Quick Hits: No.13 Wisconsin Alone in First Place after 66-61 win at Rutgers

Only one ranked Big Ten team has been able to leave Jersey Mike’s Arena in the winner’s column this Big Ten season. And that squad will enter the final week of the Big Ten regular season alone in first place and on the brink of a conference title.

Despite making only one field goal for the final 4:43, No.13 Wisconsin leaned on its defense to earn a 66-61 victory over Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena Saturday.

Johnny Davis scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half to lead four players in the double figures for the Badgers (23-5, 14-4 Big Ten), which hold a one-game lead over Purdue and a 1.5-game over Illinois with two games remaining.

The Badgers were given a gift more than three hours before tipoff, an upset by Michigan State over the Boilermakers in East Lansing that gave UW an opportunity to claim sole possession of first place in the Big Ten entering the final week of the season.

That was only a byproduct, according to head coach Greg Gard, who stressed the most important thing for his team to play significantly better against Rutgers (16-12, 10-8) than they had two weeks prior. His players bought into that messaging.

UW improved in its 3-point shooting (9-for-20 up from 4-for-19 in the first meeting), defended the perimeter better (4-for-17 down from 7-for-12) and limited the free-throw attempts (9-for-15 down from 16-for-18). The two-week growth was evident in the first 20 minutes, when the Badgers took a 33-24 halftime lead, thanks to five made 3-pointer and holding the Scarlet Knights to 0-for-6.

The Badgers did most of that damage without Davis, who was just 2-for-9 from the field with two fouls. Brad Davison (11 of his 14) and Chucky Hepburn (10 of his 13) were UW’s top two scorers.

Wisconsin jumped out to a 15-6 start off the heels of its perimeter game, getting 3-pointers from three different sources while holding the hosts to 2-for-11 from the floor. The balance between versatile offense and team defense allowed the lead to grow to as many as 11 in the first half, as UW got points from six different players and forced eight turnovers.

UW’s lead shrunk to 39-36 within the first five minutes of the second half, with Geo Baker scoring eight of his 19 points during the initial surge, and eventually tied the game at 42 with 12 minutes remaining. Davis and Davison combined on an 8-2 run to build some brief breathing room, but a 7-0 Rutgers run gave the Scarlet Knights their first lead, 51-50, with 7:28 remaining.

In what became a theme in the second half, the Badgers had a response. Four times Rutgers tied or took the lead on Wisconsin in the second half. Four times the Badgers retook the lead on the ensuing possession, the last coming on Davis's driving layup with 5:39 to go.

UW’s defense took it from there, limiting Rutgers to only six points on its final 10 possessions.

What it means: A huge road win for Wisconsin, which is alone in first place with a full game lead over the Boilermakers and a 1.5-game lead over Illinois, which plays at Michigan tomorrow. If UW wins either of its final two games, the Badgers earn a share of the Big Ten title.

Star of the game: Davis was bogged down in the first half, limiting to only four points on 2-for-9 shooting with two fouls. He returned to his normal playmaker self in the second half with 15 points, scoring on drives to the lane, hitting from the perimeter and drawing fouls. He didn’t shoot particularly well (6-for-19) but clinched the game from the foul line by going 6-for-7 in the second half.

Stat of the game: Three-point shooting led Rutgers to a win at the Kohl Center. Two weeks later, the perimeter game lifted Wisconsin in the rematch. Five different players hit 3-pointers, led by four threes from Davison. The senior was 10-for-49 from 3-point range over his last seven games but hit his most 3-pointers since Jan.30 with the title on the line.

Turning point: Wisconsin only made one field goal down the stretch, and it was a big one from Wahl coming out of a UW timeout. Wahl set a screen for Davison, who dribbled to the middle of the lane. Wahl took a couple of steps back before cutting to the rim. He got the bounce back from Davison and went up and under for a layup with 1:13 remaining to put UW up 61-56.

Don’t overlook: Hepburn’s offense. Hepburn’s 13 points were the most he scored since the win at Nebraska (Jan.27). He committed an uncharacteristic three turnovers (he only had four in the last six games combined) but he made up for it with five assists (his highest total in a Big Ten game), two steals, and two rebounds.

What’s next: Wisconsin is set to host one of its biggest home games in recent history with Purdue coming to the Kohl Center Tuesday, a game in which a Big Ten championship could potentially be on the line. The Boilermakers (24-5, 13-5) have dropped two of their last three road games and have registered narrow wins over bottom-tier Big Ten teams Maryland and Northwestern in the last four games.

Guard Jaden Ivey will likely be a first-team all-conference pick, but the Badgers held him to 14 points and 3-for-9 shooting in UW’s 74-69 win at Purdue on January 3. Seven-foot-4 center Zach Edey is a matchup nightmare for any team, and he finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds against the Badgers earlier this season. That night served as Davis’s coming out party for national player of the year, scoring a career-high 37 points and led UW in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @JakeKoco, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45

*Like us on Facebook