The difference between a mediocre team and a good one is how they address problems and how well they fix them. After the Badgers' two-game skid, it's safe to say that Wisconsin is, at least, a good team. They obliterated Penn State at the Kohl Center Wednesday night by 29 points, 72-43.
After Saturday's dismal 22 percent shooting percentage (16-for-72 field goals) against North Dakota State, Wisconsin came out strong against Penn State Wednesday night, shooting a solid 50 percent from the field, including 50 percent on three-point field goals and ending the night at 39 percent (22-for-56).
Most notable about the Badgers' shooting was that 13 of the 22 Wisconsin field goals Wednesday were three-pointers. This ties the Kohl Center record for team three-pointers, set by the Badgers on Feb. 27, 2002, in their game against Michigan. The Badgers were swarmed in the lane by Penn State's zone defense and managed to convert 15 of 22 free throws. But Wisconsin seemed unstoppable from beyond the arc, with four threes each from junior forward Alando Tucker and senior guard Ray Nixon, both season highs.
'We were talking amongst ourselves and said [tonight] was going to be a statement game,' Tucker said. 'We wanted to prove something.'
The other half of the Badgers' domination was their defense. The Badgers had seven steals, with freshman forward Joe Krabbenhoft and sophomore guard Tanner Bronson each notched two, and the team forced 18 turnovers. But Penn State's scoring distribution says it all. Nittany Lion sophomore guard Geary Claxton, who averages 15 points per game, had 17 on the Badgers, but the next highest Penn State scorers didn't even get into double digits; junior guard David Jackson, averaging eight points per game, and freshman forward Jamelle Cornley, averaging 13 points per game, each had only six points.
'Credit Wisconsin, they made shots, they blew the thing open the first half,' Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis said. 'They were forcing action on both ends of the floor...[They] were very comfortable tonight and did a good job of attacking the ball.'
'We had some good ball fakes, they were jumping passing lanes,' Badger head coach Bo Ryan said. 'They only shot four free throws. I thought our [defensive] position was good...I thought we moved the ball pretty well.'
The Badgers seemed to have found some rhythm against Penn State, ranked ninth in the Big Ten, but with both freshman guard Marcus Landry and sophomore forward Greg Stiemsma academically ineligible for the rest of the season, they'll have to find something to make up for their lack of adaptability.
'We can't go deep into our bench, so we just have to go out and produce,' sophomore guard Michael Flowers said.
