Tonight was the Steven Crowl show for the Badgers. Wisconsin rolled past Bradley 81-62 in the first round of the NIT Tournament as Crowl had a career-high 36 points. It was the most a Badger player has scored in a game since Johnny Davis scored 37 at Purdue last season. Max Klesmit chipped in 16 points, while Connor Essegian added 14. Wisconsin shot 43% from the field and 23-28 from the free throw line. Here are three takeaways from tonight’s NIT Tournament victory.
We Saw What Steven Crowl Can Be
Updated NBA Mock Draft.
1. Steven Crowl
2. Victor Wembanyama
3. Brandon Miller#Badgers pic.twitter.com/5GzErQO6DN— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) March 15, 2023
Greg Gard mentioned after the Ohio State loss last week that he wanted Steven Crowl to be more aggressive. He had a bad game against the Buckeyes and sat most of the second half because of it. Tonight is a reason why you play in opportunities like the NIT Tournament. If Wisconsin doesn’t accept an NIT bid, Steven Crowl doesn’t have this game. He did anything he wanted to and also made a career-high five three-pointers.
It’s also been a tough year for Crowl. He has to play against the best big men in the country night after night in the Big Ten. Like many other players on this roster, we have seen the flashes from Crowl over the last two seasons, but it hasn’t been consistent. Tonight, we saw what a confident Steven Crowl can be if he stays aggressive throughout the game.
Chucky Hepburn Played on the Wing A Lot
A few weeks ago, I thought it would be a good idea if Max Klesmit played more point guard and Chucky Hepburn could play off the ball. He’s a really good spot-up shooter and isn’t able to do that when he’s asked to run the offense. Hepburn did struggle and is likely playing with an injury, but I thought Max Klesmit looked comfortable running the point when he did.
We also saw Hepburn and Kamari McGee on the court together, with McGee running the offense. It goes to show Gard is trusting McGee more, and he’s improved over the course of the year. Granted, Kamari can only run the point, but I thought it also worked and looked smooth. This will be something to monitor for the rest of this season and next season.
The Advantage of an NIT Tournament Invite
The NIT is not the standard for the Badgers. It’s clearly the NCAA Tournament. However, tonight is why you take the extra games and extra reps for a young team that had its struggles all season. There are players struggling that need to see the ball go through the hoop, and you need momentum heading into the summer.
I know a good chunk of fans wanted the Badgers to decline an invite. I was in the boat that it was important Wisconsin accepts the NIT Tournament invite. If the Badgers don’t take this game, Steven Crowl doesn’t get a 36-point performance, and we don’t see adjustments made at the point guard spot. This team was beaten up a ton over the last three months. While they struggled to rebound and had cold streaks on offense, Wisconsin scored 80 points for the first time since the Marquette game. This team should feel good about what they did against a good Bradley team that can shoot well.
Up Next in the NIT Tournament
Wisconsin will host the Liberty Flames on Sunday night in the second round of the NIT Tournament. This is because of the WIAA Boy’s State Basketball Tournament from Thursday-Saturday. Time and details are to be determined, but Liberty is a good team that will give the Badgers all they can handle.
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