The Wisconsin Badgers moved further away from a recent stumble against the USC Trojans, as they crushed the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday at Kohl Center in Madison to the tune of a 92-82 score.
That victory followed Wisconsin basketball’s 67-63 win against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Thursday at home.
This time around, the Badgers got a big hand from a transfer in big man Austin Rapp, who shone in a role off the bench versus the visiting Buckeyes.
Sophomore transfer gave the Wisconsin Badgers a huge lift against the Buckeyes
Rapp gave the Badgers a huge boost off the bench, as he scored 19 points in just 20 minutes. He shot 7/10 from the floor, including a 5/7 line from behind the arc. Rapp added six rebounds, two from the offensive glass. He scored all those points in the first half. Rapp’s consecutive 3-pointers helped Wisconsin grab the lead after falling behind early, 15-4.
Following the game, Wisconsin senior Nick Boyd gave Rapp his flowers.
“We tend to forget he was just a freshman last year, and he jumped right up to the Big Ten,” Boyd said of Rapp (via Benjamin Worgull of Sports Illustrated).
“ That comes with a lot of difficulties. He’s been able to navigate through that. That’s been more impressive than anything he’s done on the court.”
Rapp was a major addition to Wisconsin after he transferred from the Portland Pilots in the West Coast Conference.
During his freshman year with the Pilots, he averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while leading the league with a 35.2 percent success rate from behind the arc.
Although the Big Ten is a far tougher conference than the WCC, Rapp is showing he can hold his own with the Badgers, and he proved that again with his brilliance on offense against the Buckeyes.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
