The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 85-62 in the first round the NCAA Tournament last night. Wisconsin got a great night from senior Brad Davison. He scored 29 points on 10-15 shooting and 5-7 from three. The Badgers will take on top seeded Baylor tomorrow at 1:40 in the round of 32. Below are the takeaways from last night’s game!
The Badgers Shot The Three Ball Well
In the game preview, I mentioned that Wisconsin needed to shoot the three ball well in order to win. Last night, they were 13-27 from three. Brad Davison led the way with five threes. Senior D’Mitrik Trice added three as well. While some of the threes were tough shots, most of the three pointers were uncontested and great looks. The Badgers moved the ball around the key and got the looks they wanted.
Wisconsin Controlled The Pace
For the size and athleticism the Tar Heels presented, the Badgers were clearly at a disadvantage in the paint. It was really important for the Badgers to play the game at their pace. Wisconsin was also the more physical team. North Carolina was the best offensive rebounding team in the country. The Badgers out-rebounded North Carolina 37-34.
#Badgers held North Carolina to 12 offensive rebounds.
UNC had been held below 12 or less just six times this season.
Most of those offensive boards came when UW was nursing a double-digit lead as well.
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) March 20, 2021
Wisconsin did the little things to win this game. The Badgers were all over the boards and were crashing every rebound. They made life really tough on North Carolina. They were able to do the little things. When a team does the little things, goods things will always happen. It was really encouraging to see the Badgers seize control from the opening tip.
This Was The Badgers Best Game Of The Season
Wisconsin picked the perfect time to play their best game. This was the team we thought we would see this season. It’s been a long time since we seen this team play with some swagger and confidence. It was really encouraging to see a performance like we saw last night. I think part of it was seeing a team not from the Big Ten, but they also controlled the game from the opening tip and played their pace and their style.
Up Next
Wisconsin has a daunting task on Sunday. They take on the top seed in the South region, the Baylor Bears. Baylor defeated 16th seed Hartford yesterday 79-55. Baylor has been one of the best teams all season. The winner of this game will advance to the Sweet 16. Wisconisn will need to play the same way tomorrow the way they did last night.
The Badgers open as a 6 point underdogs. Last night’s performance shows that they can play with the best teams. The last time the Badgers faced a number 1 seed was 2017 when they beat top-overall seed Villanova. Can the Badgers do it again? We shall see!
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