Frank Kaminsky propels No. 4 Wisconsin in rout of Indiana

MADISON, Wis. — Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean was right to fear the matchup problems No. 5 Wisconsin's hyperefficient offense created. For 40 minutes Tuesday night, Indiana got a lesson in just how far away from the top of the conference it is.

The Hoosiers (16-7, 6-4 Big Ten) offered little defensive resistance in a 92-78 loss, Indiana's third in its last four games. Wisconsin (20-2, 8-1) center Frank Kaminsky, the Big Ten's preseason player of the year, scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

Indiana was dealt an early blow – freshman guard and leading scorer James Blackmon Jr. had to sit outTuesday's game with an ankle injury. Grad transfer Nick Zeisloft started in his place.

Without Blackmon, and facing the Big Ten's best offense, Indiana stumbled immediately, allowing Wisconsin a 9-0 run to start the game. Playing through a front line of Sam Dekker, Nigel Hayes and Frank Kaminsky, the Badgers didn't mask their desire to force their size advantage on the undermanned Hoosiers.

Indiana rallied behind eight quick points from Collin Hartman. The Hoosiers actually started the game 5-of-6 from behind the arc, that shooting acumen all that stood between them and the Badgers running away. By the under-8 media timeout, Wisconsin had already scored 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting.

Hot shooting kept Indiana within touching distance throughout the opening 20 minutes. No-resistance defense kept the Hoosiers behind.

Wisconsin shot 17-of-25 (68 percent) from the floor in the first half, and hit 4-of-6 3-pointers. Ten of those 17 made baskets were assisted, as the Badgers offense flowed steadily all half.

Kaminsky ran the paint, scoring 14 points and hitting all eight of his shots in the first half, six from the field and two from the free-throw line.

Zeisloft hit three 3-pointers and led the Hoosiers with nine points in the first half. Hartman added eight, and freshman guard Robert Johnson six.

The second half began for Wisconsin as the first had. The Badgers scored six quick points and IU's hot shooting didn't answer, pulling the Badgers ahead by 14 before IU coach Tom Crean called timeout.

That scoring drought actually lasted more than 7 minutes, from late in the first half until 13:51 in the second. In the intervening time, the Badgers rolled to a 20-point lead, their hyperefficient offense – arguably the country's best – scything through Indiana possession after possession.

Kaminsky continued to boss the action down low. His dominance wasn't illustrated by his scoring so much as it was all the things – establishing post position, keeping himself deep in the paint, catching the ball against overmatched Hoosier defenders – he did to get there.

Indiana couldn't stop Kaminsky. The rim had a better chance – he blew a wide-open dunk late in the second half.

The Hoosiers' own shooting a no-show for too long in the second half, the visitors could do little more than limit the damage Tuesday.

Wisconsin's lead grew to as much as 32 points, before Indiana's shooting finally warmed up, rallying the Hoosiers to a more respectable final score.

After winning five of their first six Big Ten games, the Hoosiers have lost three of four, those three losses coming by an average of 14 points.

Zach Osterman writes for The Indianapolis Star.