Hayes, Wisconsin cruise past Northwestern

Freshman reserve Nigel Hayes had a career-high 19 points and Wisconsin remained unbeaten with an easy 76-49 victory over Northwestern in their Big Ten opener Thursday night.

Hayes went 8 for 12 from the field and had six rebounds while showing a nice combination of power and finesse. The prize recruit is averaging 15.3 points in his last three games.

Sam Dekker scored 15 points and Traevon Jackson had 10 for the Badgers (14-0, 1-0), who earned their seventh consecutive win against the Wildcats.