There’s really no way to cut it, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team’s (4-3 Big Ten, 17-3 overall) last meeting with Northwestern (3-5, 10-11) was a total beatdown.
The Badgers walked into the Wildcats’ Welsh-Ryan Arena and simply imposed their will, coming away with a 76-49 victory that was competitive for about 10 minutes.
Since then, the Badgers have gotten a little more humble. Three losses due to a porous, lackluster defense will do that.
Thankfully, the bleeding has recently stopped, thanks to an impressive win at Purdue where the Boilermakers were held to 35.4 percent field-goal shooting.
The Badgers have been fairly mum on what adjustments they have made to improve, instead crediting an increased intensity.
“We followed our scouting report, we did exactly what the coaches told us to do,” redshirt junior guard Josh Gasser said. “Our focus and energy is there, and it makes us that much better.”
However, the recent defensive lapses are still a fear for Wisconsin going forward.
“On [the offensive] end we’re better, but on the other end, you know, you can’t talk about the three front line guys that play defense so well for us anymore,” head coach Bo Ryan said. “It’s almost February. So these guys have to have improved to this point.”
The Badgers hope that the defensive redemption will continue at the Kohl Center Wednesday night against a revitalized Northwestern team that has pulled out surprise wins over Illinois, Indiana and Purdue since their fiasco against Wisconsin.
“Coach was saying, we gave them a wake up call in that first game,” Gasser said. “Ever since then, they’ve been on a tear. They’ve been winning games and almost winning games, so they’re not going to beat themselves.”
Now that Northwestern has improved in all dimensions, Wisconsin is making sure to play their game.
“They’re really good on defense, they share the ball well, they’re extremely well coached and they’re going to play hard,” Gasser said. “If we don’t bring it, we could see a different result than what we’re looking for.”
A factor for the Wildcats will be the play of junior point guard Dave Sobolewski. Previously a key cog for Northwestern, Sobolewski had a terrible game in his matchup against Wisconsin and has since missed four games due to a concussion.
He returned in the Wildcats’ previous game against Iowa and played terribly, finishing with no points and more assists than turnovers. If Sobolewski is given more minutes than he can handle, Gasser and senior guard Ben Brust will feast.
This matchup could also hold roster intrigue for the Badgers, who have gone through some flux in minutes for their frontcourt bench. Redshirt junior forward Duje Dukan has seen a drastic decrease in minutes following rough performances against Indiana and Michigan.
This playing time has gone to freshman forward Nigel Hayes and, surprisingly, junior center Evan Anderson.
Given the lack of size in the Badgers’ current rotation, an effective Anderson could be a welcome back-up to junior center Frank Kaminsky.
