The Wisconsin men’s basketball team turned the tables on a talented Minnesota team that gave the Badgers a beating earlier this season in Minneapolis.
UW (7-5 Big Ten, 20-5 overall) managed to snag their third consecutive Big Ten conference win on their quest to reassert themselves as a conference power.
The Badgers struggled to find a rhythm in the early going, and Minnesota took advantage.
The Gophers jumped out to a quick 14-7 lead following a technical foul by junior forward Frank Kaminsky, who was called for trying to grab the ball with one arm, while hanging on the rim with the other.
Despite this sluggish start to the game, the Badgers rallied around senior guard Ben Brust’s 3-point shooting and scored nine unanswered points to take back the lead 16-14.
Brust, who was just 1-for-8 on 3-point attempts last game against Michigan State, was 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first half. He would lead the Badgers in first half scoring with nine points.
“You just have to have shooter’s amnesia,” Brust said. “Forget about the last one, the next one’s going in.”
Freshman forward Nigel Hayes picked up right where he left off last game, taking the ball to the rim and finding his way to the free throw line on multiple occasions.
With just under eight minutes, Hayes surprised the Minnesota backcourt and intercepted a pass, which he took to the rim for a slam that erupted the Kohl Center.
Hayes was 2-for-3 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line in the first half.
UW would carry the momentum for the remainder of the half and coast to a 35-28 halftime advantage.
The last time these teams played Minnesota guard Deandre Mathieu scored a team-high 18 points against the UW defense. He had just six points at the half this time.
The Badger defense also did a nice job eliminating the inside game, thanks to tough play inside by big men Hayes and Kaminsky.
“They did a great job at not allowing to throw the ball in the paint, into the post, where we really had our way with that at home,” said Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino.
“Us ‘big’s’ were kind of weak on defense and a little bit on offense [last game], and, you know, we just wanted to come out with energy, and I think we did that,” Kaminsky said.
Wisconsin continued to improve their shooting percentages, as it shot 50 percent from three and 43 percent from the field in the half.
The Badgers picked up right where they left off in the second half and stretched their lead to double digits early on.
Brust complemented his perfect 3-point shooting half by having another tremendous shooting performance in the second half. He would finish the game 4-for-4 from 3-point land and 5-for-7 from the field.
“[It is] definitely good to see the first one go down,” Brust said. “Never a bad thing to make all the ones you take.”
With 3:28 to play in the game, the Gophers found themselves within seven points of the Badgers.
Wisconsin fought off the Minnesota comeback, but with 1:17 to play the Gophers had paved their way to be within five points, following back-to-back three pointers by guard Andre Hollins.
That would be as close as they would get as Wisconsin played good defense and converted on bonus free throws in the final minute.
UW would hold on to win 78-70, a much different result than the last time these teams met.
“I just thought we were better. Working hard, reading and reacting to one another,” said head coach Bo Ryan.
The Badgers third consecutive win can best be described as a team effort. Six players scored over five points, while four of those players were in double-digits.
“We’ve hit some shots, hit free throws, gotten to the line, so those are things that really can help you at the other end defensively,” Ryan said.
Wisconsin will look to continue their win streak in Ann Arbor, Mich. Sunday.
