If you blinked, you might’ve missed it.
In a short three-day span, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team showed just how quickly fortunes can change in this year’s deeper-than-usual Big Ten. After a stunning and disappointing upset at Iowa Thursday night, the No. 16 Badgers (now 21-8 overall and a fourth-place 10-6 in the conference) regrouped at Ohio State Sunday afternoon, pulling out an exhilarating 63-60 win over the then-No. 8 Buckeyes.
Earlier in the week, Wisconsin was seeking revenge against an Iowa team that suddenly has found its way into NCAA tournament bubble discussion. But the Hawkeyes, who upset the Badgers in the Kohl Center back on New Year’s Eve, had no intent on missing out on a season sweep and shot the lights out in a 67-66 victory. Iowa was fueled by senior guard Matt Gatens, who scored 33 points on 12-for-18 shooting (7-for-10 from 3-point range). Wisconsin actually out-shot Iowa in overall field goal percentage, finishing at 50.9 percent (29-for-57) while the Hawkeyes sunk 48.0 percent (24-for-50) of their shots.
Wisconsin now has just two games remaining in the regular season, both at home, against Minnesota Tuesday night and Illinois Sunday afternoon.
Offense: 3.5 out of 5
The Badgers’ two shooting efforts this week were both statistically impressive. From the tip-off against Ohio State, Wisconsin came out with a renewed vigor after Thursday night’s disaster. The Badgers attacked the basket early and often against the Buckeyes, ultimately sinking 9-of-11 free throw attempts (81.8 percent). Against Iowa, Wisconsin’s only foul shots came from forward Ryan Evans, who was a mere 2-for-3.
In upending the Buckeyes Sunday, the Badgers’ aggressiveness yielded a career game from forward/center Jared Berggren. The 6-foot-10 junior finished with 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting, displaying not only a stronger presence in the paint but also clutch shooting from outside. Berggren shot 3-for-7 from three-point range, and his three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining proved to be the go-ahead basket the Badgers desperately needed. Berggren also scored UW’s final five points.
The Badgers also received stellar outings from point guard Jordan Taylor (19 points on 6-for-8 shooting and four assists) and forward Ryan Evans (10 points and 10 rebounds for his second career double-double).
Perhaps the greatest sign for Wisconsin this weekend, though, was the emergence of senior guard/forward Rob Wilson. After receiving limited playing time for much of the season, Wilson scored nine points (3-for-7 shooting, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range) in 21 minutes against Ohio State and 11 points (5-for-7 shooting) in 17 minutes against Iowa.
Defense: 4 out of 5
In both games this weekend, Wisconsin held its opponents below their season scoring averages. Iowa, third in the conference with 73.3 points per game, scored just 67 against Wisconsin. Ohio State, second with 75.2 points per game, was limited to just 60 Sunday afternoon.
Individually, though, opposing players were able to post big numbers against the Badgers this weekend. Gatens’ 33 points for Iowa were the most scored against the Badgers by any player this season, while Ohio State sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas finished with 23.
Wisconsin’s defense also thrived in the turnover department in both games this weekend. The Badgers forced the Buckeyes into 12, including 10 in the first half. Iowa turned it over 13 times Thursday night.
Bench: 3 out of 5
As mentioned above, Wilson’s development into Wisconsin’s sixth man played the biggest role in terms of bench contributions this weekend. Wilson’s nine were points were all UW’s bench scored against Ohio State, but he did receive some help from Ben Brust’s 10 points against Iowa.
Player of the week: Ryan Evans
For just the Ohio State game, Berggren would have been a very tempting pick, especially for his clutch play. At Iowa, even in a loss, Josh Gasser’s 14 points were a tremendous sign as the sophomore shooting guard continues to work his way past a scoring slump.
But for his consistency in tying Gasser for the team-high with 14 points at Iowa (he also added six rebounds) and then notching a double-double against Ohio State, Evans brings home this week’s coveted Herald Sports Player of the Week trophy. For the season, Evans is now averaging 10.7 points (.438 shooting percentage), 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He is also third on the team, behind Taylor and Gasser, in minutes played per game (30.0).
