Basketball players know when they play awful and sometimes, it does not have to be pointed out. That’s what Kamari McGee did when Wisconsin Badgers won by 31 points against Iowa Hawkeyes and now, Even Brauns and the rest of his teammates are anticipating another shot at them.
The Hawkeyes visited the Badgers on January 3 only to receive a beating they will never forget as the succumbed to a 116-85 loss.
They were not that bad on offense as they scored 43 and 42 points in the two halves they played. Those numbers are already high for a college basketball game.
However, their defense was terrible as they allowed their hosts to score more than 50 points in both first and second half.
This prompted McGee to comment about their defense although it was more about his own team’s mid-game adjustment.
“Once we realized that they were just coming in here to try to outscore us and–they didn’t really care much about the defensive end – we took advantage of that just because we knew what we like,” McGee told reporters after the game.
Kamari McGee’s words have impact on Hawkeyes
Maybe college basketball fans would not see another blow out as the Badgers and the Hawkeyes meet again.
First, the Hawkeyes will be the hosts this time. Although they are 13-9, their home record is up there with the best of the best as they only lost three times out of 14 games they played at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Second, they are extra motivated because of McGee.
“We’re all of aware of kind what went on and everything that was said,” Brauns said.
“Not that we needed any extra motivation for this game. It’s always competitive with those guys. They play really hard, really physical. And, obviously, I just mentioned about the score (of the first game) and no one wants to get embarrassed like that. So, to be honest, we don’t need extra motivation from something like that. But it is on the forefront of some guys’ minds.”
Badgers are not the type of team that waits for their opponents, of course. They are on a two-game winning streak and recorded confidence-boosting wins against the Northwestern Wildcats and the Indiana Hoosiers.
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