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The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers finished their week on a strong note, defeating the Michigan State Spartans at home 81-66 in a great performance from both sides.
In the win, the Badgers shot the ball much more efficiently, hitting 50.9 percent of their field goals and 36 percent from three, while averaging 1.35 points per possession on the day.
Defensively, the Badgers allowed the Spartans to shoot just 41.7 percent from the field, while Michigan State ended up scoring just 1.01 points per possession on the day.
Here are three quick takeaways from the Badgers’ 81-66 win over the Michigan State Spartans.
Chucky Hepburn
Chucky Hepburn didn’t make a single field goal on Monday until the final minute, finishing with 3 points in the Badgers’ victory.
So why is it in tonight’s column? Well, Hepburn’s main task Friday wasn’t to take over on offense, but to make life as difficult as possible for Michigan State guard Tyson Walker, and she accomplished it.
Hepburn limited Walker to 11 points on 4/14 shooting, but his presence was felt far beyond the statistics.
Hepburn got the job done in a grueling battle, working hard off the ball as Walker ran through screens, both on and off the ball, to get free, but nothing stagnated.
The Badgers guard finished with three steals, effectively shutting down Michigan State’s leading scorer and top saver.
If Walker is able to operate at his normal pace, this will be a much closer game. But Hepburn was an integral part of Wisconsin’s defensive approach, taking on the toughest task and playing extremely hard on that end to limit Walker’s impact.
Bank Score
The Badgers had a successful first half, scoring 43 points on 55.6 percent shooting to take a nine-point halftime lead.
However, it was a close game for a good portion of the first half until Wisconsin slowly pulled away with an 11-6 stretch starting with 5:13 left in the period, where the Badgers’ bench came to life.
Connor Essegian and Nolan Winter scored 3-pointers, while John Blackwell scored a jumper and a converted and-1 during this stretch, totaling 11 points.
The bench was crucial for the Badgers in this one, as the group scored 22 total points, compared to just four for Michigan State’s reserves.
And that came with every Wisconsin starter playing at least 29 minutes.
Connor Essegian scored eight points, hitting a pair of three-pointers, as well as another nice mid-range jumper to finish 3/4 shooting.
Nolan Winter also pulled the trigger with a pair of 3-pointers, while John Blackwell scored five points and Carter Gilmore scored three.
This is the difference with this year’s Badgers team; They are much deeper than last year’s team, allowing them to rely on their backup unit when necessary, and they were the difference in Friday’s game.
paint defense
The Badgers came into this game with some defensive questions, as they were second-to-last in the Big Ten in opposing field goals and three-point percentage, while the Spartans were one of the best shooting teams in the conference, hitting over 47 .percent of his shots and 36 percent of his three-pointers.
Well, on Friday, Wisconsin held Michigan State to just 66 points and 41.7 percent from the field. It’s even more impressive considering the Spartans shot even better from three (42.9 percent) than they did from inside the arc.
The Badgers were phenomenal with their paint defense, contesting many shots after Michigan State missed open looks early, creating tough opportunities for the Spartans that they ultimately failed to capitalize on.
Michigan State shot just 41.3 percent from two and only made 12 free throws, while shooting an ugly 7/19 on layups.
The Badgers got things going defensively on Friday and it was a great performance in that regard as the team is headed in the right direction heading into a tough week against Nebraska and Purdue.