In the same state where their defense began to stumble, the Badgers were able to regain their footing and continue a very promising season.
The Wisconsin men’s basketball team (4-3 Big Ten, 17-3 overall) snapped its three-game losing streak with a strong showing at Purdue (3-4, 13-7) in West Lafayette, Ind. beating the Boilermakers 72-58.
The game started off very well for the Badgers, who jumped out to a 17-9 lead. They saw Purdue’s arguably most important player, 7-foot sophomore center A.J. Hammons quickly register two personal fouls.
Hammons never really got going for the rest of the game, ending with two points in just 12 minutes played.
Unfortunately, the Badgers saw their own 7-footer also get into foul trouble soon after, as junior center Frank Kaminsky received two fouls.
Both fouls, a reach-in and a rebound over the back, were questionable, as Kaminsky seemed to have proper position to reach for the ball.
Kaminsky’s minute-preserving absence immediately sparked a 10-3 Purdue run, mirroring a similar run against Minnesota last Wednesday.
The game’s pace also slowed to a crawl due to this sensitive whistle from the referees, especially in the paint, as Kaminsky, redshirt junior center Evan Anderson, and freshman forward Nigel Hayes all finished the first half with two fouls each.
The frontcourt’s inability to emphasize contact caused the offense to periodically stagnate, and allowed the Boilermakers to slowly crawl back.
Overall, the half ended with the Badgers holding a 32-29 lead, and both teams combining for 22 personal fouls.
The second half began similarly to the first, with Wisconsin going on a 9-2 run to attain a lead that wouldn’t be significantly threatened for the rest of the night.
Sophomore forward Sam Dekker shined on offense in this span, repeatedly driving at the basket and drawing fouls.
After 10 minutes of coasting, Wisconsin captured an immensely-needed win and headed to the locker room victorious.
The Badgers’ defense finally returned for a game, holding the Boilermakers to just 23-for-65 shooting (35.4 percent). Fans can only hope that this will mark a defensive return to form for head coach Bo Ryan’s team, and not just a blip on the radar of weaknesses exposed by Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota.
On offense, the Badgers’ free throw shooting was the story, finishing the game 27-for-33 (81.8 percent) from the charity stripe. This saved the team from an off night from the field, where they were 19-for-46 (41.3 percent).
Redshirt junior forward Duje Dukan saw only one minute of playing time, continuing a trend of diminishing minutes.
The Badgers will hope to put their losing streak fully behind them with a home game against Northwestern next Wednesday.
