The Badgers took on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday night at the Kohl Center, defeating their Big Ten opponent 64-52 in the matchup.
In what was a much-needed victory for Wisconsin, he top thing that sticks out in the contest was the putrid shooting for the Hawkeyes, finishing the game 20-for-62 from the field (32.3%) and an abysmal 3-for-28 from long-range. Considering Iowa hadn’t scored under 60 points since December, the Badgers defense showed up when needed most Wednesday.
For Wisconsin, Tyler Wahl (11 points) reached double-digit points for the first time in four games while he also reeled in a career-high 14 rebounds. Additionally, Chucky Hepburn (12 points) and Connor Essegian (17 points) returned to form versus the Hawkeyes after the two guards combined for just eight points in Saturday’s loss to Rutgers.
Essegian in particular made multiple three-pointers (2-for-7), matching Brad Davison’s freshman record of 60 made threes in a season. He still has three more games to break it, which is all but a guarantee.
With the Badgers currently on the bracket bubble, the win of Iowa has massive tournament implications. If Greg Gard’s squad can continue to take care of business down the stretch, Wisconsin should be in March Madness in a few weeks.
For Wisconsin, the win raises their season record to 16-11 overall and 8-9 in the Big Ten. They’ll travel to face Michigan (15-12) on the road on Sunday.
On the other side, Iowa drops to 17-11 on the year and 9-8 in conference matchups. Their next contest will come Saturday at home versus Michigan State (17-10).
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