Some reminders of home helped Wisconsin basketball to the finish line vs Penn State

The Badgers were helped by a bit of a crowd in Indy

While there have been differing rules across states, conferences, and programs, every team in college basketball has been dealing with a limited or non-existent crowd at home games.

For Wisconsin, a team that has excelled at home unlike nearly any other program over the past two decades, the lack of a crowd has taken a serious toll. Understandably, no fans have been allowed inside the Kohl Center all year, and the only family/other spectators allowed in have sat inside boxes far away from the court. Last night at Lucas Oil Stadium, there may not have been a ton of fans allowed, but having a section of friends and family as close to the court as fans were allowed to be made an emotional difference for the Badgers.

The section opposite the Wisconsin bench, which was still not exactly close to the court by usual standards, was full of Badger friends and family. From Nate Reuvers’ brother in a custom number 35 suit jacket to a number of the Wisconsin basketball moms, just having that lift of a loud cheering section helped spur the late first-half/early second-half run.

In the middle of that first-half burst, senior guard Brad Davison turned towards the Wisconsin faithful. He amped up the limited capacity, pro-Wisconsin crowd just as a Badger defensive possession was beginning. This wouldn’t have been noteworthy just about a year ago today. That would have just been the Badger leader doing what he does at least once per home game. It had a different meaning, as it was a simple act that had been suppressed all season.

You can guess what happened next. The Badgers got a stop, and Davison came down and connected on one of his three threes of the night. After a nervy late second-half stretch where Penn State got to the free-throw line and clawed their way back, the Badgers fittingly came up with one final stop to seal a win.

The first postgame thoughts from Wisconsin’s leading scorer D’Mitrik Trice? It was nice to have some energy back in the building:

Wisconsin’s limited fans were the only real noise in the building, as Penn State did not have a significant traveling contingent. As Wisconsin moves forward to tonight, it will be interesting to see how the Iowa crowd looks at Lucas Oil Stadium. We know, however, that the Badger families are going to bring it.