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Looking back at the best moments from Wisconsin’s win streak

On February 6th, the day after Wisconsin suffered an 18-point defeat at Minnesota, the Badgers sat at 6-6 in the middle of the Big Ten Conference. Today, March 8th, UW has clinched a share of the Big Ten title and ended the year on an eight-game …

The streak saw a variety of Badgers step into the leading role offensively, beginning with Brevin Pritzl at home against the Buckeyes on February 9th. The best pure shooter on this Badger team put on a show from beyond the arc. The senior went 5-6 from deep en route to 19 points and led UW to a 70-57 win. That game was also the debut of the retro jerseys inspired by the 2000 underdog final four team. There has been something special in those throwback whites that is reminiscent of magic from 2000, and the Badgers have kept wearing them at home since the OSU win.

At Nebraska, it was Brad Davison’s turn. The emotional leader of the squad led the Badgers to a double digit win over the Huskers by pouring in eight threes and dropping a season-high 30 points. As the win streak continued, so did the offensive balance. Through the first five wins, five different Badgers lead Wisconsin in scoring. Even more impressive from a depth perspective is the fact that UW only plays eight players in the normal rotation. Also shocking about the five different scoring leaders is the fact that the teams leading scorer, Nate Reuvers, was not one of them.

D’Mitrik Trice certainly became the point guard that Wisconsin needed him to be throughout these eight games. Not only did the junior eclipse the 1,000 career points mark at Indiana yesterday, but he also averaged nearly six assists throughout Wisconsin’s win streak. The clutch gene was not only present in Trice, but the entire Badger team over the last month. Whether it was going 8-8 from the line to close out Purdue at home in the final minute, Pritzl’s clutch three against the Gophers, or yesterday’s heroics at Assembly Hall, the Badgers found a way. Can we get another look at the Pritzl heroics?

Knew it the moment he flicked it

🗣 Best shooter in the country#OnWisconsin » #Badgers pic.twitter.com/0pAfMr7RVu

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 2, 2020

This team has learned how to win when shots aren’t falling, odds are stacked against them, and they have to grind it out. The lesson of winning has been learned at the perfect time as the Badgers get ready for the madness.

Film Room: Yesterday’s win shows the evolution of D’Mitrik Trice

Earlier in the year, and earlier in the career of D’Mitrik Trice, yesterday’s shooting performance would have defined his afternoon. Earlier in the year, late shot clock situations were disastrous for the Badgers and their starting point guard. …

Earlier in the year, and earlier in the career of D’Mitrik Trice, yesterday’s shooting performance would have defined his afternoon. Earlier in the year, late shot clock situations were disastrous for the Badgers and their starting point guard. Earlier in the year, perimeter shooting defined the junior’s offensive impact. Wisconsin’s point guard was just 2-10 from the field and 0-3 from three. Shots he has knocked down for most of this eight-game winning streak were not falling for him yesterday.

The Ohio native had a goose egg in the scoring column with Wisconsin down three at the half. To make matters worse, Devonte Green, his matchup for most of the day, had 16 of the Hoosier’s 28 points at the break. Earlier this year, with Trice’s shot not falling from the perimeter and his defensive assignment making contested threes look like layups, it would be hard to see how the point guard could put his stamp on the game. This, however, is not December. It’s March.

Trice went on to play an exceptional second half of defense on Green, whose fire quickly turned to ice. The Indiana guard went 0-7 in the second half, and 0-3 from three with Trice being the defensive pest against shifty guards that he has been all year. Then, with the game on the line in a late shot clock situation, 0 called his own number. With 1:20 left, the shot clock under five, and UW clinging to a three point lead, Trice got the switch he wanted on Indiana forward Race Thompson. The point guard used his quickness and a killer crossover to beat Thompson off the dribble and finish a floater high off the window. There was no panic late in the shot clock:

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The ensuing Wisconsin possession with the Badgers now up 2 once again turned into a late shot clock situation with the ball in the hands of Trice. Indiana once again ends up with Thompson defending Trice with the game on the line. Once the speedy guard beats the IU forward off the dribble, Trayce Jackson-Davis is forced to help. The help forces Jackson-Davis to leave his man, Nate Reuvers, all alone under the rim for the board and bucket to put the game on ice:

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On paper, the win at Indiana may have not looked like the finest basketball we have seen from D’Mitrik Trice this season. However, as the tape shows, he was calm, cool, and collected when it counted most.

Locked On Badgers Podcast: Previewing IU, Game Predictions

The Locked On Badgers Podcast is a daily Wisconsin basketball and football podcast bringing you short-form, daily coverage of Badger sports Monday through Friday. On today’s episode, Asher talks tomorrow’s Badger game as UW looks for a share of the Big Ten regular season title. Tune in for a recap of a special month for Wisconsin basketball and a preview and prediction of the Indiana game.

You can listen to Locked On Badgers Monday through Friday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever else you find your podcasts.

Scouting Report: IU is attempting to build a defensive identity, how Wisconsin can counter that on Saturday

Under Archie Miller, the Indiana Hoosiers have been identified by the fact that they often lack a true identity. There was no secret that Miller’s Dayton teams bought into a defensive philosophy and identity that brought success. The same has not …

Under Archie Miller, the Indiana Hoosiers have been identified by the fact that they often lack a true identity. There was no secret that Miller’s Dayton teams bought into a defensive philosophy and identity that brought success. The same has not completely translated to his time in Bloomington, but the signs have begun to show. Indiana has worked their way up to being ranked 32nd in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom. There is a stark contrast between the defense Badger fans saw in Madison against the Hoosiers in December, and the one they will see Saturday morning.

The Hoosiers have not allowed a team to score more than 67 points in their last five contests. Wisconsin just ended a streak of six straight games of scoring more than 67 points in their 63-48 win over Northwestern. Something will have to give.

The identity of the entire Indiana program had to change on the defensive end of the floor when Miller took over. Previous IU coach Tom Crean almost never, at any point of the year, had top-50 defenses according to KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency. The personnel of this 2019-20 group lends itself well to defense, especially on the interior. Trayce Jackson-Davis is an impressive young rim protector who also has the speed to be switchable on high ball screens. That is one of the attributes that will make the New Yorker an intriguing NBA prospect in years to come. Jackson-Davis averages nearly 2 blocks per game, and almost as many blocks as the rest of his teammates combined. The true freshman’s 6’9″, 245-pound frame lends itself well to the pack-line principles that Coach Miller is attempting to instill in his team.

It’s a difficult task predicting if the Badgers can find offensive success against Indiana based on their 84-point outburst at home. When the two teams met on December 7th, IU’s defense was not the only thing that would change as the year progressed. UW was led that day by Kobe King and his 24 points on an efficient 10-15 shooting. No King has been no problem for the Badger offense so far. Success that day at the Kohl Center also came through playing inside-out basketball. The Badgers broke down the pack-line by taking advantage of what it tries to do. Any pack-line defense has the goal of packing the paint and sagging defensively to prevent interior penetration. By getting the basketball inside to Nate Reuvers, the junior big not only had 20 points against IU, but opened things up from the outside that allowed UW to shoot 8-20 (40%) from three. This time around, the Badgers also have Big Ten super-sub Micah Potter. The Ohio State transfer sat out of the last matchup due to NCAA rules. The stretch big man can certainly provide the perfect inside-out counter against the pack-line if he is feeling it from beyond the arc. If the Badgers start inside-out and knock down open looks as a result, it could be a long senior day for the Hoosiers.

Scouting Report: How Archie Miller and the Hoosiers stack up offensively

Wisconsin basketball is looking to do what seemed impossible in mid-December: win a share of the regular-season Big Ten title. Standing in the way of an eighth-straight Badger victory are the Indiana Hoosiers at historic Assembly Hall. Indiana comes in with an overall record of 19-11 and 9-10 in the BIG. On Saturday morning, UW is looking for a season sweep of IU following their December 7th blowout win at the Kohl Center. Here is what Badger fans can expect offensively from Indiana head coach Archie Miller and his team this time around:

The Hoosiers are at their best when freshman stud Trayce Jackson-Davis leads them on both ends. The Greenwood, Indiana native has led this otherwise experienced team as a true freshman to the tune of a team-high 13.9 points per contest. His efficiency in the paint has lead to an overall 57.8% shooting clip, although the 6’9″ uber-athletic forward has had struggles on the road. At home, Jackson-Davis is averaging 15.7 points per game and shooting nearly 60% from the field. On the road, those numbers drop to 10.6 points per game and 53.6% from the floor. The Hoosier big man can step out and hit the mid-ranger, but does his best work on the interior using a combination of athleticism and impressive footwork. Expect Nate Reuvers to be tasked with handling Jackson-Davis. That matchup of rim protectors and scoring leaders should be the most intriguing battle on the floor. The Badgers did a solid job on the freshman star in their 84-64 win over IU back in December. Jackson-Davis only attempted six shots en route to 9 points.

Although recently turnovers have not been as major of an issue as earlier in the year, IU still generally struggles at taking care of the basketball. They average more turnovers than any Big Ten team at 13.0 per game. The Hoosiers are a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of scoring as they come into Saturday averaging 71.3 points per outing. The inconsistency and turnover issues are a reflection of inconsistent guard play that has derailed this team at times. Senior guard Devonte Green sums this up perfectly. The New York native began the year hurt, and eventually worked his way back into a starting role. He has been in and out of that starting role this year due to inconsistency offensively. A 27-point outburst in a win against Iowa on February 13th saw Green nail 7 treys, and he immediately followed that performance with 3 points and a horrendous shooting night against Michigan in a loss. The combo guard will look to finish strong on his senior day against the Badgers.

The Hoosiers offensive inconsistency plays itself out even in the small sample size of one game. There are stretches where this team can’t find a basket, especially on the road, and other stretches where their guards get hot from the perimeter and they become world-beaters. To beat Wisconsin, a top-25 team in terms of defensive efficiency according to KenPom, the Hoosiers likely have to shoot better than their 32% average from distance, and have the world-beating Devonte Green show up in Bloomington. With that being said, if the Badgers come up short on Saturday morning it will likely have more to do with their offense than their defense.

Locked On Badgers Podcast: Senior Night Recap, Wisconsin Basketball’s Future Depth “Problem”

The Locked On Badgers Podcast is a daily Wisconsin basketball and football podcast bringing you short-form, daily coverage of Badgers sports Monday through Friday. On today’s episode, Asher talks senior night stories, the senior night win, and what …

You can listen to Locked On Badgers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever else you find your podcasts.

Wisconsin lands in the top 25 for the first time this season

The Wisconsin Badgers have now ranked No. 24 on the AP top 25 poll following their win over Minnesota The Badgers have found their stride and now have won seven of their last eight with the Big Ten tournament a little over a week away They have had six different leading scorers over the last seven games and everyone is playing their best basketball Wisconsin has plenty of opportunities to build their resume with two games remaining in the regular season and the Big Ten tournament

Wisconsin lands in the top 25 for the first time this season

Former Wisconsin Linebacker Joe Schobert Set to Become Free Agent

Cleveland Browns have elected to let Former Wisconsin LB Joe Schober hit free agency Schobert has played for the Browns since he was drafted in 2016 with the 99th overall selection in the fourth round Schobert has registered 408 career tackles, 8.5 sacks, six INT, seven FF, and two fumble recoveries in his four year NFL career Schobert finished his career as a badger with 172 tackles, 35.5 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, seven FF, three FR, and one INT