Wisconsin Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout win over No. 21 Minnesota

1. The Badgers shut down an average Minnesota offense – and did it in impressive fashion

Minnesota’s offense is nothing to rave over – entering this tilt, they averaged 0.97 points per possession, ranked 160th in 2P% (51.6%), and 241st in 3P% (31.1%).  They do put points on the board easily, putting up 84.3 points per game – the 29th-highest mark in Div. I – but their offense has to work to get there, and their tempo – the 35th-best in basketball – allows Minnesota to work with more possessions.

That being said, Wisconsin took their offense and absolutely dismantled it – and it was one of their best defensive performances yet.  Wisconsin’s defense was great coming into this game, holding teams to 0.81 points per possession, maintaining the ninth-best 2P% defense in Div. I at 40.6%, and carrying the fifth-best adjusted defensive efficiency in college basketball.

The lone negative spot has been Wisconsin’s defense from beyond the arc, where it ranks an average 148th, allowing teams to shoot 32.5% from beyond the arc – which is still better than the Div. I average but still average at best.

But against Minnesota, Wisconsin’s defense was borderline perfect, holding the Golden Gophers to 31.3% – the best performance yet this season by the Wisconsin defense.  Despite Wisconsin’s average mark on 3P% defense, they held the Gophers below that mark at 22.6% – and ultimately, held Minnesota to 0.71 points per possession for the game.

Wisconsin’s defense was what kept them in the game early on, particularly when their offense was stagnant for – nearly – the entire first half.  Putting up 29 points in the first half, Wisconsin averaged 0.78 points per possession in that stanza – but, while holding the Gophers to 22 points, also held them to 0.52 points per possession and an abysmal 19.4% shooting percentage.

Despite Minnesota’s 37-point performance in the second half, Wisconsin’s defensive performance extended for the ensuing 12 minutes after the intermission, where the Badgers embarked on a 31-12 run to take a 60-34 advantage with seven and a half minutes left to go in the game.

Arguably, the most impressive defensive job by the Badgers was their performance against Marcus Carr, an All-American caliber talent who was coming off a 19-point performance against Michigan State.  The Wisconsin defense kept Carr down the entire night, holding him to just five points in the first half – and keeping him at five points until the 2:22 mark in the second stanza.

Wisconsin’s offense has been impressive since the start of the season – but if they hope to be a national contender, their defense will also have to be efficient.  If their defense continues to be as stellar as it was against Minnesota, then Wisconsin could ultimately be the team to beat in the Big Ten moving forward.