Trevon Hughes had 19 of his career-high 26 points in the second half and Wisconsin’s 73-69 win over No. 6 Duke on Wednesday night snapped the Blue Devils’ perfect mark in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.“The Big Ten’s never won, and I think we won it?” teammate Keaton Nankivil asked postgame.
There was Hughes, right on cue: “Yeah, and the first time Duke lost.”
With Illinois’ rally over Clemson and Ohio State’s victory over Florida State, the Big Ten won the 11-year series for the first time, 6-5.
“I’m proud to be a part of the conference when they win something,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. “We’re in it to try to win it.”
It was especially sweet for the Badgers (5-1), who never trailed and got a measure of payback against Duke (6-1) after being routed 82-58 two years ago in a challenge game in Durham, N.C. Wisconsin’s win ended the Blue Devils’ 10-0 streak in the annual event and helped end the ACC’s perfect 10-0 record as well.
Duke, led by Kyle Singler’s 28 points, cut Wisconsin’s 11-point lead with just over 5 minutes left to 70-69 with 5.7 seconds to play on a tip-in by Singler. But after Hughes hit two free throws to make it 72-69, Singler’s inbounds pass to Jon Scheyer was too hard and skipped away. Jordan Taylor’s free throw was the final margin.
