Published Jan 1, 2020
Five observations from Wisconsin's win over Rider
Grant Matheny
BadgerBlitz.com Staff Writer

MADISON -- Wisconsin closed out the decade on the right note Tuesday night with a 65-37 win over Rider in its final non-conference game of the regular season.

BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at five observations from the Badgers' victory over Rider.

Wisconsin played a full 40 minutes on defense

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Wisconsin’s play on the offensive side of the court was inconsistent and unpredictable in Tuesday’s win over Rider. The Badgers defense was not. UW locked up the Broncs, only allowing 36 points and 15 made field goals.

“Defensively, I thought we were pretty good all night," Greg Gard said. "We didn’t put them (Rider) at the line too much - they (Rider) have been getting to the line a lot."

Nate Reuvers continues strong junior season

Nate Reuvers hasn’t replaced Ethan Happ’s production, but he is still having a strong junior season

Happ’s production over his four seasons in Madison was unmatched by any other college basketball player in the last handful of years. And while Reuvers isn’t putting up Happ-like numbers, he is in the midst of a great junior season. With 14.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, Reuvers leads the team in both categories through 13 contests. The 6-foot-10 forward scored 15 points and snatched six rebounds in the win over Rider.

Brevin Pritzl picked up the lack in the first half

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While his teammates could not get any shots to fall, Brevin Pritzl enjoyed a lot of shooting success. Pritzl went 4-6 from the field, including three made shots from behind the arc in the first half. Pritzl’s 11 first-half points kept the Badgers afloat. If it wasn’t for Pritzl’s efficient play in the first 20 minutes, Gard’s team may have been in trouble.

D'Mitrik Trice rebounded in the second half 

D’Mitrik Trice was coming off two of his best games in a Badgers uniform. In his last two times on the court, Trice scored a combined 52 points in UW wins.

Trice’s first half in the Rider victory was a lot different from his past two games. In what was an ugly first half, Trice didn’t make a shot and gave the ball away three times.

Instead of hanging his head and fading into the background, the Huber Heights, Ohio, native came up with a great second half. Trice finished with nine points, seven assists and three rebounds.

If the Badgers hit shots, they can win a lot of game

It is pretty simple: when this Badgers team is making shots, opposing teams will struggle to beat them.

Need proof of how tough Wisconsin can be when they make shots? Take a look at its performance in the second half. After only putting up 22 points in the first 20 minutes, UW bounced back by shooting 51.6 percent from the field in the second half. Wisconsin was able to deliver a knockout punch to Rider’s chin by dropping 43 points after the intermission. Wisconsin turned up the intensity on defense while finding the bottom of the net on the other end.

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