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Michigan Dunks No. 20 Wisconsin


You'd never guess which team was struggling and which was having it best basketball season in a half century.

Michigan, suffering through its worst season in 17 years, continued its domination of Wisconsin Saturday by knocking off the 16th-ranked Badgers 51-39.

Louis Bullock scored 14 points and became the Big Ten's all-time leader in 3-pointers as the Wolverines snapped a four-game skid with its fourth straight victory over the Badgers, who won a school-record 21 games.

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  • As in its 59-55 upset of Wisconsin in Ann Arbor on Dec. 30, the Wolverines (11-18, 5-11 Big Ten) held Wisconsin to 32 percent shooting from the floor.

    "I'm very proud of my basketball team. There was not a lot to play for but they showed a lot of pride and character to be able to put forth that type of effort," Wolverines coach Brian Ellerbe said.

    "Louis Bullock is one of the most underrated players in the country," Ellerbe added. "He has been all his career."

    Robbie Reid and Brandon Smith each added 11 points for the Michigan, which won its first conference road game this season.

    Sean Mason and John Bryant each scored 9 points for Wisconsin, (21-8, 9-7 Big Ten), which lost five of its last seven heading into the Big Ten tournament in Chicago next week.

    "We obviously have run out of gas," Badgers coach Dick Bennett said.

    Ty Calderwood, the Badgers' second-leading scorer, got into early foul trouble and didn't score in just 15 minutes of playing time.

    And the Badgers missed 14 of their first 17 shots before Charlie Wills came off the bench to hit three buckets and keep Wisconsin in it. Without Wills, the Badgers were just 4-of-21 from the floor at halftime, when they trailed 26-17.

    Josh Asselin and Michigan enjoyed a laugher vs. Wisconsin.
    Josh Asselin and Michigan enjoyed a laugher vs. Wisconsin. (AP)

    Bullock, Michigan's leading scorer with a 20.9 average, missed seven minutes in the early going after banging his right elbow. But his banked 3-pointer with 1:06 left in the first half that made him the Big Ten's all-time leader with 333 career 3-pointers.

    "What a way to break it, with a bank shot," Bullock said. "I told my teammates that I called it, but it was just a lucky shot. One good thing is to do something that I'll cherish and be proud of and still get a win."

    "Now we have something to build on. We have some confidence."

    "And the Badgers' confidence is shot," Calderwood said.

    "Our chemistry's not there like it was early in the season," he said. "Something is not right. We're turning into a jump-shooting team. That's all we do, shoot jumpers all day. We never get into the lane, never get any mid-range shots."

    With 13 minutes left and the Badgers down 36-24, Bennett replaced his three-guard lineup with three big men to counter Michigan's taller defenders.

    But the Wolverines went on a 15-5 run thanks to three 3-pointers by Reid for a 51-32 advantage.

    ©1998 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

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