When the smoke cleared, Kirk Penney was left standing. After scoring just three points and attempting only two shots in the first half against Minnesota’s zone defense, Penney took control of Wisconsin’s offense, as well as the game, putting on a spectacular offensive show in the second half.
With Wisconsin trailing by 12 points with just over 15 minutes remaining in the game, Penney hit his first shot of the second half. Over a span of seven minutes, Penney went on to score Wisconsin’s next 14 points and cut the Minnesota lead to two single-handedly.
“I got some room in the second half and I wanted to stay aggressive,” Penney said. “It was something we mentioned at half, was to stay aggressive down the stretch and it got us some open looks.”
Penney’s incredible shooting forced Minnesota head coach Dan Monson to back his team out of its full court trapping zone defense and go to a man to man look in hopes of stopping Penney’s outside game.
Monson’s adjustment allowed Penney to penetrate to the basket where he made two key lay-ups and was able to convert on a three point play, giving Wisconsin its first lead since the 2:43 mark of the first half. Penney then sealed the game at the line, connecting on four free throws in the final 30 seconds of the contest.
“We had no answer for Penney, zone or man, he just kept them in the game and then went and won it for them,” Monson said. “We struggled to get stops, all of a sudden you get in a game like that and after you held them all game and then they probably scored on their last eight possessions.”
Penney scored 30 points, including 27 of the team’s 38 second-half points. He connected on 66 percent of his three point attempts and was a stellar six of seven from the line. Penney also chipped in five rebounds for the undersized Badgers.
Impressive Freshmen: Saturday’s matchup showcased three of the Big Ten’s top freshmen. Wisconsin’s Devin Harris and Mike Wilkinson are among the most productive freshmen in the league. Harris’ 11.8 points per game puts him second on the team in scoring as well as second among conference freshmen. Wilkinson leads the Badgers in rebounding with six per game, which is good enough for first among Big Ten freshmen.
The pair may have met the top competition for freshman of the year in Minnesota’s Rick Rickert. Rickert, a 6-ft-10 forward, can play either inside or outside and was named Big Ten player of the week on Feb. 4, making him the first freshmen to earn that honor in more than four years.
Harris was second in scoring for the Badgers on Saturday with 11 points. He knocked down a pair of three point shots in the first half and provided an exciting dunk during the final minutes of play.
One of the most interesting match-ups of the day, however, was between Wilkinson and Rickert, who each play the power forward slot. Rickert finished with 12 points but was quiet down the stretch, while Wilkinson scored only six points but made several key post plays in the final minutes.
At one point in the first half, Rickert made several pivots in the lane and scored. As he headed back down the court, it appeared that Rickert had words for Wilkinson. Wilkinson, however, wouldn’t acknowledge any bad blood between the two.
“He really didn’t say anything to me really. We were just going back and forth–he wanted to win, I wanted to win,” Wilkinson said. “He did a great job, we did some things and took it out of his hands a few times. We just tried to work around him because he’s a great player and tough to isolate.”
After meeting twice this season, Harris, Wilkinson and Rickert appear to be among the Big Ten’s brightest young stars, and the rivalry that is apparently developing quickly will only get better with age.
Road Wins: After starting the season with a tough stretch of road games that ended in losses for UW, many people assumed that the Badgers’ season was over. After gaining momentum at the Kohl Center, however, the Badgers have been able to put their early season road woes behind them.
In the last week the Badgers went on the road and not only competed with but beat two of the top three teams in the league, a feat most did not believe they had a chance of doing.
“What I’m most impressed with about our guys is that they were able to hold Indiana off after missing a couple one and ones,” Ryan said. “Here, just scoring on every possession down the stretch, getting something out of it whether it is at the free throw line or on the floor. That is two wins on the road, two different ways.”
