MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin learned about itself during an arduous nonconference slate, one that saw them play against three top-10 teams and played games on both sides of the country. The fruits of that labor were evident in the restart of Big Ten play.
No.21 Wisconsin shook off nearly a two-week layoff by finishing with a late flourish to beat Iowa, 83-72, at the Kohl Center Tuesday.
All three starting forwards for the Badgers scored at least 14 points, as Wisconsin (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten) scored willingly inside to the tune of 42 points in the paint.
A.J. Storr (16 points) delivered four thunderous dunks, Steven Crowl (14 points, 13 rebounds) registered his third double-double of the season, and Tyler Wahl (game-high 19) looked nothing like a career 62.9 percent foul shooter by setting career-highs in free throws made (11) and attempted (13) .
Max Klesmit added 15 points, as Wisconsin shot 58.3 percent (14 of 24) in the second half (51.9 percent overall) and put at least four players in double figures for the seventh time this season.
Listed as questionable with a lower-body injury, Chucky Hepburn finished with four points and three assists in 25 minutes. He split time with backup point guard Kamari McGee and battled foul trouble.
Spending a good portion of 2023 winning with a flashy offense, Wisconsin started 2024 winning with a combo of grit and persistence in a game typical of Big Ten play – a grinding affair with few style points in the opening half.
It didn’t help matters that Wisconsin hadn’t played a game in 10 days. The Badgers shot 46.4 percent, nearly 10 percentage points higher than the Hawkeyes, but needed a 6-0 run to close the half to forge a 32-32 tie at the break.
Possessions were choppy, turnovers were plentiful with eight a piece, and defensive rotations at points were nonexistent. Iowa started four forwards but lost size with senior Ben Krikke sitting for the final 11:30 with foul trouble, resulting in the Badgers getting 22 points at the rim and a trio of big dunks from Storr.
Wisconsin didn’t start to pull away until the midway point of the second half, engineering a modest 8-0 run that gave them the game’s biggest lead at nine.
After Iowa cut the deficit to six, Hepburn delivered a pair of magical plays off his quick hands. He registered a steal off Owen Freeman and instead of going through contact for a layup, Hepburn kissed a pass off the glass to a trailing Storr, who flushed it for a two-handed slam.
Eight seconds later, Hepburn notched a steal off Brock Harding and went through the freshman guard for a layup. He missed the free throw, but the lead had swelled to 10.
Iowa (9-5, 0-3) never got closer than six the rest of the way, as the nation’s ninth-best scoring offense was held under 80 points for only the fourth time this season.
What it means: There will be few easy games in the Big Ten but the Badgers playing an Iowa team that was great offensively (ninth nationally) and porous defensively (303rd) presented a unique challenge, especially coming off a lengthy layoff. UW looked more composed in the second half and the results showed, outscoring the Hawkeyes by 11.
Star of the game: Plenty of quality options but the highlight-reel play by Storr energized the crowd and the bench. Six of Storr’s eight points in the first half came off dunks, including a nifty move to end the first half and tie the score, while his alley-oop off the glass from Hepburn is a candidate for highlight of the year.
Stat of the game: Iowa ranks fourth nationally in fast-break points, averaging 17.92 points per game (second among major conference schools). UW’s slower pace and defense held the Hawkeyes to 13.
Reason to be Concerned: How far has Connor Essegian fallen? The Badgers sophomore didn’t even take his warmup off Tuesday until 20 seconds remained, narrowly avoiding missing the first game of his college career.
Don’t overlook: McGee saw an uptick in early minutes and yielded results. He stripped Payton Sandfort and took it in for a reverse layup and picked off Sandfort’s pass two possessions later, only to find Nolan Winter under the rim for an uncontested dunk. He finished with two points, two assists, two rebounds, and three steals.
What’s next: Wisconsin caps its longest homestand of the season (four games) when it hosts Nebraska Saturday afternoon. Winning their first seven games for the first time since the 1992-93 season, the Huskers (11-2, 1-1 Big Ten) rank seventh in the conference in scoring (77.6 ppg) but are tied for first in opponent field goal percentage (37.4). UW leads the Big Ten series between the schools, 15-6, but Nebraska won the only meeting between the two teams last season in overtime.
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