It was not pretty at times last night from Wisconsin basketball. After holding a 10 point lead at half, the Badgers only scored 27 second half points. However, they were able to hold off Minnesota on the road for a 61-59 win. Wisconsin is now 15-4 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten. Here are three takeaways from the win.
Wisconsin Basketball Got Off to a Great Start
It was important on the road in a rivalry game for Wisconsin basketball to start strong. They got off to a fast 8-2 lead. In the first half, the Badgers led by as many as 15 points. AJ Storr had nine points and seven rebounds while Max Klesmit added eight first half points.
Klesmit opened the lead late in the first half with back to back threes to make it 24-15. However, in the second half, Storr and Klesmit only combined for 10 points. They were a a big reason Wisconsin basketball was able to jump out to a big lead.
The Badgers Held Off a Three Point Parade in the Second Half From Minnesota
I will say this was one of the better defensive performances from the Badgers this season. They made Minnesota, a team who is solid in the paint, get over half their points from the three point line.
However, the Golden Gophers opened the second half by making their first six threes. Some were uncontested and some were just luck. The final score will show a two point win for the Badgers, but if you take away the 6-6 from three stretch, this game should not have been all that close.
Defensively, I thought Wisconsin basketball did what they wanted to. Tyler Wahl was great on Dawson Garcia and they made Pharrel Payne work in the paint. He only shot 3-10 form the field. At the end of the day, 30 of Minnesota’s 59 points were from three,
This Team Can Win Ugly
If you can rebound and make your free throws, you can win ugly. That;s exactly what Wisconsin basketball did in this game. They out-rebounded Minnesota 36-35 and shot 8-10 from the free throw line, Minnesota was only 5-13. The poor free throw shooting allowed Greg Gard to foul up three in the final seconds. I thought at that time and situation it was a great idea.
At the same time, Minnesota intentionally missed the second free throw, but AJ Storr did not box out Mike Mitchell Jr. He was abler to gather his own miss and got a fade away jumper from the corner to almost fall.
This win also shows the Badgers can win ugly when they have too. They did break their streak of 70+ points at 12, but you have to able to prove you can win ugly when the offense is not there. If Wisconsin basketball wants to make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and potentially beyond, they have to be able to win a game in the tournament like this.
A lot was left out there for the Badgers. they were not crisp in the second half. On the other hand, that is life on the road in the Big Ten. You don’t apologize for wins, especially on the road.
Up Next
The Badgers will host Michigan State on Friday night at 7:30 on FS1. Wisconsin basketball won the first meeting 70-57 in East Lansing on December 5.
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