Wisconsin Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout win over No. 21 Minnesota
Wisconsin Basketball picked up another convincing Big Ten win on Thursday evening against a nationally-ranked Minnesota squad.
Just days after an awful home loss to Maryland, Wisconsin Basketball rebounded with an impressive defensive stand against a red-hot Minnesota Golden Gophers squad, claiming a 71-59 victory in Madison on Thursday night.
The 12 point difference does not express just how dominant Wisconsin was, particularly in the second stanza. After both teams struggled to find any offense in the early goings – it was 16-9, Wisconsin, nearly 13 minutes in – the Badgers turned a 29-22 halftime advantage into an insurmountable 26-point lead halfway through the second half, before eventually claiming the 12-point win.
The loss itself is not bad for Minnesota – but the performance was less than ideal for a team coming off wins over Saint Louis, Iowa, and Michigan State. The three-man tandem of Marcus Carr, Liam Robbins, and Both Gach struggled to get anything going – which left Gabe Kalscheur and Brandon Johnson as the best Golden Gophers on the floor.
After what was a sluggish first half, the Badgers put on a clinic on both ends of the floor, finishing with a 50.8% clip from the floor, complemented by a 40.0% display from beyond the arc. They finished the night scoring 0.99 points per possession for the game – and 1.23 for the second half. Their defense – more on that later – was also stellar, holding the Golden Gophers to their season-low in points, as well as a 31.3% shooting clip.
For Wisconsin, this win was crucial for a team currently ranked the highest among all Big Ten schools – the whopping nine of them – in the latest AP Poll. Their loss at home on Monday to Maryland was the worst of their two losses thus far, and this is – on paper – the best win for the Badgers thus far, more-so than their dominating performance over a depleted Louisville squad a few weeks ago.
With two must-wins coming up against Penn State and Indiana, the Badgers have some noteworthy positives to take away from their performance against Minnesota moving forward.