The Wisconsin Badgers faced off against the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday. Both teams were 12-3 vying for a shot to be leading the Big 10. The game would not disappoint. The Badgers went in to the half with a 32-25 lead. The second half would be much closer. However, the Badgers would hold on, winning 71-63 in Madison.
With the win, the Badgers moved into first place the Big 10 (13-3) despite Purdue’s record (15-2). The Boilermakers have lost to the Wildcats and Cornhuskers of Nebraska. Wisconsin also move up from 15 to 11 in the national rankings, taking the place of in-state rival, Marquette University. Northwestern drops to 12-4 with the Maryland Terrapins next on their schedule. Northwestern also drop to 5th in the Big 10.
The new Men’s College Basketball poll is out today the Wisconsin Badgers move up 4 spots to 11th in the nation. The Marquette Golden Eagles slip 6 spots and are now 17th in the nation. #Badgers #OnWisconsin #WEAreMarquette #NCAABasketball
— Mark Michalski (@mark_michalski) January 15, 2024
What was really interesting was the way the Badgers won. The Badgers won with just 71 points and yet AJ Storr, the transfer who has had an amazing season thus far, only had 14 points in the game. It wasn’t even Chucky Hepburn who carried the team. No, it would be guard Max Klesmit and forward Tyler Wahl whose names aren’t usually called on a night-to-night basis . Klesmit scored 24 points, with only just one free throw attempted, of which he made. Tyler Wahl had just 11 points, but when you play on a team like this and are able to be in the top three scorers for the night, it is quite notable.
The Wisconsin Badgers Proved That They Have Great Players At All Positions And Can Challenge The Best Teams With Their Current Squad.
On the schedule next for the Badgers is a visit to Penn State. The Nittany Lions are 8-9 with a 2-4 conference record. The Badgers should have a significantly easier time in this matchup than the Northwestern game. After their clash with the Nittany Lions, the Badgers will return home to face yet another difficult opponent in the Indiana Hoosiers. The Hoosiers are 3rd in the Big 10 and are 12-5. However, Indiana will face Purdue prior to their battle with Wisconsin, which will see either another upset of Purdue or Indiana losing and falling to 12-6. My prediction is the latter.
With the Badgers playing the Nittany Lions tonight, as long as they are able to play their game plan , they should be able to use this game as a tune-up for Indiana and eventually the clash that all Big 10/Wisconsin fans want to see: Wisconsin versus Purdue.
Until then, we have to settle for watching the Wisconsin and Purdue dismantle teams who do not have it all together this season. If and when AJ Storr, Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit, and Tyler Wahl can get it done all on the same night, it would be scary for anybody who is on the other side of the court; whether it is Purdue or Arizona or some other perennial 1-seed in the NCAA tournament.
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