Tag: wisconsin badgers basketball

3-Point Shot Wisconsin vs. Richmond

What are the three keys to a victory against Richmond on Monday night? Nate Reuvers F, D’Mitrik Trice G, Brevin Pritzl G

For the first time in program history, Wisconsin will be taking part in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn as the Badgers will play Richmond in their opening round game. It will also mark the first time Wisconsin has played Richmond since 2004 when the Badgers beat the Spiders 76-64 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we will look at the three keys or questions for Wisconsin as they prepare to play Richmond.

LAYUP: WISCONSIN’S ABILITY TO PROTECT THE BASKETBALL

In four of five games played by Wisconsin, the Badgers have committed at least 11 turnovers. The exception being against McNeese State when they had nine turnovers.

In order for Wisconsin’s offense to have success against Richmond’s defense, which is allowing opponents to shoot 44 percent (109-for-248) from the field the Badgers are going to need to do a good job of taking care of the basketball.

Considering Richmond on the year is forcing their opponents into an average of 14.8 turnovers a game. In particular, where the Spiders are having success is by creating steals as 35 of the 59 turnovers they have created have come off of steals. Jacob Gilyard has been responsible for 16 of the 35 steals for Richmond.

Due to Wisconsin’s inability to effectively take care of the basketball at times this season has allowed for their opponents to average 11 points off of turnovers. With Richmond scoring at least 87 points in all four of their games this year the Badgers can’t afford to give the Spiders any points in transition or extra offensive possessions.

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Three takeaways from Wisconsin’s 88-70 win over Green Bay

Wisconsin took down the UW-Green Bay Phoenix 88-70 on Thursday night. Here are the top three takeaways from the victory.

Wisconsin picked up its fourth victory in a row on Thursday night, taking down UW-Green Bay 88-70 at the Kohl Center. Here are our top three takeaways from the game for the Badgers.

1. Wisconsin stayed hot offensively. 

The Badgers have looked extremely impressive on offense dating back to the victory over McNeese State, and the trend continued last night.

Wisconsin was once against lights-out from long-range, going 15-31 (48.4%) from beyond the arc. Despite a fairly impressive offensive showing of its own, Green Bay simply could not keep up with the Badgers’ onslaught of threes.

It was another incredibly balanced performance from Wisconsin, who saw the same six players that hit double figures against Marquette do the same against the Phoenix. Nate Reuvers led all scorers with 17 points despite playing just 20 minutes while dealing with foul trouble, while Brad Davison (15), Kobe King (12), Aleem Ford (12), D’Mitrik Trice (11) and Brevin Pritzl (10) also had productive days.

There may not be one obvious star on this year’s team who you know will go out and get you close to 20 points every game, but Wisconsin does have six players who look capable of stepping up and being that guy on any given night. In addition, you can probably lump Micah Potter into that group as well once he’s eligible on Dec. 21.

That’s an exciting level of balance that we have not seen from the Badgers in a while, and it should make upcoming opponents very nervous.

2. Foul trouble was an issue yet again. 

As mentioned, Reuvers was only on the floor for 20 minutes against the Phoenix due to foul trouble, something he has struggled with on multiple occasions already this season. While his absence wasn’t a crippling blow to Wisconsin this time considering the caliber of opponent and the production it received from the rest of the rotation, his inability to stay on the court was concerning considering the difficulty of the Badgers’ upcoming schedule.

Simply put, Greg Gard is probably going to need his star big man- and really the only true post player in the rotation at the moment- to stay on the court for a minimum of 30 minutes in at least a couple of the four games Wisconsin’s has left until Potter enters the frontcourt rotation, and possibly all of them. The Badgers’ matchups with NC State and Indiana seem certain to be very challenging, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Richmond and Rutgers give Wisconsin all it can handle, either.

The Badgers aren’t going to get the type of balanced production we saw last night every game, and there will come a time when they are desperate for a scoring punch or are getting dominated in the post by an opposing big man. Arguably the team’s best scorer and a critical presence as a shot-blocker in the post, Reuvers simply must be smarter with his fouls.

3. Tyler Wahl continues to impress. 

Wahl has been an important piece off the bench for the Badgers so far this season as a true freshman, and he continued his strong play against Green Bay with a career-high five points to go along with three rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 15 minutes of action.

Wahl came to Madison with a reputation as an incredibly versatile player who will stuff the box score and make an impact in a variety of ways, and he has certainly lived up to those expectations so far. However, what has most excited me about the Minnesota native has been his three-point shooting, which was the one major deficiency in Wahl’s game coming out of high school.

He hit a huge three against Marquette and drilled another last night against the Phoenix, and while it’s a pretty small sample size (he’s only attempted six), I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how pure his shot looks from long range. If Wahl can add reliable three-point shooting to a skill set that is proficient in just about every other aspect of the game, his upside could be considerably higher than we anticipated.

Game Day Grades – Wisconsin vs. UW-Green Bay

What grades did Wisconsin earn following their victory over in-state foe UW-Green Bay?

Offense: B+

Wisconsin came out firing against UW-Green Bay as they were able to quickly build a double-digit lead over the Phoenix as the Badgers never trailed. By the time the 16-minute media timeout hit in the first half Wisconsin was up 16-4 and were shooting 6-for-9 from the field and were 3-for-5 from three.

Wisconsin’s shooting was strong throughout most of the game but the Badgers did hit some dry spells too, which opened the door for the Phoenix to climb back into the game.

Despite the strong start to the game from the field after the 16-minute media timeout, the Badgers went to shoot 3-for-7 from the field and committed five turnovers as the Badgers allowed Green Bay to cut their double-digit lead to six at 27-21 with 7:44 to go in the first half.

Wisconsin was able to regain their shooting form and end the half on a high note as the Badgers finished the first half on a 24-8 run. Wisconsin went 8-for-14 to end the half as five of those eight made field goals came from 3-point range.

The Badgers were two made three’s shy of tying a school record for most 3-pointers made in a game as the Badgers went 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) from three.

Seven different players for Wisconsin made at least one three and six different Badgers made at least two of their 3-point attempts. D’Mitrik Trice and Brad Davison each made three of their 3-point attempts while Aleem Ford, Kobe King, Nate Reuvers, and Brevin Pritzl all made two 3-pointers. Tyler Wahl (five points) went 1-for-2 on his 3-point attempts.

Wisconsin did an excellent job of working the basketball around as the Badgers registered 24 assists on their 32 made field goals. With the Badgers consistently playing selfless basketball it allowed for Wisconsin to consistently generate open looks on offense as Trice led the team with seven assists.

With Wisconsin consistently working the basketball around the Badgers were able to get contributions from a variety of players for a second straight game. As the Badgers had six different players reach double figures as Reuvers led the way with 19 points. Davison finished with 15 points, King and Ford each had 12 points, Trice had 11 points, and Pritzl scored 10 off the bench.

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3-Point Shot Wisconsin vs. UW-Green Bay

What are the three keys to a Wisconsin victory against UW-Green Bay on Thursday?

Wisconsin will play its second in-state opponent in a row when they welcome UW-Green Bay to the Kohl Center on Thursday. Wisconsin and Green Bay didn’t play a season ago, as the Badgers have won the past eight meetings against the Phoenix.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we will look at the three keys or questions for Wisconsin as they prepare to play UW-Green Bay.

LAYUP: LIMITING GREEN BAY’S SECOND CHANCES

Wisconsin, over their first two games of the season, allowed their opponents to average 12 offensive rebounds a game. However, over Wisconsin’s last two games they have been able to reduce that number to an average of five a game.

Despite Wisconsin doing a better job of boxing out once a shot goes up, the Badgers will have a challenge against Green Bay. The Phoenix on the year are averaging 13.3 offensive rebounds a game and in the Phoenix loss to Purdue, they pulled down 12 offensive rebounds.

Wisconsin will need to be able to box out Manny Patterson, who leads the team with 10 offensive rebounds. Wisconsin’s ability to limit Patterson on the offensive glass and make sure he can’t help generate second chances will help limit a Green Bay offense that’s shooting 44 percent (96-for-218) from the field.

MID-RANGE: CAN WISCONSIN BRING THE SAME KIND OF DEFENSIVE PRESSURE?

Wisconsin’s defense was active throughout the game against Marquette as it allowed for the Badgers defense to create 15 turnovers. That activeness will need to continue considering Green Bay is averaging 17.7 turnovers per game.

With Green Bay turning the basketball over at such a high rate, Wisconsin’s defense should be able to flourish, coming from a unit that is forcing an average of 14.75 turnovers a game. The fewest turnovers Wisconsin has forced this year was 11 against Eastern Illinois.

The Phoenix, through three games, have allowed 24 steals as the opportunities for Wisconsin to come up with a steal will be there.

3-POINTER: WISCONSIN’S ABILITY TO GENERATE OPEN LOOKS 

Wisconsin’s offense has been up and down through four games, as the Badgers are shooting 44 percent (96-for-218) from the field. The Phoenix, on the season, are allowing teams to shoot 45.8 percent (87-for-190) on the year.

The Phoenix allowed Purdue to shoot 50.8 percent from the field on 31-for-61 shooting from the field. One of the reasons why the Boilermakers were able to shoot a high percentage against the Phoenix was they registered 16 assists on their 31 made field goals.

Although Wisconsin’s shots haven’t fallen at times, the Badgers have done well at trying to create the best shot for them. Wisconsin, on the season, is averaging 11.3 assists per game while D’Mitrik Trice leads the team in assists with nine. But Wisconsin has received production in this area from a variety of people as four different players have led Wisconsin in assists in each game.

If Wisconsin can space the floor effectively and knock their shots down, it should allow for the Badgers to be able to get into a rhythm on offense and build an early lead over the Phoenix.

Badgers vs. Green Bay is a perfect Wisconsin-Purdue appetizer

Reflections on Wisconsin basketball, Green Bay hoops, and the Bennett family in a week which includes a Wisconsin-Purdue football game.

Saturday, Wisconsin plays the Purdue Boilermakers in football. It is somehow so perfect that on Thursday, two days before that pigskin production, the Badgers play the Green Bay Phoenix in basketball.

“Really?”, you might be asking. “How do you connect the dots on that one?” Fair question. The basic point which will be explained in this article is as follows: If there is a single non-Wisconsin Big Ten school which rises to the forefront of the Wisconsin-Green Bay basketball game, it is Purdue. The reality behind that statement is much simpler than you might think. It just requires a little time to map out the connection.

One of the most significant moments in the history of college basketball in the state of Wisconsin was the Green Bay Phoenix’s win over California and a man named Jason Kidd in the 1994 NCAA Tournament. The year 2019 marks the 25th anniversary of that triumph for Dick Bennett. The potency of that 1994 win for Green Bay lies partly in the fact that it helped Bennett take the next step up the ladder to Madison and the Badgers in the fall of 1995. What Bennett developed at UW is still going today under the guidance of Greg Gard. There is a line of events and a series of roots which grew into tall trees and long, sturdy branches which have Wisconsin in great shape today. The success of Green Bay basketball 25 years ago was one of those central roots.

When Dick Bennett coached Green Bay to that huge win over Cal and Jason Kidd, he had a star player on his UWGB team. You might have heard of him: Tony Bennett.

The relationship which was coach-and-player became coach-and-assistant at Wisconsin and then at Washington State. Dick Bennett wanted to give Tony Bennett a program, so he stepped away at Washington State so that his son could become a collegiate head coach. In a very short time, Tony Bennett had already given a strong indication that as great as his dad was, he had the ability to become an even greater college basketball coach.

Taking Washington State to the Sweet 16? Making Washington State a top-four NCAA Tournament seed in consecutive seasons? No one does that. No one HAD done that… until Tony Bennett did it. Some really good basketball coaches had worked at Washington State in the past: George Raveling, Kelvin Sampson, Marv Harshman. None of them did what Tony Bennett managed to do.

Given what he pulled off in Pullman, Washington, Tony Bennett came to Virginia as a man capable of transforming the Cavaliers. The surprise isn’t that he succeeded; it is that he made Virginia successful at the very highest reaches of college basketball. Over the past six years, Virginia has won more ACC regular-season championships and gained more No. 1 seeds at the ACC Tournament than Duke or North Carolina. Virginia has become a heavyweight team with elite annual results.

There was, however, one missing piece in Tony Bennett’s resume, and entering the 2019 Elite Eight, a familiar story came full circle… with Purdue being part of the drama. This is why Purdue is the non-Wisconsin Big Ten school which offers the perfect accompaniment this week (albeit in football) to a Wisconsin-versus-Green Bay basketball game.

If Green Bay’s success helped give Badger basketball Dick Bennett, and if Badger basketball helped Tony Bennett begin his storied coaching career, one must then realize that Green Bay’s 1994 triumph is part of a chain of events which led to the 2000 NCAA Tournament and Dick Bennett’s ultimate coaching breakthrough.

Nearly 20 years before his son finally reached a Final Four at Virginia, Dick Bennett arrived at college basketball’s mecca. How did he do it, or more precisely, which school was the last obstacle standing in the way of that cathartic moment? Purdue. Wisconsin defeated the Boilermakers in the 2000 West Regional Final in Albuquerque. Bennett defeated Gene Keady, who is — and always will be — a valid answer to the question, “Who is the best college basketball coach to never make the Final Four?”

How wildly improbable it was, 19 years later, that Purdue, of all teams, would stand in Tony Bennett’s path as Virginia tried to make the Final Four for the first time in 35 years and give Tony the achievement his career had somehow not yet attained. Three years earlier, in 2016, Virginia played 10th-seeded Syracuse in the Elite Eight and gained a big early lead. That was a veteran Virginia team, the last team one would have expected to panic and get rattled by full-court defensive pressure. Yet, Syracuse’s press unnerved the Cavaliers, who imploded in the second half. Before the Virginia loss to UMBC — a 1 seed falling to a 16 seed — Tony Bennett had already tasted a supremely bitter defeat. UMBC wasn’t the first gut punch Tony had absorbed; he experienced that sensation two years earlier.

If Tony couldn’t beat Purdue, he would have to go through yet another year of “can’t win the big one” refrains. A career would have taken on the baggage which accumulates when an elite coach somehow doesn’t attain the one feat he is expected to capture at some point. Somehow, Virginia raced upcourt when trailing in the final seconds of regulation. Somehow, the Cavaliers tied the game on one of the most memorable plays in college basketball history. Somehow, the Hoos got to overtime. Somehow, they won and cross the threshold.

The end result: A Dick Bennett protege — his son — had beaten a Gene Keady protege, Matt Painter, in a regional final 19 years after the mentors had locked horns in Albuquerque. Wisconsin beat Purdue in the year 2000. A member of the Bennett family beat Purdue once again in 2019. This is how Purdue is the perfect Wisconsin football opponent at the end of the same week marked by a Badger-Green Bay basketball battle.

Wisconsin versus Green Bay is always a special game, but now that a member of the Bennett family has a national championship — lifting Dick and Tony to the height of their legacy in their moment of ultimate triumph — the presence of Green Bay on the other side of the court lends even more stature to this particular edition of Badgers versus Phoenix.

The rise of the Bennett family to the very top of the college basketball coaching profession is the perfect backdrop for a game between two schools whose existences and legacies are soaked in the contributions and influence of Dick and Tony Bennett. You could not have scripted this 2019 basketball reunion any better… and you could not have had a Wisconsin football game at the end of this week against a more appropriate opponent.

Badgers-Phoenix is a point of pride for the state of Wisconsin

Reflections on college basketball in the state of Wisconsin before the Badgers play the Green Bay Phoenix.

This isn’t a new revelation. This is a celebration of a well-known fact. The Thursday game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Green Bay Phoenix in the Kohl Center offers a reminder of how good basketball has been in the state of Wisconsin for a very long time. One week before Thanksgiving, it is a time for Wisconsinites — not just Badger fans — to continue to give thanks for the basketball bounty they have received for over half a century.

It all started in 1965 at West Bend High School. A young man named Dick Bennett taught the freshman team. Ever since that year, one of at least three men — Bennett, Bo Ryan, and Greg Gard — has coached basketball in the state of Wisconsin. Gard carries the torch today as the bench boss of the Badgers, but Ryan is in many ways the central nerve center for the story of basketball in the Badger State over the past 54 years.

Ryan took over the Wisconsin program Bennett entrusted to him in 2001. Ryan, albeit after a messy exit, then passed the baton to Gard in December of 2015. Since 1995, these three men have guided Wisconsin basketball. None of them have failed in the attempt to establish a standard Badger fans can be proud of. Gard’s head coaching tenure through four years has made the grade. That doesn’t mean his career has already been marked as an irrevocable success, but it does mean he is on the right track.

The reason Wisconsin’s game against Green Bay emphasizes the need for state residents to give thanks is that while Dick Bennett didn’t spend an extraordinarily long time in Madison, his tenure in Green Bay put him in position to ascend to Wisconsin’s capital city and begin a golden age of Badger basketball which resulted in the 2000 Final Four berth. Bennett’s run at UW, flowing from his Green Bay triumphs, gave Ryan a foundation he turned into one and a half hugely productive decades. Under Gard, the Badgers — who looked so quintessentially “Wisconsin-like” against Marquette on Sunday — are still reaping the benefits of what Bennett gave them after coming to UW from Green Bay.

Basketball fans in the state of Wisconsin know the stories. They know the litany of names and places where Bennett, Ryan and Gard have coached. Nevertheless, let’s name them anyway, just to emphasize the depth and breadth of this proud legacy in the Badger state on the hardwood, dating back to 1965:

West Bend. Mineral Point. Marion. New London. Eau Claire. Stevens Point. Southwestern High School. Green Bay. Platteville. Milwaukee. The University of Wisconsin. Dick Bennett, Bo Ryan, and Greg Gard have combined — over the past 54 years — to coach 104 seasons of scholastic basketball (high school and college together). They not only grew the game, they defined it. They not only defined it, they sustained it. They not only sustained it, but passed it along to successors who could keep the flame from dying out.

The Wisconsin Badgers will welcome the Green Bay Phoenix to the Kohl Center on Thursday. Emphasize the word “welcome,” since this game is regularly cause for celebration of a well-known reality. The fact that scholastic basketball has been so robust and healthy in the state of Wisconsin for the past several decades shouldn’t make anyone take this sustained success for granted. It is always worth absorbing, savoring, treasuring, how good this state has it in the realm of roundball. Thanksgiving comes one Thursday early this week — why not have two Thanksgiving days in November of 2019?

Wisconsin affirmed its identity vs Marquette by tending to details

More thoughts on the Wisconsin Badgers’ victory over the Marquette Golden Eagles.

The Wisconsin Badgers have a well-developed identity. Everyone who follows Wisconsin hoops knows that identity was powerfully affirmed on Sunday in a decisive win over the Marquette Golden Eagles. A timely reminder about affirming a positive identity is that it never happens without performing “detail work,” the intense and relentless process of paying attention to every aspect of competition.

Wisconsin’s awareness of what it needed to do — and how it needed to do it — was constant against Marquette. Everyone on the roster was vigilant and clearheaded. If you had to pick a star of the game, it was Brevin Pritzl, but the biggest takeaway from the win is that it was a group effort.

One could pick several non-Pritzl players who created this victory over Marquette. All such selections would be reasonable and illustrative of what the Badgers achieved against the Golden Eagles. I will choose Aleem Ford, who made his presence felt at both ends of the floor. His “detail work” paid off in numerous ways which separated Wisconsin from Marquette.

One of the things I saw when watching this game was that Marquette players, on dribble drives or post feeds, pushed their bounce passes with one hand. To be sure, great point guards know how to use a one-handed push pass, but those passes are more often in the air than bounce passes. Marquette’s attempts at one-handed passes were often bounce passes, and Wisconsin was able to get its hands on a number of those passes, either for steals or deflections.

In contrast to Marquette’s one-handed bounce passes, Ford used a two-handed bounce pass on a number of occasions. He fed Brad Davison with a two-handed bounce pass to create a layup late in the first half. Little details such as that enabled more Wisconsin possessions to end in made baskets, whereas the Golden Eagles didn’t exhibit the same precision. It mattered.

Ford also displayed attentiveness and sound positioning on defense, as shown in this play:

The crispness of a pass, the value of occupying a specific spot on the floor, the ability to maintain structure in help defense — these are the small details which, when observed, win games. When ignored, they lose games. Wisconsin tended to these details just as surely and clearly as Marquette failed in the same task.

We talked earlier in the season about college basketball players failing to exhibit good habits. Wisconsin’s final possession in regulation against Saint Mary’s was one of those bad habits. The important thing was for the Badgers to grow from that experience and demonstrate more vigilance. They certainly did that against Marquette. Let’s see if Wisconsin can sustain that identity in the coming weeks, heading into Big Ten play.

Three UW-Green Bay players Badger fans need to know

Wisconsin hosts UW-Green Bay at the Kohl Center Thursday. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.

Wisconsin (3-1) will look to follow up its impressive victory over Marquette last weekend with another strong showing against UW-Green Bay (1-2) at the Kohl Center on Thursday evening.

The Phoenix’s only victory so far this season wasn’t exactly impressive, as it came against a Division III opponent in UW-Stout.  However, head coach Linc Darner’s squad gave a New Mexico team that is expected to contend in the Mountain West a solid fight in what was ultimately a losing effort the last time out.

The Badgers easily dispatched of Green Bay when these two programs last met in 2017, but the Phoenix have been a tough out for Wisconsin in the past and could prove difficult to put away again this season with a deep and experienced team that could compete for a Horizon League title this year.

Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Thursday’s contest.

1. JayQuan McCloud – Guard

2019 stats: 13.7 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.0 spg, 54.5 2P%, 18.2 3P%

Green Bay’s leading returning scorer from a year ago, McCloud has met expectations and stepped up as Darner’s top weapon this season.

The former Second Team All-American at the junior college level made an instant impact in his first season with the Phoenix in 2018-19, trailing only Sandy Cohen in scoring and hitting double figures in 25 of 36 games. McCloud has parlayed that success into a strong start this year, leading the team in both scoring and assists.

The 6-2 senior is a multi-dimensional scorer who can get to the rim and knock down shots from beyond the arc. McCloud’s three-point shooting has been cold through Green Bay’s first three games, but that figures to come around sooner rather than later given that he’s at 37.2 percent for his career and shot 39.3 percent last season.

2. Kameron Hankerson – Guard

2019 stats: 11.3 ppg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 rpg, 37.9 2P%, 40.0 3P%

Dec 16, 2018; East Lansing, MI, USA; Green Bay Phoenix guard Kameron Hankerson (21) brings the ball up court during the first half of a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Hankerson was a preseason Second Team All-Horizon League selection prior to last season after averaging 10.7 points as a sophomore, but his production ultimately regressed a bit throughout his junior season.

Fortunately for the Phoenix, he has experienced a revival so far this year. The 6-5 senior is third on the team with a career-high 11.3 points per game and ranks second in assists. Hankerson also brings some nice size and length to Darner’s backcourt and will likely be tasked with locking up Kobe King.

3. PJ Pipes – Guard

2019 stats: 13.3 ppg, 2.0 apg, 3.7 rpg, 2.3 spg, 70.0 2P%, 50.0 3P%

Pipes is the third member of Green Bay’s trio of studs in the backcourt. The 6-2 guard is a standout on both ends of the court, leading the Phoenix in steals and ranking second and third in scoring and assists, respectively.

Similarly to McCloud, Pipes is a versatile scorer that can both get to the basket and drill long-range shots. He’s lights-out from the free-throw line (82.8 percent for his career) and is off to a hot start from three-point land this season (8-16).

Wisconsin knocked out Marquette in 100 seconds

Recalling the specific sequence in which the Wisconsin Badgers pulled away from the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Technically, a college basketball game encompasses 40 minutes of scoreboard clock time. Converted into seconds, a college basketball game lasts 2,400 seconds of scoreboard time. On Sunday in Madison, the Wisconsin Badgers needed only 100 of those 2,400 seconds to deck the Marquette Golden Eagles and secure a coveted victory in this in-state rivalry.

Wisconsin played well throughout this game, but if a particular sliver of Sunday’s showdown stood out, it was the pocket of one minute and 40 seconds — 100 seconds — which followed the under-eight-minute TV timeout in the second half. With 7:52 left, Wisconsin led 58-51, possessing a small working margin but nothing which could be considered comfortable — not with Marquette’s Markus Howard being capable of a massive scoring binge at any moment. Wisconsin had a lot of work to do to send Marquette to the canvas. It seemed as though the game was going to go down to the final few minutes.

That changed in the next 100 seconds. Brad Davison hit a 3-pointer. Nate Reuvers came up with a steal. D’Mitrik Trice hit a three. The defense forced a turnover by Marquette’s Theo John. Brevin Pritzl hit a three off an unselfish assist pass from Kobe King. With 6:12 left, Wisconsin led 67-51, and that was that. No late drama. No last-minute intrigue. Wisconsin scored a knockout before the final media timeout of the afternoon.

The beauty of these 100 seconds lay in the fact that every play involved a different Wisconsin player: Davison. Then Reuvers. Then Trice. Then Pritzl and King. While Howard tried to play Hero-Ball at times, and shot 6 for 21 in the process, Wisconsin kept spreading the wealth and sharing responsibilities at both ends of the floor. It was beautiful. It was necessary, with Micah Potter out. It was the best of Wisconsin basketball, the heart of this program’s identity in the 21st century, dating back to Dick Bennett’s Final Four trip in the year 2000.

The number 100 is a nice, round number. That round number in the realm of roundball referred to the amount of seconds Wisconsin needed to turn a typically tough and tense tussle against a rival into a runaway. The Badgers hope to replicate that 100-second sequence many times over this season. If they do, look out, Big Ten. You never know where or when these Badgers will strike. Everyone got involved in the best 100 seconds of a satisfying Sunday for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin needed balance and delivered it against Marquette

Reaction to the Wisconsin Badgers’ balanced scoring in their victory over the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Heading into Sunday’s game against the Wisconsin Badgers, the Marquette Golden Eagles probably thought they had the best player on the floor: Markus Howard. That was not a wildly irresponsible thought to have. Howard is a luminously skilled player and a legitimate star player in the larger world of college basketball.

Marquette was counting on Howard to be the best player on the floor in this game. The Golden Eagles and Steve Wojciechowski needed Howard to rise above everyone else in the Kohl Center and bring this game home. Howard was the “Wojo Mojo” Marquette hoped for.

Instead, Brevin Pritzl stole the show. Coming off the bench, Pritzl stuffed the stat sheet not only with 15 points, but with efficient shooting (4 of 6 from the field, 3 of 4 on 3-pointers, 4 of 4 at the foul line) and 13 rebounds, six on the offensive backboard. It is true that Howard was not the best player on the floor; Pritzl was. Yet, suggesting that a player-versus-player comparison — or a “best on the floor” designation — made the difference in Sunday’s game is a detour from the most important truth: This contest wasn’t centrally won by Pritzl, though he surely gave Wisconsin a difference-making effort; the Badgers’ biggest weapon against the Golden Eagles was their balance.

This is how it always needed to be for Greg Gard. Without Micah Potter, Wisconsin needed all hands on deck. It needed a stifling halfcourt defense to hold Howard to 6-of-21 shooting from the field. It needed all five starters to hit a 3-point shot. It needed all five starters to grab at least one rebound. It needed four of five starters to hand out at least one assist. It needed six different Badgers to score in double figures.

If Gard had a template for this game, he could not have hoped for a better outcome. This is exactly what 2019-2020 Wisconsin basketball has to be, certainly as long as Potter is unfairly prevented from playing. Sure, Wisconsin hoops took the next step when it cultivated takeover players such as Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker. Having elite crunch-time scorers will take a program to the next level. That said, Wisconsin faced a critical early-season test and not only passed it with flying colors; the Badgers aced this test exactly the way they needed to.

The act of winning was huge under any circumstance and regardless of details; the way in which Wisconsin won is just as important as the win itself, if not more so. Supreme balance — with high-quality performances from six different players plus capable defense from other members of the rotation — defined this victory over Marquette. It will need to continue to define the basketball Badgers as long as Micah Potter can’t take the court.