Tuesday's Big Ten basketball roundup

Zak Showalter's scrappy play can get overshadowed by the star power of No. 14 Wisconsin.

But Showalter might have just as important a role as Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ on a team with designs on another deep NCAA tournament run, especially if a guard known for hustle and defensive intensity keeps scoring in double digits.

Hayes scored 20 points, Showalter added a season-high 18 and the host Badgers used an active start on the defensive end to build an early lead and defeat Rutgers 72-52 to open Big Ten Conference play on Tuesday.

Mike Williams scored 18 points for Rutgers, which shot just 31 percent for the game.

"Defensively, any time you can hold a team … to 31 percent from the floor, that's usually pretty effective," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said.

The Badgers (12-2) opened with a 16-4 run over the first 12 minutes to take control in both teams' Big Ten opener. They set the tone early with in-your-face defense, forcing numerous runouts on the break.

Wisconsin built a 15-point halftime lead vs. Rutgers (11-3), aided by an active Showalter. He finished with three steals and made a two-handed bounce pass between two defenders on the break to Happ for a layup.

Northwestern started fast, maintained its rapid-transition game for much of the second half and built a big-enough lead to withstand a gutsy late run by Penn State.

Scottie Lindsey scored 17 of his 31 points in the first half, and Vic Law had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats.

Maryland 84, Illinois 59: Melo Trimble scored 20 points, Jaylen Brantley added 13 and Anthony Cowan had 12 points and six assists as the host Terrapins (13-1) opened the conference season with a 25-point rout of the Illini (10-4), whose six-game winning streak ended with a thud.

"I didn't see it coming," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. "I didn't think the numbers were going to be the way they were."