Strickland's basket and a foul. Strickland missed the free throw, but the Hoosiers gained their first lead on the next possession when Wright hit a pull-up jumper just inside the 3-point line.\nThe teams traded leads for the next two minutes and were tied at 60 with Wisconsin possessing ball. The rest is history as the Badgers continue their dominance in the Kohl Center as they're 29-1 in Big Ten games under current Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.\nIU hadn't beaten Wisconsin in Madison since Jan. 25, 1998.\nIU started slowly, and Wisconsin led by 10 six minutes into the game. The Hoosiers battled back to cut the lead to five and three points, respectively, but each time Wilkinson stretched the Badger lead back out to double-digits. Wilkinson had 19 first-half points on 8 of 9 shooting. \n-- Contact Staff Writer John \nRodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.