Things didn’t go the way Wisconsin hoped following their matchup with Illinois Wednesday evening. The Badgers fell to the Illini 80-67 with their worst three point shooting effort on the season. Wisconsin would finish 3-24 from beyond the arc, connecting on all three makes in the second half. Along with the cold shooting, the Badgers struggled containing star Illinois center Kofi Cockburn. The Player of the Year candidate went off for 37 points on 16-19 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Although not their best, Wisconsin did find production from a few of their players. Johnny Davis led the way with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Tyler Wahl also provided 14 points and six rebound. 12 of his 14 points came in the 1st half. With their loss, the Badgers now sit 17-4 on the year and 8-3 in conference play. Wisconsin sits tied for third place with Ohio State.
Up next the Badgers face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lions are coming off a 90-86 overtime victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes. Penn State was led by forward John Harrar with 19 points and ten rebounds. Harrar was one of five Penn State players in double digits. The Nittany Lions improved to 9-9 on the year and 4-6 in conference play, sitting tied for 8th in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin will look to heat back up from long distance back home at the Kohl Center Saturday evening. Tip-off is set for 5:00pm on the Big Ten Network.
Put Wednesday’s Loss Behind Them
At times Wisconsin seemed to look like the stellar team they’ve been all season. Down just four points heading into half, the Badgers felt like the game was in reach. The problem? Wisconsin could never figure out their three point shooting. One after one the misses continued to stack up until Lorne Bowman would knock down the Badgers first three pointer with just under 11 minutes left.
The hardest part was Wisconsin never found another solution to score. Tyler Wahl had 12 points in the first half going 6-8 from the field. In the second half he had just three shots and one made basket. Brad Davison did not have a basket in the second half, along with going 0-6 from three point range. The worst part was you could see his frustration get the best of him.
The good news? Wisconsin is still very much in the mix for a Big Ten conference title. Losses like this happen. It’s not fun to watch but this hasn’t been an every game performance through out the season. You learn from the loss and put it behind you. Up next you face off against a stingy Penn State team. Along with that you’re back at your home gym in Madison. Like the state motto, it’s time to move past the loss and move “Forward”.
Open up the Offense
Even though they’ve found ways to win this season, it’s not Penn State outscoring teams. In fact it’s usually far from it. The Nittany Lions average 66.4 points per game which is one of the lowest marks in college basketball. The good news for Penn State is their at least efficient enough from the field to keep them in games. However, their defense is one of the best in not just the Big Ten but also the country.
Penn State is currently holding teams to 66.6 points per game. They do a great job clogging up the lane and holding teams to 41.6% from the field. If there was a good word to describe Penn State’s play efficient would be the best way to put it.
So what does Wisconsin need to do? First, they need to stay patient. In the second half especially against Illinois the Badgers went away from their bread and butter on offense. No, I’m not talking about their three point shooting. Their post up play with their guards is one Wisconsin’s best offensive traits. They find a matchup and take opponents one on one to find a better look. Second, they need to attack the rim and get Penn State in foul trouble. Again we’re talking about an efficient team on defense so fouls won’t come easy. But if Wisconsin can force Penn State’s hand, I like their chances in this game. Especially with the Badgers shooting just under 76% from the free throw line.
Limit Second Chance Opportunities
In numerous games, we’ve talked about Wisconsin having to win the rebound margin. Although not great, the Badgers are about middle of the back in all rebounding categories. Looking back at the Illinois game, Wisconsin actually finished the game ahead in rebounding. The problem they faced with the Illini was second chance opportunities. Primarily in the second half, the Badgers struggled to grab key rebounds which led to extra possessions for Illinois.
As we keep mentioning, a second chance opportunity could go a long way for an offense like the Nittany Lions. For Penn State, their rebounding is a total team effort. Harrar is the biggest threat, averaging just under ten rebounds per game. But even their guards Jalen Pickett and Sam Sessoms do a great job grabbing tough rebounds It will be important to not only win the rebound margin but limit the second chances Penn State can get. The more chances Penn State get on offense, the more likely they make you pay.
Prediction
With a rematch against Michigan State on the horizon, I firmly believe this is a game Wisconsin will not look past. Like the game against Northwestern that one could call a “trap game”, the Badgers came off a loss. It’s a team that sees the big picture and know that you can never take a game off. I expect nothing less for this game.
Wisconsin can not afford to have lapses on defense. In their last few games, we haven’t seen the true shut down defense like we saw in the first half of the year. Even though they limited recent teams like Minnesota and Nebraska, we’re also talking about two offenses that have struggled this season. The Badgers are allowing 71.2 points per game in conference play, compared to their 67.1 season average. However, it’s hard to think Penn State will have an easy time getting over their what the average this season.
In the end, this is game that Wisconsin should take. I expect them to find some success from three point range along with finding enough shots inside. Penn State will make them work for this one but I’m taking the Badgers bouncing back from Wednesday’s loss.
Final Score: Wisconsin 70, Penn State 61
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