Ohio State @ Wisconsin

Ohio State knocked off Wisconsin 27-15 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on January 21, 2024 in a Big Ten dual. The Badgers picked up a pair of big bonus victories, but Ohio State’s multiple bonus-point finishes ultimately made the difference.

Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett staked his team with a fall over Brendan McCrone, a six-point swing that kept the dual competitive. That advantage was countered when Ohio State started racking up bonus points of its own: Nic Bouzakis delivered a 19-11 major decision and Jesse Mendez followed with a dominant 21-5 technical fall, a sequence that swung scoring toward the Buckeyes and created separation on the scoreboard.

Nick Feldman’s technical fall at heavyweight essentially sealed the outcome, preserving Ohio State’s margin and quelling any late comeback hopes. Those three Ohio State bonus wins, paired with other quality decisions from the Buckeyes, produced the cushion Wisconsin could not overcome despite Dean Hamiti’s and Shane Liegel’s hard-fought bonus wins for the Badgers.

In the end the match was decided by bonus-point wrestling: Wisconsin’s handful of bonus results kept it within reach, but Ohio State’s majors and tech fall wins proved the decisive edge in Madison.