Preview: No. 15 Badgers look to stay perfect in Big Ten against Wildcats
No. 15 Wisconsin (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten) vs. Northwestern (12-3, 3-1)
Game: Saturday, Jan. 13 in the Kohl Center
Time: 11:00 A.M. CT
Watch: BTN
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Prediction: Wisconsin 76, Northwestern 67
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
Betting line: Wisconsin -7.5 (according to ESPN BET)
PRE-GAME NOTES
The Badgers will look to continue their bounce-back campaign against Northwestern, a team they lost to twice last season by five points combined.
The Wildcats are tied for second in the Big Ten, sitting just behind Wisconsin, yet their performance this season has been choppy.
They beat top-ranked Purdue back in early December, then lost to Chicago State two weeks later — the same team Wisconsin later beat by 27 points. In their last three games, all against Big Ten opponents, they were first blown out by Illinois, then rebounded with wins over Michigan State and Penn State.
The key to their victories in the past two games has been the continued emergence of junior guard Brooks Barnhizer. He’s scored a combined 39 points in his last two games on 65% shooting, including a career-high 23 points against the Nittany Lions.
Yet Barnhizer also turned the ball over six times in the last two games, a weakness which Wisconsin’s perimeter defenders will surely look to exploit.
Another pleasant surprise in the Northwestern backcourt has been Ty Berry, whose superb shooting has added another dimension to the Wildcats’ offense. He’s averaging 12.1 points on an impressive 45.7% shooting from 3.
Through four Big Ten games, Wildcats are shooting an absurd 47.9% from beyond the arc, and Berry deserves most of the credit.
Alongside Barnhizer and Berry is one of the Big Ten’s best combo guards in Boo Buie, who’s currently top-six in the Big Ten in both points (18.1) and assists per game (5.1). He also leads the Wildcats in usage rate by a wide margin, at 28.2%.
Regardless of Northwestern’s other emerging pieces, their success is almost entirely in the hands of Buie.
Limiting Northwestern’s talented guards will be a priority for all of Wisconsin’s perimeter defenders, but mostly guard Max Klesmit, who’s entering on a hot streak of his own.
He scored all 18 of his points in the second half, 16 of which came in the final 8:43, helping the Badgers finish the game on a 19-4 run and come back to win their fourth Big Ten game.
Klesmit is likely the best perimeter defender on the team, and adds another level of value with his random scoring explosions. The junior guard is averaging just 7.9 points per game on the season, but has scored over 15 points in three of their last eight games.
Klesmit sealed the game for the Badgers, but A.J. Storr kept them alive early on, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the first half to give Wisconsin a 35-33 halftime lead.
He wasn’t nearly as productive in the second half, but the increased defensive attention created space for his teammates.
The sophomore transfer hasn’t skipped a beat since Big Ten play began, as he’s scored in double figures in all four of their conference games so far.
Wednesday’s game also featured an unexpected scare in the form of Steven Crowl’s health.
After suffering a left knee injury in practice, Crowl didn’t decide to play until pre-game warmups. and it wasn’t hard to see why. He didn’t score in the first half and shot just twice, and finished the game with five points.
The Badgers were ultimately fine, but they can’t expect to consistently rely on random scoring performances from role players. If they want to continue their hot streak in the Big Ten, Wisconsin will need their star forward.
| Pos. | WISCONSIN | HT/WT | PTS | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Chucky Hepburn (Jr.) |
6-2, 195 |
8.8 |
3.1 |
4.0 |
|
G |
Max Klesmit (Jr.) |
6-4, 200 |
7.9 |
1.9 |
1.3 |
|
G |
A.J. Storr (So.) |
6-7, 205 |
14.9 |
2.9 |
0.9 |
|
F |
Tyler Wahl (Gr.) |
6-9, 225 |
11.8 |
6.0 |
1.5 |
|
F |
Steven Crowl (Jr.) |
7-0, 247 |
12.1 |
7.5 |
2.2 |
| Pos. | NORTHWESTERN | HT/WT | PTS | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Boo Buie (Sr.) |
6-2, 180 |
18.1 |
3.6 |
5.1 |
|
G |
Ryan Langborg (Sr.) |
6-4, 195 |
11.7 |
2.7 |
2.8 |
|
G |
Ty Berry (Sr.) |
6-3, 185 |
12.1 |
3.8 |
1.3 |
|
G |
Brooks Barnhizer (Jr.) |
6-6, 215 |
13.9 |
7.2 |
2.5 |
|
F |
Luke Hunger (So.) |
6-10, 255 |
4.2 |
1.7 |
0.6 |
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