MADISON—Bo Ryan called it the most complete game for Wisconsin this season, and it’s not hard to see why. Just look at what the Badgers did to Illinois.Jared Berggren scored 15 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds, and Traevon Jackson added a career-best 14 points to lead Wisconsin over the 12th-ranked Illini 74-51 Saturday.It sure was impressive, though.The Badgers (12-4, 3-0 Big Ten) scored the game’s first 14 points and led by 20 at halftime on the way to their sixth straight win.It was a stunning performance from a team that scored just 47 in its previous game, against Nebraska, but a supposedly slow and methodical group locked into a higher gear and ended the suspense almost as soon as the game began.Whether they were making 3-pointers, driving for layups, putting back misses or throwing down dunks, the Badgers had their way in this one. They outshot Illinois 49.1 percent to 35.3 percent, making 10 of 23 3-pointers, and outrebounded the Illini 43-24.Berggren, a 6-foot-10 senior, had the first double-double of his career and maybe quieted some teammates.

“I don’t care too much about stats,” he said. “But it was definitely something that we joked about in the locker room. The guys always made fun of me when I [would have stat lines like] 12 and 9 or something, I would be like one rebound short. But it’s fun to finally get over the hump.”

Jackson eclipsed his previous high of 13 points, and Sam Dekker scored 13.It was certainly not what Illinois (14-4, 1-3) envisioned coming off a 17-point loss to No. 8 Minnesota. The Illini have lost four of six after winning their first 12 under new coach John Groce.

“At the end of the day, their competitive spirit was better than ours at the start of the game,” Groce said. “That is not acceptable. That is not what we’re about.”

The Illini set a season low for scoring, with star Brandon Paul managing just eight points and making 1 of 11 shots. D.J. Richardson scored 16, but Illinois never had a chance.The Badgers beat the Illini to loose balls. They attacked the glass and rebounded missed free throws, keeping possessions. On defense, they made the day miserable for Illinois.With Jackson and Mike Bruesewitz guarding him, Paul never did find a rhythm.The Badgers led 39-19 at the break, with Jackson scoring 12 in the half after averaging just 4.7 points in the first 15 games. Berggren scored 11, including seven as Wisconsin took a 14-0 lead. His corner 3 and another shot from long range by Ben Brust capped that run. Paul gave Illinois its first point when he made 1 of 2 free throws with 13:13 left in the half, and Joseph Bertrand followed with a jumper to give the Illini their first basket.But the Badgers scored 15 in a row and 18 of 20 to turn a nine-point edge into a 34-9 gulf, starting with three straight 3-pointers.Sam Dekker buried one from the wing to get it going. Brust made one from well beyond the top of the arc, sending a roar through the stands, and Jackson followed with another one from up top after Berggren blocked a driving Paul.

NEW YORK—Joakim Noah loved shutting up the chatter almost as much as shutting down the Knicks.He heard how Carmelo Anthony would come out firing after his suspension, how the Knicks would pay the Bulls back for a tense, testy meeting last month. Turned out to be the same no contest it was last time.Luol Deng scored a season-high 33 points in the Bulls third victory over New York this season, a 108-101 win Friday that sent the Knicks to their season-high third straight loss.

“I think it was a big game. A lot of people watching and everybody was saying the Knicks were going to get revenge for what happened last time, nah, nah, nah,” Noah said, unable to contain his postgame smile. “And we came back, held it down again.”

Noah couldn’t contain his excitement while playing in front of family and friends, even breaking out his gun salute that he vowed to shelve after the shootings at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school, apologetically saying he just got too hyped up.Topping the 29 points he scored here last month, Deng shot 13 of 18 from the field and also led the defensive effort that contained Anthony in the decisive first half of his return from a one-game suspension.Carlos Boozer added 17 points for the Bulls, whose offense won’t be at full strength until Derrick Rose is back from knee surgery, yet they still shot 57 percent. Anthony ended up with 39 points for the Knicks, who were roughed up again a night after losing in Indiana. He shot 14 of 32 but said his struggles had nothing to do with Deng and that he simply missed shots he normally makes.Without starting point guard Raymond Felton and key big men Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace, they lack the depth or sharpness on either end they had during their fast start to the season.

“We definitely don’t want to lose. We’ve got to bounce back, take it one day at a time, one game at a time,” Anthony said. “Sunday is our next game, New Orleans, and that’s a game that we have to go get. It’s a must-win.”

Rose is practicing and nearing his return after tearing up his knee in the opener of last season’s playoffs. The Bulls have managed to stay among the top teams in the East without him, and three times have outclassed a Knicks team that has been in or near the conference lead all season.

“We’ve showed it this year, when we really focus and lock in, whoever we play we’ve been able to play with them, all the top teams, play them close whether we win or lose,” Deng said. “We know that when we show up, and you know, stick to the game plan, we can really play with anyone in this league.”

Richard Hamilton had 14 points as the Bulls won for the fourth time in five games.J.R. Smith shot 4 of 17 for his 13 points as the Knicks lost for the fifth time in seven games. Tyson Chandler grabbed 18 rebounds.The Bulls held the Knicks to then-season lows of 85 points and 32 percent shooting in an eight-point victory in the first meeting, a game Anthony missed because of a finger injury.He played the second one but was in the locker room before it ended, getting thrown out of a game that featured nine technical fouls and four ejections in a game the Bulls were dominating until the Knicks make it look respectable after all the fireworks were finished.This one went the same way with the Bulls building a 25-point lead before a Knicks flurry at the end made it look close on the scoreboard.Anthony sat out Thursday’s 81-76 loss in Indiana for his postgame confrontation with Kevin Garnett after a loss to Boston here Monday, and Knicks coach Mike Woodson hoped the NBA’s second-leading scorer would come out strong.Instead, Anthony missed 10 of his 14 shots in the first half before nearly ending up with another 40-point game to add to the pair he had last week.Boozer had his streak of double-doubles snapped at six, but The Bulls had more than enough to improve to 9-1 against East teams on the road and 16-5 overall against the conference.The Bulls scored the first five points and just kept pouring it on from there. They hit 11 of 19 shots in the first quarter, limited Anthony to 1 of 8 shooting and led by as many as 15 before taking a 29-18 advantage to the second.Having already taken the fans out of the game, the Bulls then turned them on the Knicks. Deng had the last five points of a 17-6 run to open the second that gave the Bulls a 46-24 lead, the boos growing with each basket.The lead peaked at 25 when Deng picked up a turnover and dribbled all the way for a layup, and the Bulls took a 57-36 bulge to the locker room.The Bulls outshot New York 57.5 percent to 29.8 percent in the first half.Consecutive 3-pointers by Steve Novak and Anthony brought the Knicks within 103-96 with 1:07 remaining, but Marco Belinelli hit five free throws from there to close it out.The Knicks announced before the game that Camby, who had been starting, would miss two to four weeks after reinjuring his left foot. Woodson started Kurt Thomas in his forward spot and also benched Ronnie Brewer, who had started all but one of the first 35 games, and gave James White his third start of the season.With Wallace still out with his foot injury and Amare Stoudemire on a minutes restriction as he plays his way back into shape following knee surgery, the Knicks lack the big bodies to face a physical team such as the Bulls.Jason Kidd missed all six shots in a dreadful, no-point, no-assists performance.

NOTES—Woodson wasn’t sure if the Knicks would bring Iman Shumpert with them to London next week for their game against Detroit or leave him back in New York to work out or even play with their NBA Development League team. Shumpert has just been cleared to resume full workouts after tearing his ACL in last year’s playoffs….The Bulls have now won or tied the season series every year since 2001 except 2010-11.

Reggie Arceneaux hit the game-winning shot with 1:35 remaining and Wright State slipped by Loyola 62-61 Friday night.Arceneaux finished the night with a career-high 29 points, including the winning 3-point shot at the end of a 15-6 run. He was 6 of 10 from 3-point range.Cole Darling had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Wright State (13-4, 4-0 Horizon League). Kendall Griffin had six assists.Loyola led 33-23 at halftime, but in the second half, Wright State shot 60.9 percent from the field. Loyola shot 40.7 percent. Also in the second half, Wright State outscored Loyola 39-28.Ben Averkamp led Loyola with 15 points. Christian Thomas had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Devon Turk had 14 points for the Ramblers (10-6, 1-3).Loyola outrebounded Wright State 32-28.Wright State has won five consecutive games.

STATE COLLEGE—Dave Sobolewski scored 18 points and Jared Swopshire added 17 as Northwestern handled cold-shooting Penn State with ease in a 70-54 Big Ten Conference victory Thursday night.The Wildcats (10-6, 1-2) used a 25-4 run over an 11-minute span to lead by as many as 17 points, 33-16, in the first half. Penn State didn’t score a basket for nearly seven minutes during that span.Northwestern shooters maintained their touch after the break, as the Wildcats made 5 of 10 from 3-point range in the second half. Freshman Kale Abrahamson matched his season-high with three 3s in the game.Penn State (8-7, 0-3) struggled all night to find a rhythm offensively. The Nittany Lions, who were led by 20 points from guard D.J. Newbill, shot just 31.6 percent (18 of 57) from the floor and were just 3 of 15 beyond the arc.Nittany Lions coach Patrick Chambers’ frustration was evident as he knelt often at the end of the Penn State bench with his head hung low. The Lions went to a full-court press early in the second half but found little success in slowing down NU.Sobolewski finished a tightly contested layup on a fast break at the 14:07 mark to put Northwestern ahead by 21 points, 45-24. A pair of free throws by Jermaine Marshall cut the Wildcats’ lead to 46-33 with 11:39 remaining, but Northwestern countered with a 10-0 run to keep Penn State at bay.Northwestern relied on the long ball throughout the game, and it was a pair of deep 3-pointers that gave head coach Bill Carmody’s squad momentum during that run. Redshirt freshman Tre Demps hit a 3 from the corner to start the stretch.The Wildcats had four different players score in double-digits, as Reggie Hearn scored 14 and Abrahamson added 10. The crowd of 6,479 at the Bryce Jordan Center began filing out in the waning minutes.

Brandon Jennings stretched out his arms and held his hands just over the ground as he glided toward center court, celebrating another big 3-pointer with one of Nate Robinson’s usual moves.Yup, Jennings was listening to Robinson’s trash talk, and he had the perfect response.The speedy point guard scored 20 of his 35 points in the third quarter, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Bulls 104-96 on Wednesday night for their second consecutive victory under interim coach Jim Boylan.Robinson scored 13 of his 19 points in the first period, but was unable to stop Jennings once he got going in the third.

“A little trash talking before the second half,” Jennings said. “I guess he felt like he had it going, he was getting the best of me. I really don’t take trash talking too kindly because I don’t really do a lot of trash talking. I warned him, so, hey, it happens.”

Mike Dunleavy had 16 points and Monta Ellis finished with 14 for Milwaukee, which made 10 of 22 3-point attempts. Larry Sanders grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked seven shots.

“I think the whole team played well, but obviously Brandon, offensively, really got it going,” Boylan said. “I thought our defense got a little more active, coming up with loose balls. Larry’s presence around the basket is intimidating. Guys go in there and they’re looking for him.”

Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who have dropped their last two games against Milwaukee at United Center. The Bulls blew a 27-point lead in the third quarter as Milwaukee snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Bulls with a 93-92 victory on Nov. 26.

“Just second half, I think they made a lot of tough shots,” Boozer said. “Brandon was amazing. We missed some shots we usually make, and that was the game.”

Boozer has recorded a double-double in six consecutive games while playing some of his best basketball in three seasons with the Bulls. It’s the best such streak for the Bulls since Joakim Noah also had a double-double in six straight games in 2009.The Bucks parted ways with Scott Skiles on Monday in what was called a mutual decision, and turned to his top assistant for at least the rest of the season. Boylan also served as an interim coach for the Bulls when Skiles was let go during the 2007-08 season.

“I told the guys that I’m just gonna have fun with this,” Boylan said. “Coach as well as I can coach, motivate these guys, and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

It was a lot of fun against for the     Bucks, especially when Jennings got on a roll in the third. He was 4 for 7 from long range in the period, including two 3s during a quick 8-0 burst that gave the Bucks a 72-64 lead with 4:48 left.

“Teams go in stretches where they score and score and score,” Robinson said. “It’s like you can’t do nothing about it. But tonight we beat ourselves. Brandon Jennings got hot. It happens.”

Robinson also downplayed his running conversation with Jennings.

“A couple of dirty plays exchanged, but, you know, nothing to complain about,” he said. “It’s basketball.”

Jennings added a key floater in the fourth as the Bucks won for only the seventh time in their last 27 games against the Bulls.Luol Deng scored 18 points for the Bulls, who were seeking a season-best fourth consecutive victory.Robinson got the start in place of Kirk Hinrich, who was sidelined with a right elbow injury. It was the fifth start of the season for the streaky guard, who made three 3-pointers in the first quarter to help the Bulls grab a 33-23 lead after one.The Bulls still held a ten point lead in the final seconds of the first half when Jennings connected from long range, slicing the advantage to 57-50 at the break.

NOTES—Nazr Mohammed was preparing for the second half when a giant inflatable Benny the Bull(The HINDEN-BULL?) landed on him near the free-throw line. The operator quickly got the mascot away from Mohammed, who just smiled as he continued to warm up…..Hinrich has been hampered by a slew of injuries this season. He missed three games in December with a bruised left knee and a game in November because of an injured right hip…..Boylan said before the game he thinks Skiles will coach again…..The crowd roared when Bears CB Charles Tillman was shown on the overhead videoboard before the final period….  Jennings has made at least one 3-pointer in a career-best 22 straight games.

CHAMPAIGN—No. 8 Minnesota (15-1, 3-0 Big Ten) had 50 second-half points and got 19 or more points from three different players to topple the No. 12 Illini 84-67 and stay undefeated in the Big Ten.Joe Coleman finished with a career-high 29 points and Andre Hollins scored 22. Trevor Mbakwe had 19 points and 11 rebounds.The Gophers hit 53 percent of their shots, including 9 for 15 from 3-point range.

“When you shoot well, any team is different,” Gophers coach Tubby Smith said. “And we’ve been shooting well — anybody can step up on any day. Like tonight, Joe Coleman stepped up and played outstanding.”

Illinois (14-3, 1-2) was close at the half trailing 34-30, but lost just four days after beating Ohio State at home by 19 points.Illini coach John Groce seemed stunned by his team’s lack of execution, but more so by the Gophers’ second-half scoring.

“Did I anticipate them going 9 of 15 from 3? No, I didn’t,” he said. “They made them tonight, they made them. I’ve got to give them some credit.”

The Gophers held off a charge by the Illini midway through the second half.Joseph Bertrand pulled Illinois within 44-42 on a short jumper with 12:37 left.But the physical matchup took its toll on the Illini (14-3, 1-2). And as Illinois piled up fouls, Mbakwe connected on a layup with 6:15 to play for a 62-49 lead that Illinois couldn’t overcome.Brandon Paul led Illinois with 21 points. D.J. Richardson and Tracy Abrams each scored 14.The Gophers’ strong second half started with an early 8-2 run that pushed the lead to 42-32.While the Gophers were mostly plodding through the second half’s first five minutes, Illinois struggled even more.The Illini missed their first seven shots of the half and saw their shooting rate for the game drop briefly below 22 percent. They finished at just 34.5 percent and 12.5 percent from 3-point range.At one point, with the shot clock ticking low, the Gophers fumbled with the ball and almost lost it near half court. Hollins finally scooped it up and heaved a desperate shot from half court as the shot clock almost expired. The ball gently slid off the glass and in for a 3-pointer that made the score 42-30.Illinois fought back within 44-42 with 12:37 to play when Bertrand pulled down a big defensive rebound, dribbled the length of the court and connected on a jump shot from inside the paint.The crowd rose with the shot, sensing a comeback. But just as quickly as Illinois got back into the game, it fell back out.Less than a minute after his shot and with Illinois down 46-42, Bertrand headed to the bench with his fourth foul.Hollins made his free throws to put Minnesota back up by six, 48-42 with 11:54 to play.Ten seconds later he hit a 3-pointer that extended that lead to 51-42.Abrams, Bertrand and Egwu each finished with four fouls, and Abrams and Bertrand both picked up theirs with more than nine minutes left in the game.The physical tone was set early.Paul went over Mbakwe just over three minutes into the game for a flying, right-handed dunk that left the Gopher forward on the floor.Less than a minute later, Paul had to leave the floor, cupping a hand under a bloody nose after a foul by Austin Hollins. The senior guard spent the next five minutes on the bench with an ice pack on his nose and, finally, in the locker room.The Illini survived that early stretch just fine. Richardson hit a long 3-pointer with 10:46 left in the half for a 16-11 lead just before Paul returned.The Gophers felt the frustration.

Ryan Broekhoff had 21 points and 10 rebounds as Valparaiso pulled away late for a 75-70 victory against UIC on Wednesday night.LaVonte Dority added 18 points and Kevin Van Wijk 16 for the Crusaders (12-5, 2-1 Horizon League).Gary Talton had 25 points and Josh Crittle 16 for the Flames (10-6, 1-2).In a constantly-close game – there were 13 ties, with the largest lead by either team nine points – Valpo gained a late foothold with consecutive baskets by Broekhoff, Dority and Van Wijk for a 67-61 cushion with 54 seconds remaining. Each time UIC cut the margin to four points, the Crusaders answered.Valpo went 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in the final 12 seconds.Daniel Barnes had eight steals for the Flames, tying a school record.

GREEN BAY—Jordan Fouse had 13 points, 11 rebounds and seven steals Wednesday night and Green Bay never trailed in beating Loyola 58-45.Keifer Sykes scored 11 points and contributed nine assists as the Phoenix (7-9, 1-2) won their Horizon League home opener after losing at Detroit and Wright State. Brennan Cougill added 10 points for UWGB.Loyola made just five shots in the first half, shooting 19 percent, and trailed 28-12 at the break. Devon Turk was the only player in double figures for the Ramblers (10-5, 1-2) with 11 points.Loyola, which had won its previous three road games, ended up at 32 percent from the field while UWGB shot 45 percent.

OXFORD—Aksel Bolin came off the bench for 11 points and Northern Illinois snapped a five-game losing streak, beating Miami (Ohio) 72-61 Wednesday night in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.Darrell Bowie and Abdel Springs added 10 apiece for NIU, which snapped a 13-game road losing streak against Miami.Despite outshooting Northern Illinois 52.4 percent (11 of 21) to 37.5 percent (9 of 24), Miami (5-8) entered halftime tied with the Huskies, 28-all.The second half opened with three ties and four lead changes before Northern Illinois (3-10) jumped ahead for good on a Mike Davis jumper. The Huskies built their lead to as many as 15, 66-51, and led by at least 10 points throughout the final 5 minutes.

COOPERSTOWN—A winning candidate did not emerge from the Hall of Fame balloting conducted by the For the first time since 1996 and for just the eighth time in history, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) has failed to elect anyone to the Hall of Fame.

On Wednesday, the BBWAA announced its 2013 results live on MLB Network, and not one of the 37 candidates eligible for election was named to the necessary 75% of ballots. First-time candidate Craig Biggio came closest, as he was named on 68.2% of ballots (39 votes short of election). In his 14th and penultimate year on the ballot, Jack Morris checked in at 67.7% (up just 1.0% from last year).

As for the elephants in the room, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, in their first appearances on the BBWAA ballot, notched, respectively, 37.6% and 36.2%.

As a consequence, no living inductee will be present at the ceremonies in Cooperstown for the first time since 1960. The Veterans’ Committee previously voted in 19th-century star Deacon White, former Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and umpire Hank O’Day, all deceased.

MLB released the following statement:

“Major League Baseball recognizes that election to the Hall of Fame is our game’s most extraordinary individual honor. Achieving enshrinement in Cooperstown is difficult, as it should be, and there have been seven other years when no one was elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. While this year did not produce an electee, there are many worthy candidates who will merit consideration in the future. We respect both the longstanding process that the Hall of Fame has in place and the role of the BBWAA, whose members have voted in the Hall of Fame’s elections since 1936.”

The BBWAA’s collective decision worsens what’s already a “ballot bottleneck.” In addition to the dozen or so players already eligible that merit serious discussion, worthies like Greg Maddux, Jeff Kent, Frank Thomas, Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina hit the ballot for the first time in 2014.