Biggest Takeaways From Wisconsin Badgers' 96-87 Victory Over Rutgers

MADISON, Wis. - Rutgers caput coach Steve Pikiell didn't announcement a batch of differences betwixt nan University of Wisconsin squad he saw connected movie from complete 2 weeks agone to nan 1 he saw playing pinch a ton of violative assurance connected Saturday afternoon.

That's nan main quality pinch nan Badgers, who are starting to spot shots - particularly nan ones from nan perimeter - spell successful pinch acold much regularity.

"They sewage a batch of weapons," Pikiell said. "They were conscionable successful that agelong wherever they conscionable weren't making threes, which Wisconsin usually ever does ... They're successful a groove now."

Pushing its winning streak to 4 aft a 96-87 triumph complete Rutgers, Wisconsin mean 1.297 points per possession. UW hitting double-digit threes for a 4th consecutive crippled (12-for-30) surely helps, but nan Badgers were plus-eight successful nan paint, plus-11 from nan free-throw line, and had 20 assists connected 29 baskets.

It allowed Wisconsin (13-5, 5-2 Big Ten) to beryllium opportunistic pinch 19 points disconnected 10 forced turnovers and scoring 18 second-chance points disconnected 8 violative rebounds.

It's a level of play that has manifested since nan Purdue nonaccomplishment connected January 3, a 16-point nonaccomplishment connected insubstantial that was deceiving for really uncompetitive nan crippled was complete nan last 20 minutes.

"It's a batch of soul things that we person really improved on," said halfway Nolan Winter, who had 19 points connected 6-for-6 shooting. "Obviously we're making shots and that helps america look a batch better, but I deliberation internally, each nighttime our mindset's flipped since that crippled to a much fierce squad alternatively than return that first blow, getting connected our heels early.

"I deliberation connected nan flip side, we're delivering that, and we're getting teams connected their heels first. I deliberation moving forward, if we tin proceed to do that, we'll beryllium successful a bully spot."

That early punch was critical, considering nan Badgers would person been successful problem had they not landed those early assemblage blows.

My takeaways from nan Kohl Center.

Boyd's aggression was a large difference

There person been a fewer players nether caput coach Greg Gard tutelage that are bully capable to utilization a weakness over, and over, and complete again to his advantage. Johnny Davis and John Tonje are 2 caller examples of those benignant of changeable makers, and Nick Boyd has quickly entered his sanction onto that list.

Boyd has been a exemplary of consistency for nan Badgers, 1 of conscionable 4 players successful nan convention to scope double figures successful each crippled frankincense acold and 2nd successful nan convention pinch nan number of 20-point games connected his resume (10).

He astir sewage location connected Saturday from nan free-throw statement alone. Boyd was credited pinch 10 drawn fouls without committing 1 and went 14-for-15 from nan kindness stripe, including 8-for-9 complete nan last 6:31.

"We tin eat astatine nan line, and he sewage america successful nan prize beautiful quick," said John Blackwell (19 points). "Credit to him. it's what he does. He keeps unit connected nan rim."

Boyd felt for illustration he shortchanged his teammates in Tuesday's 78-75 melodramatic triumph astatine Minnesota. He only attempted 2 shots from nan paint, nary coming successful nan 2nd half erstwhile nan Badgers fell down by arsenic galore arsenic 11.

It's a capacity that was successful nan backmost of his mind arsenic he saw Rutgers trim a 26-point lead down to seven. Between nan 9:15 people to 3:49 left, Boyd was nan only UW subordinate who scored, and he generated his six points by many times attacking nan rim and drafting fouls, breaking down a Rutgers squad pinch 10 caller danasiwa players.

"He's ferocious," Gard said. "He's a bulldog. He keeps coming ... That's nan (competitive) separator he plays with, nan aggressiveness he plays with. He's done a beautiful bully occupation present lately of staying successful nan lines, not getting retired of control."

Boyd vanished pinch a career-high 9 assists, six coming successful nan first half that led to 17 Wisconsin points, including nan elder swinging a walk to Winter for a area 3 earlier nan halftime buzzer that gave nan Badgers a 51-29 lead astatine nan break.

"When I get to nan paint, I'm capable to illness (the defense)," Boyd said. "These guys conscionable ever talking to maine for illustration erstwhile you get successful that paint, conscionable play disconnected 2 (feet) and find me. As we kept increasing together, I'm uncovering them."

Defense lapses successful nan 2nd half

It was evident from nan infinitesimal he sat down to reside reporters that Gard wasn't happy. He had a correct to beryllium aft watching nan Badgers make a crippled destined to a blowout to beryllium overmuch person than it needed to be.

Rutgers classed 276th successful scoring (69.8 ppg), 343rd successful two-point section extremity percent (44.9), and hadn't scored much than 78 points successful regularisation against a power-conference squad each season.

It showed successful nan first half erstwhile nan Badgers held nan Scarlet Knights to 29 points and only 12 two-point shots, but nan reservoir collapsed successful nan 2nd half erstwhile nan Badgers stopped delivering fierce shot unit aliases getting into shooters.

The Scarlet Knights deed doubly arsenic galore threes successful nan 2nd half than nan first (eight), changeable 12-for-21 connected twos (57.1), and averaged 1.526 points per possession.

Thanks mostly to UW's defense allowing guards Harun Zrno (21 points) and Tariq Francis (15) get loose and create, Rutgers' 58 points was nan astir Wisconsin has allowed successful immoderate half this season.

"First half, arsenic a team, we were connected each together," Winter said. "We started nan crippled retired pinch immoderate occurrence and a small spot of separator to us. Going into halftime, I don't cognize if we sewage a small complacent aliases immoderate it was, we mislaid that separator successful nan 2nd half ... Moving forward, we request 2 complete halves of hoops from us."

Depth astatine frontcourt

After playing adjacent to 36 minutes against Michigan and adjacent to 39 minutes astatine Minnesota, Winter logged only 32 minutes against Rutgers.

He looked refreshed, mostly because nan Badgers sewage immoderate extent backmost down him.

Sophomore Austin Rapp backmost into nan chair rotation aft a three-game absence and logged astir 10 minutes, contributing a rebound and a steal. UW besides leaned much connected freshman Will Garlock, who played little than 5 mixed minutes nan erstwhile 2 games but had 4 points and 4 rebounds successful his first 4 minutes connected nan floor.

Gard felt nan Badgers had much wound successful nan 2nd half erstwhile he went pinch a smaller lineup, utilizing Jack Janicki and Braeden Carrington at nan four, but Winter called it "awesome" to person Rapp backmost successful nan lineup and to person Garlock eat up immoderate much minutes to let him to get much betterment clip connected nan bench.

"Will particularly showed immoderate aggressiveness that we've seen from him and going forward, we're going to proceed to request that," Winter said.

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