Welp, so much for revenge on the team that knocked you out of last year’s NCAA Tournament.
The Wisconsin Badgers’ hopes for an early top-10 win Friday afternoon were dashed on the Delta Center’s purple court, as the No. 9 BYU Cougars rolled to a 98-70 victory. In their first real test of the season, the Badgers failed in a big way.
There is no sugarcoating this game. The Cougars outplayed the Badgers in almost every facet of the game. BYU shot the ball at a higher percentage, gathered far more assists,
and out-rebounded Wisconsin in Salt Lake City. This game is a massive wake-up call for the Badgers, who must stop playing “hero ball”, move the ball around, and make a better effort on defense.
Here are three things that stood out in Wisconsin’s 98-70 loss to BYU.
BYU’s hot shooting
The Cougars came into this game with one of the nation’s most efficient offenses in college basketball. It was on full display on Friday afternoon.
BYU shot 53% from the field in the first half and carried a 45-33 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Cougars, who only made 5-of-16 three-pointers in the first 20 minutes, improved their three-point shooting by hitting 9-of-18 shots from behind the arc in the second half to bury the Badgers.
BYU’s trio of Dybantsa, Saunders, and Wright III
Despite being limited with foul trouble in the second half, AJ Dybantsa scored 18 points, gathered six rebounds, and had three assists. It was a solid game for the freshman phenom who should, at least, be a top-5 NBA Draft pick in June.
Last season, Richie Saunders paced the Cougars with 25 points against Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Once again, Saunders was a Badger killer, as the star junior guard finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shots, including hitting 5-of-9 three-point field goal attempts.
Finally, Robert Wright III came within three rebounds of a triple-double. The former Baylor point guard finished the game with 10 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds.
Nolan Winter
One of the few bright spots in this game was the performance of Nolan Winter. For the third time this season, Winter finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and hauling in 14 rebounds.
It’s a shame his good game went to waste, but the junior forward is starting to play at an All-Big Ten level. That is an excellent sign for Wisconsin, as they learn from this game.
