The University of Wisconsin has regained some of its grit.
Five days after getting picked apart defensively by the Penn State, the fifth-seeded Badgers turned up the defensive pressure to overwhelm Northwestern, 70-63, in a Big Ten Tournament second-round matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Sophomore Nolan Winter - limited with a shoulder injury in Saturday's loss - looked refreshed and matched John Tonje's team-high 18 points, while senior Max Klesmit added nine points after missing the last three games with a lower-leg injury.
The real story was Wisconsin (24-8) turning things up defensively. The Badgers forced 14 turnovers that resulted in 17 points, held the Wildcats to 5-for-20 from the perimeter (3-for-12 in the second half), and forced four scoring droughts of at least 3:40.
The victory advances the Badgers to a quarterfinals matchup against UCLA, who picked apart UW's defense in an 85-83 victory in Los Angeles in January.
Nick Martinelli - the conference's leading scorer - had 22 points for the Wildcats (17-16), which didn't get much scoring pop from the supporting cast. Northwestern shot 37.0 percent and didn't have a second player reach double figures in scoring until the 3:30 mark of the second half.
Northwestern fell to 0-4 against the Badgers in the Big Ten Tournament.
Wisconsin struggled offensively but surged in the final 3:19 of the first half by attacking the low post. With Tonje and Winter drawing fouls around the rim and each converting in the paint, the duo helped the Badgers close the half on an 8-2 run.
After scoring only one bucket in the paint in the first 9:30 of the game, the Badgers scored 14 in the final 10:20 and converted opportunities from the line.
UW stuck with that plan to begin the second half, scoring its six points in the paint and started to hit its open perimeter looks. After missing 14 of its first 18 threes, Wisconsin made four in a row late in the second half to extend its lead to 16.
What it means: Wisconsin suffered a defensive blip on Saturday but regained its swagger against a Wildcats team that had
Star of the game: There's something about Indianapolis that fits Winter. After scoring 20 points (8-for-15 FG) and registering eight rebounds in a December victory over Butler at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Winter was again efficient by going 4-for-5 from the floor and 9-for-10 from the line with six rebounds.
Stat of the game: Wisconsin overwhelmed Northwestern around the rim, outscoring the Wildcats 28-20 in the paint and 17-6 in second-chance points. Tonje (7), Steven Crowl (7), and Winter led UW in rebounding.
Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin's offense was supposed to return to its modeled efficiency with Klesmit and Winter returning to the lineup, but the Badgers shot less than 40 percent in the first half. The offense was more efficient in the second half, but Wisconsin went 8-for-16 on layups.
Don’t overlook: Wisconsin improved to 6-4 in its opening round game of the conference tournament under Greg Gard.
What’s next: Wisconsin advances to the quarterfinals for the eighth time in the last nine years and will face No.4 seed UCLA Friday afternoon (1:30 p.m./BTN). The Bruins (22-9) finished in a three-way tie for fourth place with Wisconsin and Purdue but earned the tiebreaker based on their victory over league champion Michigan State.
Reserves Aday Mara (22) and Sebastian Mack (19) were difference makers in UCLA's 86-84 victory over Wisconsin in Los Angeles on January 21, a night where the Badgers shot 51.0 percent from the floor and hit 15 three-pointers.
The Bruins lead the all-time series, 6-2, which includes neutral-site wins in 1995 and 2007.
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