A thunder of voices accompanied by a great puff of smoke welcomed the 7-2 University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team into the Kohl Center on Tuesday for their first game of what will be a gauntlet of a Big Ten season. Under this atmosphere, head coach Greg Gard and company picked up their first win of the challenging Big Ten season, snapping an eight-game win streak by the University of Maryland Terrapins.
While Maryland came into Tuesday night with a blistering 8-0 record, including an impressive win against high-powered Illinois, the air in the Kohl Center was perfumed with the scent of a trap game. Wisconsin was the Terrapin’s first real road test, and for all those familiar with the Big Ten, the Kohl Center on a cold Tuesday night is the last place you want to be tested for the first time.
Men’s Basketball: Key takeaways from Wisconsin’s loss to Wake Forest
With this being said, Maryland head coach Kevin Willard and crew came in with sharp weapons in their bag, sporting an aggressive zone press while mixing up defenses. This aggressive and dynamic style of defense led Maryland to a lead in nearly every game they have played in a while, averaging about 90 points a contest.
No stranger to high-scoring offenses, it was clear early on that to win against a talented Maryland team, history could not repeat itself by letting the opposing team speed the game up in the first five minutes like Wake Forest did in Wisconsin’s only home loss this season.
When the first five minutes of the contest had been eaten away, it was clear Maryland had fallen into playing Wisconsin — a game that featured physical looks to UW junior Steven Crowl in the post and shots coming late into the shot clock. Additionally, Wisconsin limited their turnovers in the critical eight of the game, stopping part of what held Maryland leading scorers Julian Reese, Donta Scott and Jahmir Young to just around six points in the first half and handing Maryland their only first-half deficit of the season.
The Terrapins only put up 29 points in the first half and came out of the break out of whack. Almost halfway through the second half, Maryland’s defense began to generate some momentum for a moment as they forced turnovers but failed to score in the half-court. Unlike they have done throughout the season, Maryland was forced to shoot hard shots in the drop zone a few strides away from the restricted area. This off-culture offensive effort, combined with rampant 3-point and rebounding efficiency, ultimately led to the Badger’s victory.
Players Microscope
Carter Gilmore:
Early on in the season, the question was who would fill the four spot during times when Crowl and senior Tyler Wahl can’t be on the court together. With a sweet 3-point stroke and a ton of offensive upside, the season’s first three games shaded that this role could be sophomore Markus Ilver’s. But, as the season has progressed, the need for less of an offensive threat and more of a glue guy has brought forward Carter Gilmore into a prominent role. Tuesday, Gilmore had a season-high of seven points as well as playing a tight defensive game.
Kamari McGee:
Sophomore Kamari McGee has had limited minutes early on in the season as well, playing as the fourth or fifth guard option in an offense he is still learning. Even with this, McGee’s effort and defensive grit have shone through, first in practice and now on the court, garnering him playing time in both wins against Marquette and Maryland.
Connor Essegian:
Freshman Connor Essegian is still leading the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage following Tuesday night’s game, but his central role has been as the hammer for the nail in other teams’ coffins. While sophomore Chucky Hepburn has been on a tare early into the last few games, shooting exceptionally from the three, Essegian’s offensive ability is continuing to expand as he proves himself as one of the best shooters in the nation’s top conference.
“For me, being a freshman, I am just trying to make an impact in any way I can — whether it is in games or even just in practice to help make the guys better,” Essegian said. ” [Be]cause winning a championship last year is something I want to bring back for this community again [and] for this team.”
