Five Takeaways from No.21 Wisconsin's 68-51 win over Northwestern

Wisconsin (16-8 overall, 10-7 Big Ten) corrected its shooting woes Sunday evening and came out of Evanston with a 68-51 victory over Northwestern (6-14, 3-13).

Following are five takeaway from UW's conference win.

Following a pair of deflating losses to No. 11 Iowa and No. 3 Michigan, it certainly didn’t hurt to play a Northwestern squad that had lost its previous 12 games. Even more importantly, the meeting with the Wildcats came before a final stretch of upcoming games against Illinois, Purdue and Iowa.

Wisconsin took the opportunity to bounce back and ran with it.

Underscored in their losses to Iowa and Michigan had been the Badgers' inability to play a complete 40 minutes of basketball. Against the Wolverines, Wisconsin faltered in the second half; against the Hawkeyes, UW got off to a slow start. Sunday, Wisconsin was able to play well for much of the game and cruised to a 68-51 victory.

"Specifically defensively, I thought we got a lot of good things from our defense and we were able to get to the free throw line," Greg Gard said after the game. "Really a great team effort. Everybody that got on the floor did some good things.”

Wisconsin will now look to carry that momentum into a grueling end to the regular season.

“You have to celebrate a win, no matter who it’s against. In any situation, a win is a win. It was great to get a win," Micah Potter said. "Obviously we are nowhere near done, we still have a lot of tough ones ahead of us and we have to be able to respond. Got this win and we have to make sure we continue this momentum moving forward. But, personally, I am not satisfied. We have to prove ourselves more.

“Have a couple days off here, then we'll have a couple days of prep for Illinois and we are looking to get payback.”

“I think this was just our first step in taking that initiative," D'Mitrik Trice added. "With this group, I think we have our head in the right place and I think this is just the first stepping stone to where we want to go at the end of the season.”

Wisconsin is accustomed to getting consistent scoring from senior point guard D’Mitrik Trice. It also has a consistent energizer in Jonathan Davis off the bench. In the loss to Iowa, neither shot the ball particularly well. Davis went 1-of-9 from the field and totaled three points, while Trice, shooting 3-of-15 from the field, ended with 11.

The pair bounced back in a big way against Northwestern. Trice totaled 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep. He also tallied a trio of rebounds and assists, becoming fourth on the all-time assist list in the program's history. The redshirt senior made sure to get up some extra shots following the loss to the Hawkeyes, and it showed Sunday evening.

“I know in the Iowa game there were a lot of shots that I could make and that were easy shots,” Trice said. “So just to see the ball go through the hoop and get some extra shots here and there is always key, and I think that it paid off tonight.”

Davis surpassed his total against Iowa in the middle of the first half. The true freshman ended the game with 12 points, which included a 6-of-7 showing from the free throw line, to go along with three steals against the Wildcats.

“I think that’s what he’s (Davis) been able to do for us,” Trice said. “Especially at times when the offense gets into a lull or we’re having trouble to score, he’s that spark off the bench. He can attack the rim but he can also shoot it really well from the outside.”

Trevor Anderson was sidelined for the second game in a row with an upper body injury against Northwestern. Gard provided an update on the redshirt senior’s status after the game.

“Trevor is day-to-day,” Gard said. "I just get an update on him each day with where he’s at, so we’ll see through the week. We have some time here before the next one.”

Anderson’s absence opened the door for freshman Carter Gilmore, who saw meaningful action for the first time in his young career. Gilmore registered a career-high five minutes and hauled in one rebound. He also went 0-for-2 from three.

“He’s (Gilmore) done some good things in practice,” Gard said. “He’s been on the scout team but given the matchups and how we were able to align somewhat with Northwestern’s lineup, I knew I’d have to use an eighth guy if I needed to. And with Tyler (Wahl) getting two fouls in the first half, it helped that get faster to fruition than what we had thought. I had used him in practice yesterday and he’s done some good things. I think he has a chance to be a good player here.”

Gard praised the young player but couldn’t help but throw a playful jab at the freshman.

“Wasn’t bashful tonight to let it fly the first time he caught it, but he’s anxious," Gard said. "He’s willing to learn and wants to really help this team.”

Wisconsin came into Sunday's game with a 3-5 record over its previous eight contests. Poor shooting was the underlying factor during that stretch. But in the win over Northwestern, the Badgers turned those fortunes around and had their best shooting performance since early February.

"You continue to play it one game at a time and have a short memory," Gard said. "We didn’t dwell much on the last game and we have a week here, so it’s good for us to get some rest."

Sunday night, UW shot 41.1 percent from the field (23-56) and 36.0 percent (9-25) from beyond the arc. That's the best combo since its win over Penn State back on Feb. 2.

The good shooting night was highlighted by a pair of big performances from Potter (19 points) and Trice (13).

"When we’re at our best is when we are getting stops and sharing the ball, like tonight," Trice said. "It just shows how many guys can step up to the plate and knock down shots and get to the free throw line, and it just makes us that much more versatile.

"Some nights it’s going to be other people’s night but as long as it’s our night, that’s the main focus for our group.”

Wisconsin managed to work through some tough shooting stretches. After opening the game going 5-of-16 from the field, UW shot 6-of-10 the rest of the half. The Badgers responded in the same fashion in the second half. UW started the final frame shooting 3-of-10 but improved to 9-of-18 for the rest of the game.

"Just moving the ball. Changing sides of the floor. Touching the paint. Movement. Getting the ball inside, out. All of those different things can change the game completely," Potter said.

"You can do all the shooting drills you want but for them to be able to do it in a game is the biggest step forward you need to take," Gard added.

The team's energy and effort throughout the night was highlighted on a sequence where Tyler Wahl doubled in the post, rotated perfectly to pressure his assignment at the arc for a steal, leading to a layup from Davis.

“I thought Brad’s (Davison) energy and effort there, he just blew up a couple plays," Gard said. "I thought Tyler was really active. He was really active in the second half, digging balls loose, putting pressure on passers, and that’s what he can do. He’s a good defensive player and he has a chance to be a really good player as time goes on and he gets stronger, gets more maturity and goes deeper into his career here.”

Potter followed up his double-double against Iowa with 19 points, eight rebounds, one block and two steals against Northwestern. Davis continued to bring his energy off the bench in the form of 12 points and a trio of steals. Brad Davison, who scored 10 points, snagged three steals as well, while Wahl continued to be a pest on that end.

"Just the team defense and the energy we brought really showed tonight," Trice said.