It’s rare to see the Wisconsin scout team on the floor with two minutes to go in the ballgame against a Big Ten opponent. When it happens, it becomes clear the Badgers have the game well in hand.

That was the case Saturday as the 11th-ranked Badgers absolutely dominated the game against the rebuilding Indiana Hoosiers.

With the point totals on the scoreboard throughout the night, it would have been a safe bet to guess UW was facing a nonconference opponent, likely from a mid-major conference.

That’s the only way it would seem feasible for a Bo Ryan-coached team to be up 27-7 just 7:25 into the ball game or 46-18 with three minutes to play until halftime.

Considering Indiana’s lack of experience, though, the Hoosiers are not your prototypical, tough Big Ten conference opponent.

“I’m looking forward to the day when we can come into this building, and other buildings inside the Big Ten, and really understand that the way we compete, the toughness that we bring, the mindset that we bring, is going to be what gets us a chance to win,” IU head coach Tom Crean said after the game. “Those are the things we have to continue to talk about, work on, show and do to give us a chance to compete in these types of games.”

It was clear from the beginning the Hoosiers were no match for Wisconsin, as the Badgers easily dominated all facets of the game.

For the game, Indiana shot better than Wisconsin from 3-point range, making 57.1 percent (4-of-7 shots) to the Badgers’ 40 percent. That, along with fast break points (IU had 6 to UW’s 2), though, would be the only categories in which the Hoosiers would finish on top.

Everything else — from rebounding to points in the paint and turnovers — was all UW.

One aspect of the game, though, that made a major impact may have gone unnoticed by many observers, and that was rebounding. In particular, offensive rebounding was key.

“We talked about it. They were the number two rebounding team in the Big Ten, but Coach (Ryan) also said that they can give up some offensive rebounds,” forward Mike Bruesewitz said. “I felt like when they were in zone or even when they were in man, I felt like nobody really checked me out. I kind of felt like I could just go get it whenever I wanted to.”

Wisconsin was able to out-rebound Indiana 33-26 overall while also pulling down an impressive 15 offensive boards. Compared to 18 defensive rebounds for the Hoosiers, the Badgers’ effectiveness on the glass is a remarkable achievement.

Much of the Badgers’ success can be attributed to the team’s physical nature, which far exceeds that of the younger, quicker and more athletic Hoosiers.

When asked about his team’s physicality after the game, Crean was less than satisfied.

“I think that showed up in our lack of guarding the dribble, it showed up in our poor help and it definitely showed up in our lack of physicality on the backboards,” Crean said. “I am extremely disappointed in our lack of physicality and our rebounding. It shouldn’t be happening. It just shouldn’t be.”

As a result of the Badgers’ control on the offensive boards, UW was able to take 20 more shots than Indiana while also shooting a better percentage (50.8 percent to 46.5 percent) than the Hoosiers.

In the game, Wisconsin put in 18 second-chance points, compared to just five for Indiana. Second-chance points and offensive rebounds were not a strong point for UW earlier in the week as the Badgers scored just nine second-chance points and grabbed just 10 offensive boards while allowing Illinois to pull down 27 defensive rebounds.

But as Ryan noted after the game, his team was aware it could solve those issues.

“Our players are astute enough to know that when we go over our clips and everything else, that the things that didn’t happen in a game that came out on the right-hand side are things that can be corrected,” he said. “We didn’t change anything. We just took our opportunities and obviously shot a better percentage. We created some things a little bit better.”

Bruesewitz posts career-high on glass

After seeing limited playing time of late, Bruesewitz saw 18 minutes on the floor Saturday against the Hoosiers — and the 6-foot-6 freshman forward certainly made the most of it.

Bruesewitz, a native of St. Paul, Minn., pulled down a career-high seven rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Of Bruesewitz’s six offensive boards, five led to second-chance points for the Badgers.

The one that Wisconsin did not convert?

A tip-in attempt by the freshman reserve at the first-half buzzer that did not go. Each of Bruesewitz’s second-half offensive rebounds, though, led to points, including a pair that resulted in assists on two 3-pointers by Jason Bohannon.

While Ryan was happy with the freshman, he hopes for more consistency from Bruesewitz.

“He’s everywhere. But he’s been doing that,” Ryan said. “Coaches are always looking for that consistency. I think Mike’s ready to contribute even more. He certainly showed that today.”