Less than a week ago, it looked like No. 6 Wisconsin’s Saturday opponent, Michigan, was dead in the water. The Wolverines (5-3 Big Ten, 12-8 overall) lost their star player Caris Levert, seemingly ruining a season that was already looking forgettable. The Badgers (6-1, 18-2) were going to get to throw Frank Kaminsky and company at a big man rotation consisting of two unheralded freshmen and a 6-foot-7 junior.
The start of the game went according to script, with the Badgers jumping out to a 9-2 lead and looking dominant up front, either making open layups or grabbing offensive rebounds and kicking them out for easy threes. Michigan later made a run of its own halfway through the first half and took the lead with about five minutes remaining in the half. The 6-foot-7 Max Bielfeldt led this charge with three put-back field goals to energize a team playing for credibility on the Big Ten landscape.
Wisconsin responded with a 9-0 run to end the half and went into the locker room with a comfortable 30-23 lead. The only question mark was junior forward Sam Dekker, who suffered a cut on his right hand after an emphatic dunk in transition. Dekker returned in the second half and played, but was used more as a decoy, likely because of pain in his hand.
The second half ran similar to the first to start, with Wisconsin taking control and Michigan coming roaring back. The Wolverines kept pushing however, and tied the game 57-57 on a Derrick Walton Jr. contested 3-pointer with two seconds remaining, evoking the narrative of “Ben Brust payback.” Like the Badgers did to them two seasons ago, Michigan had tied the game in the final seconds against a Top 5 Wisconsin team.
In overtime, the Badgers, once again, started strong by bursting out to an 8-2 run. However, this was a lead they never relinquished, escaping a raucous crowd and upset-minded Michigan with a 69-64 win.
Kaminsky was his usual dominant self, scoring 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting and grabbing 9 rebounds. He was supported by a group of starters whom all scored at least 9 points apiece. Sophomore guard Bronson Koenig was impressive in particular as he contined to fill in for injured starter Traevon Jackson, out with a broken foot. Koenig registered 13 points, 4 assists and just one turnover. Overall, he continued to look much more aggressive as a starter and increased the likelihood of a starter controversy upon Jackson’s return.
Less encouraging was the zero points scored by the Wisconsin bench. While the Badgers were for the most part able to pick apart Michigan’s zone defense thanks to Kaminsky and Nigel Hayes’ shooting ability, sophomore bench forward Vitto Brown looked lost and gave up two ugly turnovers. Redshirt sophomore guard Zak Showalter showed he isn’t likely to contribute on offense but still helps plenty in the rebounding and defense game.
Head coach Bo Ryan and company will continue their road slate next Saturday at Iowa, looking to dominate the Hawkeyes for the second time in two weeks.
