MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin scored 83 points for the second consecutive game but what a difference between the two.

Feeling it let a winnable game slip away last Tuesday because of defensive mistakes and lapses, the Badgers got back on track with one of their finer efforts of the season at that end of the floor, frustrating Nebraska’s shooters and its rhythm in an 83-55 victory at the Kohl Center.

The third-fewest points the Badgers allowed this season, and the fewest during Big Ten play, Wisconsin (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten) held the Huskers to 33.9 percent from the field and less than 0.8 points per possession.

“Defensively we were locked in and back to trending toward where we need to be and have been,” head coach Greg Gard said.

Combining the defense with Wisconsin’s continued offensive efficiency, ball movement, perimeter prowess, and the Badgers made it a long day for the Huskers.

“It’s one of the top teams not only in the league but in the country,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “They have got five guys who can make a shot, five guys who can make a play off the dribble. They are very hard to guard, especially when they get comfortable early.”

Here are my takeaways from the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin’s offense could be labeled elite at this point in the year. The Badgers rank eighth nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, ahead of two-time reigning national champion Connecticut and within two points of Purdue. Kentucky, Gonzaga, Alabama, and Duke.

The Badgers’ defense is ranked 50th in the same metrics, better than UConn, Gonzaga, and Kentucky, but not at a level the Wisconsin staff is satisfied with. Sunday was a step in the right direction, especially after Tuesday’s disappointing loss at UCLA.

The Bruins exposed multiple defensive problems in beating UW 85-83. The Badgers were too spread out behind their ball-screen defense, which created wide driving lanes and forced players to foul as they chased. UW’s forwards also struggled with aggressiveness and were late on rotations.

“We knew after Tuesday’s game that we had to step it up defensively,” senior Kamari McGee said. “We’d seen it. We put 80 up on the board, and we still lost. We knew that it wasn’t our scoring, but the other end. We came back in to practice, we locked in a lot, a lot more than we had been defensively. We had to turn it around.”

The Huskers are far from an elite scoring team. They rank 134th nationally in scoring, don’t rebound particularly well at 36.21 per game (157th), and aren’t a real threat from the perimeter with 7.3 three-pointers per game. Regardless, the effort the Badgers showed to lock in on that end of the court was a sign that last week’s loss was more a blip than the norm.

UW began the game with four consecutive defensive stops and no points on 10 of Nebraska’s first 11 possessions. The Huskers made more than two consecutive shots once, committed 12 turnovers that led to 17 Wisconsin points, and never developed any semblance of a rhythm.

Senior guard Brice Williams adds his name to the list of leading-scoring guards Wisconsin has frustrated this season, largely because the Badgers switched up assignments. The two-time national player of the week led the team with 12 points but needed 12 shots to get there.

A 92.0 percent free throw shooter, Williams’ 113 attempts are 41 more than the next closest person. He drew only one foul against the Badgers and shot just free throws.

“I would just to have to give credit to us throwing different bodies at other team’s leading scorers,” said McGee, as the Badgers also locked down second-leading scorer Juwan Gary (5 points on 2-for-12). “Starting off having John (Blackwell) guard him, Kles had him, sometimes I had him. Being able to throw different bodies and get different looks, that really helps when it comes to slowing down the other team’s leading scorer.”

Wisconsin does not have an elite shot blocker who can lock down the paint, so the Badgers counter that by having strength in numbers, exploiting the ball screen action, being gap-sound, and contesting shooters.

Gard added that UW’s fours and fives have improved their blitzing, edging, and pressuring ball screens, including when and when not to switch to take pressure off the frontcourt.

UW was better at exploiting the ball screen and loading bodies behind it. It was a big reason why the Huskers scored only 20 points in the paint and took 48.4 percent of their shots from the perimeter.

“They make you uncomfortable with their pressure,” Hoiberg said. “They climb up underneath you. The thing that is different with this team compared to a lot of Wisconsin teams is the speed they play with, the transition baskets that they are getting. If you don’t value a possession, they are going to make you pay on the other end.”

John Tonje didn’t care that he was held scoreless following last Saturday’s win at USC, largely because the Badgers won comfortably by 15 points. Still, getting a pep talk from Wisconsin assistant coach Kirk Penney before the UCLA game was a friendly reminder of the high level he admittedly holds himself to.

“He was a great shooter back in the day and he gave me a couple tips,” Tonje said. “He told me if I am open, let it fly. I’ve been running off that recently.”

Wisconsin was aware it would probably get more than its fair share of three-pointers considering Nebraska likes to consistently use double teams with shooters. Eight of Wisconsin’s first 10 shots were quality looks from the perimeter, and Tonje was locked in with letting it fly.

Tonje hit two three-pointers and scored eight on UW’s 19-2 run to open the half. He was equally strong later in the half with his perimeter touches and attacking the glass.

Playing better off two feet and rattling the rim with a handful of dunks, Tonje – a native of North Omaha - finished with a game-high 27 points in his first matchup against a home-state program that didn't recruit him.

“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t (motivation),” Tonje said.

Nebraska’s defense loads and shades to different sides, according to Gard, so the Badgers being an impeccable ball-moving team helped Tonje get more than his fair share of open looks.

The Badgers totaled 18 assists, the fourth-highest mark of the season and second-highest total of Big Ten play. UW is 7-0 with at least 17 assists this season.

“If you’re moving (and) cutting, the ball finds energy,” Gard said. “The ball finds people that are in the right spots … Our team is the beneficiary of it, and he benefited playing the right way today.”

The only part of the game that was rocky for Wisconsin was the middle part of the first half, a stretch where the Badgers went 2-for-14 from the floor. It was a 19-possession stretch from the 15:06 mark to the 5:08 mark that saw Wisconsin's 17-point dwindle to three – the fourth straight game UW has seen at least a nine-point lead dwindle to single digits or worse.

Jack Janicki prevented it from getting any closer.

Swiping the ball from Williams (one of the senior’s four turnovers) and with an open court in front of him, Janicki raced down court and delivered a two-handed dunk with forward Berke Buyuktuncel trying to contest.

The play kickstarted a 16-7 run to end the half, and the Huskers never got closer than 11.

“That play was huge, just seeing him rise up,” said McGee, who hit two three-pointers on that closing run. “We know the type of player he is. We know he has that in his bag. Seeing him do that, it showed me he was locked in today mentally. No easy points left on the board. Him dunking that with a guy chasing him down, that really showed us that we’re all locked in today.”

McGee (11 points) and Janicki (7 points, 3-for-3) weren’t the only contributors off the bench. Xavier Amos had four assists, two points, and no turnovers to finish +12, and Carter Gilmore had three points, four rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers.

After the bench was limited to 12 points against the Bruins, Wisconsin’s bench added 27 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, and one turnover. It was the highest-scoring output for the reserves since January 3.

8 – Wisconsin has won all eight games McGee has scored in double figures in his career, including 7-0 this season.

10 - The Badgers have won 16 of their first 20 games 10 times since 2000, including four such seasons under Gard.

13 - Wisconsin scored at least 80 points for the 13th time this season, the third-highest total since 1970-71. The school record for most 80-point games in a season is 15, set back in the 1963-64 season.

17 - UW shot 17-for-37 from 3-point range, the 11th time the Badgers have hit double-digit triples (8-3 in such games). The 17 triples tied for the third-highest mark in school history behind the 21 three-pointers UW hit against Iowa on January 3.

33.9 – Nebraska’s 33.9 shooting percentage matches the second-lowest mark for a UW opponent this season (Chicago State) and the lowest against a high major opponent. UW is 8-1 when holding teams below 40% in a game this season, only losing to Michigan (39.0).

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