The Wisconsin Badgers tip-off Big Ten Conference play tonight against the Northwestern Wildcats with a four-game streak on the line.
The 5-2 teams will meet tonight at the Kohl Center in the first Big Ten game for both teams. Wisconsin has won the last four meetings between the two, but none have been very comfortable victories. The Wildcats consistently seem to be a team that fights harder against the Badgers which adds to the excitement when the two teams meet.
Wisconsin is fresh off of a difficult 74-63 loss to TCU that exposed the team in many ways as the Badgers shot just 34% from the floor. The Badgers have 17 turnovers and managed to attempt 18 free-throws against the Horned Frogs, who won the game in dominant fashion.
With a second loss in hand, the Badgers aim to bounce back against a Wildcats team that has had no problem scoring the basketball this season.
What the Wisconsin Badgers Should Expect to See Against the Northwestern Wildcats
The Northwestern Wildcats are an intriguing team this season with a 5-2 record and challenges against Oklahoma State, South Carolina, and Virginia. The Wildcats have gone 1-2 against elevated competition this season but have not gone down without a fight. Northwestern lost by a combined ten points in both losses this season.
On the court, the Wildcats have been a capable team shooting the basketball while also limiting turnovers. Northwestern is shooting 51.6% from the field this season while hitting 38.2% of their long-range shots and turning the basketball over 8.9 times per game. The Wildcats have struggled at the foul line, however, with the team making just 71.5% of their free-throws.
Coach Greg Gard questioned the mental toughness of the team following a blowout loss to BYU, and those questions likely came up again after the recent loss to TCU. Northwestern is not a bad team by any stretch and Wisconsin will need to be mentally prepared in order to secure a much-needed conference win.
How can the Badgers Take Down the Wildcats?
In order to defeat the Wildcats, Wisconsin needs to stop primary scoring options Nick Martinelli and Arrinten Page from heating up. Shutting down each component of the offense is simply too much to ask, but slowing down the heart of the offense is a more reasonable task. The Wildcats have lost twice this season to Oklahoma State and Virginia but both games were too close for comfort for the victors.
Martinelli is a Northwestern veteran with 51 starts under his belt for the program and an average of 20.5 points per game last season. The forward has played Wisconsin six times in his career and last season Martinelli recorded 37 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists in two games against the Badgers. Martinelli shot 16.2 attempts per game last season but has been significantly more selective this year from the field with 12.9 attempts.
Stopping Martinelli can prove to be difficult, but perhaps the easiest way to disrupt the forward will be to force him to take poor shots. The forward shot 25% from the field against Virginia during the 83-78 loss earlier in the year. In 13 of the 16 losses Northwestern had last season Martinelli shot below 50% from the field, but it is worth noting that the Wildcats had significantly less help surrounding the forward a year ago.
Regardless of how Wisconsin chooses to stop Martinelli, the outside shot is what the team will have to worry about the most. The forward has missed just three attempts this season, making 76.9% of his attempts.
Page is a former Cincinnati and USC forward who cleans the glass and does the majority of his damage in the paint as the primary scoring counterpart to Martinelli. The forward is shooting 60.6% from the field this season while attempting a career-high amount of three-point field goals. Page averages seven rebounds per game as well and has been a double-double threat for the Wildcats.
For the Badgers, eliminating as many opportunities for Martinelli and Page to score should be a priority. The Wildcats are averaging 82.1 points per game this season without scoring less than 70 points in a game. That trend could change against a willing and talented Badgers’ defense.
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