Jan 15 2013, Indianapolis, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Cody Zeller (40) takes a shot in the lane against Wisconsin Badgers forward Jared Berggren (40) at Assembly Hall. Wisconsin defeats Indiana 64-59. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

A sea of long, somber faces walked out of Assembly Hall late last night after a disappointing battle between the Hoosiers and Badgers.

Only Monday were the Hoosiers (15-2, 3-1) deemed the No. 2 spot, but last night’s performance didn’t quite reach those expectations. The 64-59 loss for the Hoosiers against the unranked Badger’s was unexpected, especially with the game housed at Assembly Hall. But the Wisconsin team came to play, knew what they wanted, and they got it.

The Badgers now have 11 straight wins against Indiana, and because of last night, hold first place in the Big Ten. With four players in double digits, Wisconsin (13-4, 4-0) simply made the shots that we didn’t.

There is no doubt some Hoosier fans are blaming the officiating. Sitting in the balcony, my fellow students were pretty feisty. I was almost sure I was going to get an unintentional elbow at some point. But the fact that the Hoosiers shot a measly 37% from the floor… Now that’s unbelievable.

Going off that sad statistic, we probably picked the wrong game to set season lows for assists, blocks, field goals made, field goal percentage, steals, three-pointers, three-point percentage, and total points.

But the entire 40 minutes was still a see-saw between the two teams. Cody Zeller led the Hoosiers with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but with a surprising 1-7 in the second half thanks to inside pressure from the Badgers. And the bench wasn’t much help either contributing two whole points to the game.

But no need to worry. March Madness is still right around the corner.

The Hoosiers head to Northwestern on Sunday, January 20th at 1:00pm.

Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

This season is the 75th Anniversary of NCAA March Madness. In honor of the anniversary, NCAA.com has launched fan voting to determine the best players, teams, and moments in March Madness history. Voting opened yesterday and will continue until polls close March 24th.

Of course, no March Madness history lesson would be complete without Hoosier Nation. Five former Indiana stars are nominated for the All-March Madness team: Scott May (’75-’76), Kent Benson (’75-’76), Isiah Thomas (’80-’81), Steve Alford (’84-’87), and Keith Smart (’87-’88). In addition, the 1976 Bob Knight led Indiana squad that captured the NCAA Title in perfect fashion (32-0) is nominated for best team over the 75 year span.

Maybe the most intriguing portion of the fan vote is for the best “moments” of the 75 year history of March Madness. In Bloomington, I’m sure a vote to determine the best Hoosier moments alone would cause a stir, but the NCAA has narrowed it down to two: the perfect 1976 National Championship run, and of course, “The Shot” from Keith Smart to win the 1987 National Title. One might find it hard to dub a 32-0 National Championship season just one “moment”, but the accomplishment obviously can’t be overshadowed. Since Bob Knight brought home that third banner in ’76, only two teams have made it to the tournament undefeated and none have won the title.

So now it’s time to do what Hoosier Nation does best. Just like we did for C.Wat’s shot one year ago, we need to get out and vote for our Hoosiers. Indiana University basketball and its following take great pride in the history of the program, and there’s no doubt the program deserves to be recognized for its great accomplishments over the 75 year history of March Madness.

Here’s the link, get out and vote:  March Madness Fan Voting