Looking to get their second win in three games, Wisconsin basketball was able to hold off Maryland at the Kohl Center last night. The Badgers beat the Terripans 74-70 to win their 10th conference game of the season. The win puts Wisconsin basketball at 18-9 overall and all but locks in a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Tyler Wahl led the Badgers with 18 points and was one of four players in double figures. Here are three takeaways from the win.
The Wisconsin Basketball Guards Made Jahmir Young Work
Maryland was not a good shooting team coming into this game, only shooting 41% from the field as a group. However, senior guard Jahmir Young is the top scorer in the Big Ten and is everything to their offense. Wisconsin basketball had to contain Young and they did a good job. He finished with 20 points, but had to take 17 shots to get it.
Chucky Hepburn was the primary defender on Young, but Max Klesmit and John Blackwell also got reps defending Young. I thought this was a smart move by Greg Gard and it allowed Hepburn to rest. Young ended up playing 39 minutes and sat briefly for a for seconds. Overall, the Wisconsin basketball guards did their part defensively.
Wisconsin Basketball Was Great at the Free Throw Line
It was only a few years ago when free throw shooting was the struggling part of this Wisconsin basketball program. Too many times they could not close games at the line. However, that is not the case with this team.
The Badgers were 28-31 from the free throw line and 11-12 in the final 42 seconds. There was 25 fouls from the Terrapins, but some of those were in the last minute.
We can talk about the struggles this team still has and I believe that is warranted. However, if it comes down to free throw shooting in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament, I trust this team will get it done.
The Defense Was Excellent for 38 Minutes
The final score doesn’t do it justice because I thought the Badgers were very good on the defensive side. You see 70 points, but Maryland only had 54 points with 100 seconds left in the game. The final 16 points was a result of UW not wanting to foul to stop the clock. Maryland was 2-12 from three until they made their final three attempts. As a result, it was a little skewed.
Next is a week long break until Wisconsin basketball travels to Indiana, They need this break and it’s coming at a great time. This team also has some confidence and good things to build off of before the last stretch. We will see if this is a turning point for the defense, but it was an encouraging performance last night.
Up Next
Wisconsin basketball is off for a week and will travel to Indiana next Tuesday to take on the Hoosiers. Tip time is 6 PM on Peacock.
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