The No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers blew past the SIUE Cougars 94-69 on Monday, overcoming a slow start with an onslaught of threes as they dominated for the fourth consecutive game to start the season 4-0.
Guards
John Blackwell and Nick Boyd were the catalysts, each scoring at least 20 points for the first time this season as Wisconsin rebounded well, got to the free-throw line, and excelled in the second half once again.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s 94-69 win over SIUE on Monday.
Two different halves of offense
The Badgers got off to a slow start on Monday, which was one of the issues we highlighted could happen in our preview. Why was that?
Well, they started the game 1/8 from deep, with eight of the team’s first 11 shots coming from behind the arc. A few of those were definitely good looks that didn’t go in, but the Badgers were settling a few too many times rather than attacking.
As a result, they were trailing 13-10 after the first seven minutes.
After that, Wisconsin went on a heater, hitting five of its next six three-pointers. Just like that, the offense was back on track as the Badgers were passing the ball well and getting to the free-throw line as well.
They finished the half shooting 8/21 from deep, with threes accounting for nearly 68 percent of their field goal attempts. That led to a 48-point half where Wisconsin averaged 1.455 points per possession against a team that wants to slow them down.
This Badgers team wants to shoot threes and can do so at a high level, but that will come with ebbs and flows like Monday’s start did. When that happens, they need the other factors to keep them in games, but when they go on heaters, that shows the potential of this team, especially with the ball movement.
In the second half, the Badgers shot 7/18 from three, but it was really the other ways they scored that made them so effective. Wisconsin went on a 16-0 run to really separate itself in the second half, but it was more because of their efforts at the free-throw line and in transition.
The Badgers ended up shooting only 41.2 from the field in the period, but still managed to average a highly efficient 1.48 points per possession thanks to going 11/12 from the free-throw line.
This Wisconsin team is showing they can score and be efficient in a number of ways. When they combine that all together and play consistently for 40 minutes, they’re going to be a real force this season. And they’re showing that through the first four games.
There will be things to nitpick, as mentioned above. But, putting up 94 points on a pretty quality and gritty defense is definitely a positive.
Defense
Wisconsin came into this one facing a top-15 defense in the country that allowed under 60 points per game. They were also facing a team that averaged under 65 points per game in its last three contests, while shooting 40 percent and 34 percent in two of those games.
And yet, they allowed SIUE to shoot 56.7 percent from the field in the first half, and that was without star Ring Malith playing for half the period due to foul trouble.
Credit to the Cougars because they made some very tough shots with some good defense from the Badgers. But, this was a step back early on from Wisconsin’s performance last week, when they held Ball State to 55 points in an elite defensive game.
SIUE shot 66.7 percent from inside the arc and managed to average 1.25 points per possession in the opening half, despite hitting only three three-pointers.
In the second half, though, Wisconsin was shutdown defensively, seen best on their 16-0 run where they consistently converted defense into offense.
SIUE shot only 32.1 percent from the field and averaged a paltry .903 points per possession as Wisconsin blew the game open. They completely limited second chances from a team that has thrived on them this season, made things tough at the rim, and also forced turnovers to spark their run.
The Badgers have the pieces defensively. They just need to find a way to be more consistent there, which hasn’t come for 40 minutes yet this season.
Guards take over
Nick Boyd and John Blackwell were Wisconsin’s top candidates to take over the scoring load this season, and both shone in Monday’s win.
Blackwell was a force from deep, scoring 16 first-half points on just five shots, as he went 4/5 from the field, 3/3 from deep, and 5/6 from the line. He was able to hit shots when Wisconsin needed them and looked poised as always in command of the offense.
Boyd, on the other hand, jump-started Wisconsin’s run in transition as he had 10 first-half points, getting to the free-throw line for a pair of trips while knocking down a pair of triples as well. He also had some nice passes in pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop situations that led to assists.
Boyd was out of control a few times on drives to the basket, where he got blocked instead of going off two feet, but his speed has continued to be a big asset for the Badgers, especially in transition.
In the second half, Boyd was the leader of the offense, scoring 12 points and dishing three assists as he was a weapon in transition. Blackwell, on the other hand, hit a pair of threes and had three offensive rebounds in the period to finish with his second 20+ point game.
Both guards eclipsed the 20-point mark together for the first time this season as Boyd had 22 while Blackwell had 24 in an efficient performance. Wisconsin has seen different players step up this season, but I have a feeling these two will continue hearing their names called as the year goes on.
