It was a stellar outing for the Badgers’ offense, as Wisconsin
finished the game shooting 52 percent from the field and held a commanding 42-30 margin in points in the paint. In addition, Wisconsin provided 16 assists on made shots despite only five turnovers for the game.
Wisconsin has to make improvements in a couple of areas before going on the road. The Badgers, once again, got off to another slow start, with the Buckeyes holding a 15-4 lead early in the game. Rebounding must also improve, as the Badgers allowed 14 offensive rebounds to the Buckeyes.
That said, the Badgers generated some momentum going into a challenging conference schedule in February. Wisconsin’s next five games are Quad 1 opportunities, starting with a game at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Badgers must find a way to win these games to avoid entering March on the NCAA tournament bubble.
Here are three standouts from Wisconsin’s win over Ohio State on Saturday.
Austin Rapp’s 1st half
We have been waiting for Rapp to have a breakout game since he came to Madison from Portland. On Saturday, Aussie delivered. The sophomore forward scored 19 points in the first half on an efficient 7-of-10 shots from the floor. Rapp’s three-point shooting (5-of-7 from distance) helped the Badgers get back into the first half.
John Blackwell & Nick Boyd
One of the best backcourt duos in the Big Ten has another solid outing. Blackwell and Boyd combined for 43 points against the Buckeyes. Blackwell led all Badgers with 22 points, while Boyd provided 21. Both guards were also nails from the free-throw line, going a combined 13-for-13 against Ohio State. After the game, Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler praised both guards for their performance.
Nolan Winter
It was not the best shooting day for Winter, as he went 5-of-11 from the floor and 0-for-5 from behind the three-point line. However, the junior forward posted another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. That was Winter’s 10th double-double on the season, placing him second in the Big Ten in that category and third on Wisconsin’s single-season record list behind program legends Frank Kaminsky and Ethan Happ.
