Wisconsin basketball got a huge win today in the Big Ten Tournament. The Badgers defeated Northwestern 70-61. AJ Storr was terrific as we went for a career high 30 points. Everyone was caught off guard when it was announced less than 30 minutes before tip time Chucky Hepburn was not start, but be available in case of an emergency with a knee injury.
Wisconsin basketball now has a tough ask tomorrow as they will play their third game in three days against top seed Purdue in the semifinals. Tip time is noon on CBS, Here is a preview of tomorrow’s semifinal.
How Much Gas Does Wisconsin Basketball Have Left?
Wisconsin looked tired in the second half today. In particular, John Blackwell, who got the start for Chucky Hepburn today, looked gassed in the second half. He played over 20 minutes yesterday and over 20 minutes today. He is not used to playing this many minutes in a short amount of time.
It’s a legit question as to how much gas is left in the tank on this team. No one played over 25 minutes against Maryland, but Northwestern made them work on both sides of the court. Purdue had Zach Edey, Fletcher Loyer, and Lance Jones all play at least 34 minutes in their win against Michigan State. They won’t be 100% either, but it will be interesting to see how long UW can stick with Purdue.
Expect Wisconsin To Use Their Bench
With Tyler Wahl, Max Klesmit, and Chucky Hepburn all battling some sort of injury, I think Wisconsin basketball will go to their bench quite a bit tomorrow. With Steven Crowl playing 49 minutes of game time in two games, I can’t see Greg Gard playing him over 30 minutes on Zach Edey. Expect Markus Ilver to get more minutes and Carter Gilmore to get some minutes before media timeouts.
This is a game I think Greg Gard needs to use Connor Essegian. With Hepburn injured and Klesmit and Blackwell logging a lot of minutes, Gard has the luxury to go to a player like Essegian, who is a solid three point shooter and improved defender. I also expect to see a lot of Kamari McGee as well.
Prediction
Regardless of what happens tomorrow, Wisconsin basketball has had a successful showing in this tournament. I wanted to see this team carry the momentum they developed over the previous week. They have done that then some. Beating Purdue would be a huge help to their NCAA Tournament resume, but a loss does not hurt it.
It will be interesting to see how far Greg Gard pushes his starters. I am not saying they won’t try to win this game, but I would not be shocked if he gave his bench players a ton of minutes and work towards prepping for next week.
I assume Braden Smith will play tomorrow, but he did injury his lower body today and did not return. With a quick turnaround time, I am not sure he will be at full strength.
I haven’t even mentioned there is 7’4 Zach Edey to worry about. I am afraid he could have a field day tomorrow. Steven Crowl, who has shot well from three these first two games, needs to continue to stay aggressive and push Edey out of the paint. Edey is not comfortable doing this and taking of out of the lane could allow for players like AJ Storr and John Blackwell to attack the rim.
I don’t see the Badgers pulling this off tomorrow, but I am pleased with what this team has done in Minneapolis. Give me Purdue in this battle tomorrow.
Purdue 78 Wisconsin 66
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