The Wisconsin Badgers bounced back in a big way on Thursday, beating the Providence Friars 104-83 as they controlled the game for the final 25 minutes and advanced to the Rady Children’s Invitational Championship.
Wisconsin returned to its efficient offense, led by 36 points from Nick Boyd. They shot 48.1 percent from the field, hit 14 threes, got to the free throw line 24 times, and averaged 1.3 points per possession. They had a tall task with Providence’s offense being top-25 in tempo, but they managed to beat the Friars at their own game.
Defensively, the Badgers had a good start, which made the difference as the Friars didn’t come close to cracking the lead in the second half.
Here are three quick takeaways from the Badgers 104-83 win over Providence on Thursday.
Career day for Boyd
Nick Boyd came to play in San Diego, returning to the city where he played last season, as he dropped 36 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 60 percent from the field and 4/9 from three.
Boyd was a big part of Wisconsin’s transition offense, which scored 32 points, and was the facilitator of the offense while dropping a career-high just weeks after dropping his previous career high (25 points).
Boyd’s biggest thing is efficiency inside the arc. He needs to be efficient at the rim when attacking, which was absolutely the case on Thursday. He shot 11/16 on twos, making good decisions and dazzling with his speed.
The biggest part of his day? Zero turnovers. That’s impressive, given the usage and stat line on Thursday.
On a day when John Blackwell was off, shooting only 2/10, Boyd’s day was huge for the Badgers in a big bounce-back win.
End of first half
Against BYU last week, the Badgers were on the wrong end of several runs, which made the difference in the blowout loss.
So, it was a big sign to see Wisconsin close out the first half in such an impressive manner. With five minutes left in the first half, the Badgers held a 31-26 lead, with both sides keeping things tight and playing good enough defense.
Then, Wisconsin went on a 20-6 run to end the half, completely pulling away and never letting go in the second half. That run proved to be the difference in the game.
Of course, the Badgers played some quality defense, but it was Boyd and Austin Rapp who led the charge offensively. Boyd scored nine straight points for Wisconsin, while Rapp scored three back-to-back threes to end the half.
That run gave Wisconsin a 51-32 lead at halftime, which Providence could never recover from. The Friars and Badgers were fairly even in the second half, scoring 51 and 53 points respectively, but the end of the first half made it so that it didn’t even matter.
Defense
Yes, the Badgers allowed 51 points in the second half, but I thought there was better paint defense overall, especially early, compared to what Wisconsin showed against BYU.
Providence was under 50 percent on twos and only 10/20 on layups, while averaging 1.06 points per possession on the day.
Providence also had a near-18 percent turnover rate, while the Badgers had 10 steals and five blocks, with Andrew Rohde and John Blackwell both shining there.
The Badgers still have some work to do defensively as the non-conference slate continues, but it’s good to see progress and a bounce-back effort after a loss.
Next up for the Badgers is the TCU Horned Frogs, who upset the Florida Gators on Thursday, in the Championship Game on Friday. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m on FOX.
