Madison, WI (My Sportsbook) - Jamar Butler's three-point try at the horn slammed off the back rim -- capping a disappointing two days for Ohio State's two prized programs -- and third-ranked Wisconsin held on to down the fifth- ranked Buckeyes, 72-69, in a battle of Big Ten contenders at the Kohl Center.

One night after the top-ranked football program behind Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith laid an egg in the national championship game against Florida, the basketball team failed in its third attempt for a marquee road victory.

The Buckeyes have also lost road contests at North Carolina and Florida.

The score wasn't indicative of Wisconsin's dominance over the game's first 36 minutes. Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor took the ball right at Greg Oden without fear, finishing around the rim and reaching the foul line.

Tucker was 8-of-18 for 17 points while Taylor made 12-of-16 from the charity stripe and scored 25 points. The strategy also saddled Oden on the offensive end, as the freshman standout failed to score in the first half while picking up two early fouls.

The Badgers (16-1, 2-0 Big Ten) improved to 40-2 in conference games under head coach Bo Ryan at the Kohl Center.

Ivan Harris led a furious Buckeye rally from 16 points down to within a Butler three of overtime. Harris scored 15 of his 17 points from beyond the arc, while Ron Lewis netted 14 and Butler added 12. Oden did finish with 10 points, seven rebounds and six blocks.

Yet, it wasn't enough for Ohio State (13-3, 2-1), which has now lost to the current top three ranked clubs.

Wisconsin reeled off 14 straight points during the second half, a spurt that featured relentless penetration from both Taylor and Tucker. At one point, Taylor had the ball knocked away on the way up, only to recover in mid air and flip the ball off the glass and through the basket before hitting the ground.

It was a sign of Wisconsin's fearless game plan that put Ohio State on its heels.

The Buckeyes lived along the perimeter until it was too late, finally getting Oden involved in a furious final push.

Oden jammed one home to make the score 69-64 with 37 seconds left, then Taylor made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. Lewis buried a trey on the other end to trim the deficit to three with 25 seconds left.

Ohio State fouled Joe Krabbenhoft, and the big man made the first of two foul shots to make it a two-possession game. Butler slashed into the lane and dished it off to Oden for a slam drawing the Buckeyes within 71-69 with 12 seconds remaining.

Taylor calmly made the first free throw, but rimmed out the second to give the Buckeyes hope. Butler worked off a high screen and had a good look from just above the right wing to no avail.

The back-and-forth first half saw the Buckeyes draw within 29-28 on Harris' three-pointer with 41 ticks to play. The Badgers called a timeout and got the ball to Tucker, who slipped through the lane and drained an off-balance bank shot just before the buzzer for the halftime score.

Game Notes

Wisconsin shot 44.6 percent from the floor, while the Buckeyes made 38.3 percent of their shots...The game featured four ties and three lead changes...Ohio State drained 12 three-pointers (12-of-26), and Wisconsin drained just 5-of-16 from long distance.