Wisconsin basketball advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinal Friday afternoon with a decisive 70-61 win over the Northwestern Wildcats.
The Badgers continued the flash the form that led them to a blowout win over Maryland in the previous round, a form which the team has lacked since February began.
Related: Wisconsin social media all-in after Badgers big win over Northwestern
A.J. Storr led the Badgers with a dominant 30-point output, while center Steven Crowl seems to be finding his stroke at the right time — as he scored 19 points on 8/12 from the field and 3/5 from three-point range.
Wisconsin’s sudden excellence is terrific news as the Badgers enter the NCAA Tournament in search of their first Sweet 16 trip since 2016-17.
The news is obviously all positive after the clean win over Northwestern. Here are specific takeaways from the performance as the Badgers go on to face Purdue on Saturday afternoon:
Wisconsin basketball was ranked No. 6 in the country entering February for a reason. The team boasted one of the nation’s best offenses, a dynamic attack with versatile athletes and a solid complementary defense.
That team vanished in February and the first half of March. It’s safe to say it is now back after the last two performances.
Keep in mind: Wisconsin took care of Northwestern without Chucky Hepburn playing a minute. That’s an all-around performance, led by Storr’s dominance, without one of the team’s most important players touching the court.
Again, look out if the Badgers are truly back to their January ways.
A.J. Storr’s night ended with 30 points on 10/16 shooting, 3/5 from three-point range and six rebounds. He was the Badgers’ engine all afternoon, and provided a glimpse of shotmaking and offensive dominance that could propel a run in March.
Most Final Four teams have a go-to option when they need a bucket. Storr looks to be that player, it’s a question of the rest of the team rising to the occasion.
I don’t have stats on this, but it feels like Wisconsin wins every game that Steven Crowl shoots well from deep.
The team dominated Maryland Thursday when Crowl shot well, and it got the job done against Northwestern with the big man going 3/5 from deep.
Crowl’s versatility brings a needed dimension to the offense, especially as the team gets set to face opponents with good big men. His red-hot shooting is terrific news entering Saturday, and entering next week.
Adversity comes in the form of a 3-8 skid through six weeks of basketball, which the Badgers seem to now be out of. It also comes in the form of Chucky Hepburn being a late scratch, and the team not missing a beat once the game begins.
Hepburn was ‘ready to play if needed.’ But he wasn’t needed, because the rest of the team all rose to the occasion. This is the adversity that teams must battle through if a Final Four run is possible.
More terrific news: the loud Greg Gard detractors on social media are all quiet after a second straight terrific performance.
Those detractors should stay quiet indefinitely if the Badgers make an Elite Eight or Final Four run, which is even more of a reason to root for it.
After a breakout performance against Maryland, Blackwell shot only 1/8 this afternoon for three points. But he still played terrific defense on Northwestern star Boo Buie, plus added three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
That, and he still had the confidence to pull this deep three despite his struggles on the day:
Look out for Blackwell turning into a star as March Madness begins.
Who knew Kamari McGee was one of the more important players on this Badgers team. It feels like the team has turned a corner since he returned from injury against Rutgers.
McGee finished this contest with four points in 23 minutes, but also three rebounds, an assist and a huge block. He’s the perfect backup point guard to have, and will be a valuable depth piece for whatever run the Badgers can put together.
I’m usually hesitant to buy into teams in the postseason, but these last two games have been direct flashbacks of the dominance we saw in December and January. For that reason, I’m back in on the Badgers being a dark horse Elite Eight or Final Four contender.
Greg Gard has big-game tournament experience, Storr is the go-to scorer the team needs, Hepburn is the perfect floor general and (hopefully) Crowl and Tyler Wahl are both on point for the big matchups.
There have been numerous Wisconsin teams to let fans down in the last decade, lets hope this isn’t also one of them.
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