MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Badgers won their third game in a row on Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center, riding a triple-double from senior forward Ethan Happ to a XX-XX win.
BadgerBlitz.com's three keys to the UW win are included below.
1 - Happ Hopp
Senior standout Ethan Happ earned his second triple-double of the season and his career on Saturday. Happ had 11 assists, 13 points and 12 rebounds in Wisconsin’s win over Northwestern.
Earlier this season, Happ became only the second player in program history to record a triple-double with 12 assists, 11 rebounds and 10 points in the Badgers’ 85-63 win over Coppin State on Nov. 6, 2018.
Port Washington’s Josh Gasser is the only other Wisconsin player to accomplish the feat. During his freshman season in 2011, when he posted 12 rebounds, 10 points and 10 assists during a 78-46 win over Northwestern.
2 - Three Spree
The Badgers found success from beyond the arc in their win against Northwestern. They shot 60 percent (6 for 10) in the first half, led by point guard D’Mitrik Trice, who was 4-of-4 from 3-point range. Wisconsin finished 47 percent (9 of 19) overall in the victory. Trice shot 4 of 6 from long range, and Brad Davison shot 3 of 6.
Wisconsin’s best performance from long range in Big Ten Conference games was an 11-of-30 performance in its 64-60 setback at Maryland on Jan. 14.
3 - Stealth Defense
The Badgers kept a close eye on the Wildcats’ best scorers. Vic Law entered the game with a 16.3 points-per-game average, and scored 6 points on Saturday.
Derek Pardon, averaging 14.2 points per game, finished with 8 points.
The Badgers’ defense throughout the game was solid, particularly as they held the Wildcats scoreless in the final 3 minutes, 3 seconds of the first half to take a 10-point lead, 34-24, into halftime.
