Badgers couldn’t keep the ball rolling
MINNEAPOLIS – So much for Wisconsin parlaying its victory over Michigan State into any momentum to move up the Big Ten standings.
Unable to keep rival Minnesota from driving to the basket at will, UW fell into a 13-point hole after one half and never recovered in suffering a 70-52 loss in front of a crowd of 11,389 Wednesday night at Williams Arena.
“I thought Minnesota did a good job of setting the tone right from the start,” UW coach Greg Gard said. “I thought they were more physical, more aggressive.”
Gard’s assessment was spot on and easy to see from the opening minutes.
As a result, UW (13-10, 6-6 Big Ten) missed an opportunity to move to within 11⁄2 games of first-place Maryland (18-4, 8-3) and Illinois (16-6, 8-3).
Instead, the Badgers dropped into a tie with Minnesota (12-10, 6-6) and Purdue (13-10, 6-6) which handed visiting Iowa a 104-68 loss earlier Wednesday.
The Gophers beat UW for just the second time in the last 11 meetings and for the first time at home since the 201314 season.
“Not only is it Wisconsin – and that means a lot to our university and our state – but we want to get back to the NCAA Tournament,” Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said.
Minnesota outscored UW in the paint, 24-8, in building a 45-32 halftime lead. The Gophers, who entered the night shooting 39.7% in Big Ten play and 42.0% overall, hit 18 of 33 shots (54.5%) in building the 13-point lead.
UW players were not made available for questions afterward but Gard made it clear what he saw from the bench.
“We let them get way too comfortable in the first half,” Gard said. “We gave them confidence and when the confidence started to roll, then they were hitting fadeaways and step-backs and all kinds of things.”
Four players scored in double figures for Minnesota. Forward Daniel Oturu did his damage inside and finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. He added four blocks. Guard Payton Willis did his damage from the outside by hitting his first 3 three-point attempts. He finished 5 of 7 from three-point range and 7 of 10 overall en route to scoring a team-high 21 points.
UW finished 7 of 29 from three-point range (24.1%) and 19 of 67 overall (28.4%). The Badgers hit 1 of 16 threepointers (6.3%) and 8 of 36 shots overall (22.2%) after halftime.
“Anytime you get a team to shoot 22% in the second half,” Pitino said, “you’re playing terrific team defense.”
Minnesota native Brad Davison, returning from a one-game suspension imposed by the Big Ten, missed all three of his field-goal attempts. He hit four free throws and finished with four points, two rebounds and two assists. He entered the night averaging 11.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game in three games against the Gophers.
Nate Reuvers, who entered the night as the lone UW player scoring at least 10 points in Big Ten road games, led UW with 14 points. He made just 4 of 14 twopoint attempts, however.
“We have to be more efficient if you’re getting 14 shots near the paint,” Gard said. “Or you’ve got to get to the foul line.”