MADISON, Wisconsin -- Believe it or not, Ohio State entered Saturday afternoon sporting its worst defense of the Chris Holtmann era.

Allowing 67.7 points per game and checking in at No. 76 nationally (and third-worst in the Big Ten) in Ken Pomeroy’s defensive efficiency rankings, the Buckeyes have looked quite different in Holtmann's third season at the helm.

In their 74-62 win over No. 10 Wisconsin on Saturday, however, that gritty, defensive mentality of Ohio State teams of years past reemerged for long stretches of time.

“We have to improve in our overall defensive effort and defensive attention to detail, and continue to do that," Holtmann said following the win. "But I think the progress and growth of this group has been incredibly rewarding for us as a coaching staff.”

Holtmann’s side was well-prepared from the jump, taking a quick lead and limiting a top-20 Wisconsin offense to 33 percent shooting in the first half en route to its fourth ranked win of the season.

The Buckeyes limited a bruising Wisconsin team to 22 points in the paint and out-rebounded the home side by five, playing interior defense that would make a brick wall proud for the majority of the evening against a largely post-centric offense.

Bringing back senior point guard C.J. Walker after a hand injury ended up providing much-needed defensive awareness for Ohio State on the perimeter, according to Holtmann.

“I don’t think he gets credited enough for it," Holtmann said of his senior captain. "One, he’s a tremendous talker defensively. Tremendous talker. He sees things and he competes; sometimes he competes a little too hard defensively and he gets in foul trouble. But he really competes defensively.”

When all was said and done, the Badgers had only shot 40 percent from the field and 25 percent from distance, their second-lowest mark of the season from outside.

They struggled to get to the free throw line for long periods and only connected on nine shots from the charity stripe in this game. For a team scoring nearly one-fourth of its points from the line, nine made attempts is a win for the Ohio State defense.

Though they may be significantly undersized, Ohio State’s trio of big men have become the anchors of a constantly-competing unit.

Zed Key, E.J. Liddell, and Kyle Young were everywhere in this game, grabbing rebounds, providing a body for every Wisconsin look inside, and limiting post touches and efficiency from the Badgers’ host of threats under the rim.

Very few Wisconsin players found consistent, efficient success, most of which came late in the second half when the Badgers caught fire for a brief stretch.

“It never felt like a game was even close to in-hand. To me, it felt like a possession game every game, because it’s almost how you gotta play against Wisconsin," Holtmann said. "The moment you’re undisciplined with them, they take full advantage.”

For the most part, Ohio State controlled the paint, an aspect that has won (and lost) this team multiple games this season.

In a place like Madison-- where the Buckeyes have just three wins over the past 10 years-- seemingly every game is a grind for opposing teams.

Fans or no fans, the fact that Ohio State controlled a top-10 Wisconsin squad for every second of a game in the Kohl Center is a massive success.

“When we go on the road, we have a different mindset. We gotta execute and keep staying connected throughout the whole time, because they’re gonna have their runs," Liddell said. "It’s their place; they’re used to it. They practice here almost every day. I just felt like we had to stay connected.”

On Tuesday, Holtmann and company couldn’t match Purdue in a grind-it-out affair.

This time around, it was very different.

For nearly 40 minutes, Ohio State had a hand near every shooter’s face, an answer for every backdoor cut, and a rebound on almost every Wisconsin missed shot.

In its biggest win of the season to date, Ohio State showcased the toughness and resiliency Holtmann wants to define his team in Big Ten play.

“They’ve bounced back from losses very well. They come to work," Holtmann said of his team. "They’re competitive. They feel losses.”