Well, the Wisconsin Badgers sure like comeback efforts. After beating the Minnesota Gophers in a comeback during their first matchup, Wisconsin came back down 20 to pull off a 67-63 victory at the Kohl Center to secure a must-win.
It was one of the worst halves of offense for the Badgers in the opening period, as they mustered just 18 points, while shooting 5 of 28 from the field. But they chipped at the lead in the second half and rode their way back behind strong efforts from both Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, who came up with big shots down the stretch to get the Badgers the win.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s 67-63 win over Minnesota on Wednesday.
The Badgers did not have a first half to remember. They trailed 35-17 at halftime and shot a porous 5/28 from the field in the first half.
They couldn’t connect from three (4/16), but were even worse from two (1/12), and not one player shot 50 percent or better from the field. It was the second straight game that the starters failed to show up, with the group combining to shoot 4/21 from the field in the period.
Offensively, Wisconsin just couldn’t match Minnesota’s physicality. They really struggled to get into the paint, either turning it over or looking sloppy offensively, and evidently couldn’t connect much from deep.
They had six points over the first 9:08, trailing 20-6. That extended to 27-9 with 7:23 left in the period, and the Badgers couldn’t chip at the lead much to end the half.
It’s the second time that the Badgers have struggled in the first half against this Minnesota team, as they also fell behind in the first matchup between the teams.
For some reason, Wisconsin has these slower starts periodically, where it struggles to adjust to its opponents like on Wednesday.
The Badgers were not great, but solid defensively in the first half, holding Minnesota to 35 points on 43.3 percent from the field. But it was their defensive effort that really turned things around in the second half.
Down 18 at halftime, Wisconsin held Minnesota scoreless for the first 5:42 of the second half with some great defensive possessions. They forced four turnovers in that stretch and didn’t allow a single second possession. While the offense took some time to get going, the defense gave it plenty of leeway, and the defense eventually turned into quality offense.
That’s when the crowd really started to get into it as the Badgers chipped the lead. Through the first nine and a half minutes of the second half, Minnesota was just 2 of 7 from the field and had five turnovers with zero second-chance points. And suddenly, an 18-point deficit was cut to two.
Stars struggle, then shine
In Wisconsin’s loss to USC, Nick Boyd shone with 29 points on 10 for 17 from the field. But the rest of Wisconsin’s starters really struggled, shooting 10/38 (26.3 percent) from the field and 5/21 (23.8 percent) from three.
Well, the starters really struggled in the first half against Minnesota, shooting 4/21 combined in the first half. Boyd and John Blackwell combined for seven points on 2/15 from the field with three turnovers. That’s just not good enough, given the volume they shot and the expectations the Badgers have for their star duo.
In the second half, Wisconsin’s offense was red-hot after the first few minutes. Through the first 12 minutes, they had 27 points, shooting 9 of 12 from the field and 5 of 8 from three. Boyd and Blackwell had 21 of those 27 points on 6 of 9 from the field, each playing a big part in the comeback effort.
And it didn’t stop there. Boyd scored 11 points in a four-minute stretch, and the duo scored 16 of the team’s final 23 in the 67-63 win.
Ultimately, Boyd had 21 points on 7 of 15 from the field, including four three-pointers, while Blackwell had 23, hitting four threes as well.
