Wisconsin basketball leans on size, depth to advance past Montana in NCAA Tournament
Wisconsin men's basketball utilized its size, depth, and solid defensive performance to pull away from Montana and advance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wisconsin Badgers took care of business in their NCAA Tournament opener, pulling away from 14-seed Montana in the second half for an 85-66 win to advance to the Round of 32.
It wasn’t always pretty. The Badgers led by just four points early in the second half and struggled to fully shake the Grizzlies for stretches. But when it came time to turn things up a notch, Greg Gard’s team delivered—just like they have all season when the scoring is balanced.
Five different players finished in double figures for the first time since Wisconsin’s win at Purdue on Feb. 15. The Badgers are now 5-0 when that happens.
“Obviously, you get to this time of year, you know you're playing a really good team,” Gard told reporters. “I was impressed with Montana on film… we were finally able to pull away on the back half of the second half.
"For our sake, we're just happy to be moving on. I think we can play even better. We got a lot of contributions across the board off our bench. Depth has always been a strength of this team all year. "It's good to get in this and get the first one."
Badgers cash in on size advantage
Wisconsin didn’t overcomplicate things.
With a clear size advantage, the game plan was to get downhill, generate low post touches, stay attacking the rim, and make Montana uncomfortable.
The Badgers outscored the Grizzlies 38-34 in the paint and took full advantage of their height, especially with Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter asserting themselves early. Crowl finished with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Crowl has now hit a 3-pointer in eight consecutive games and sits at 41.8% shooting on the season. Winter also chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.
Backup bigs Carter Gilmore and Xavier Amos were also impactful off the bench, combining for 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in timely stretches that helped the Badgers build momentum.
"I've got to give credit to my coaches and teammates for being on me about staying aggressive," Crowl said postgame. "Second half, got it going a little bit inside. We knew we had the size advantage. Wanted to take advantage of that."
The approach was simple but effective.
And while the side-by-side comparison might not jump out at you, Wisconsin quietly racked up 1.288 points per possession in the paint—while holding Montana to just 0.985 on the other end. Notably, the Badgers' defense tied a season-high in blocked shots with six.
Rather than settling for contested jumpers, Wisconsin was more selective from three (just 12 attempts in the first half and 23 for the game) and emphasized rim pressure. In total, 17 of Wisconsin’s 56 shots came at the rim, and they added another 16 points at the free-throw line.
That’s a winning formula for this team.
That ability to generate high-percentage looks paid off in a big way—Wisconsin shot 55.4% from the field—their second-best mark ever in an NCAA Tournament game, including 62.5% in the second half.
Xavier Amos and the bench provide a spark
While the starters handled business, it was Wisconsin’s bench that helped them finally create some separation against Montana.
Xavier Amos had arguably his best performance in a Badgers uniform, scoring 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, grabbing four rebounds (one offensive), and blocking two shots in just 13 minutes off the bench.
Amos gave Wisconsin much-needed energy on both ends of the floor, mixing in a few tough finishes in the paint with some critical help defense.
“Yeah, I think obviously the line score jumps out,” Gard said. “But it was the defensive plays he made. He blocked some shots in the first half, rotated, brought some energy to us defensively that got us going a little bit in transition.
“That’s been a growing area for him. Defensively, he's continuing to get better and understanding when you can help, how to help, what your assignment is, who you're guarding, is he a shooter, not a shooter? ... defensively I thought he did some really good things."
The Northern Illinois transfer soaked in the moment.
“I definitely just felt the energy, the atmosphere of being here, playing with these guys all year,” Amos said.
“Come here, try to do big things in this March Madness. It's just a blessing. I'm happy to be a part of it.”
Walk-on Carter Gilmore also had a key stretch in the second half, sparking the Badgers with five straight points and drawing a charge during a moment when Montana threatened to keep it close. He finished with eight points, six rebounds, one assist, and a block in 21 minutes.
That depth has been a hallmark of this Wisconsin team all season, and once again, it came through and provided a lift.
Defensive bite returns in March
While Wisconsin’s offense was the story, the other side of the ball was just as encouraging.
Coming off a Big Ten Tournament where their opponents shot just 35% from the field, the Badgers once again delivered.
Montana—ranked among the nation’s top 100 offenses in terms of adjusted efficiency—was held to 39.7% shooting and 0.96 points per possession. Leading scorer Money Williams was held to just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field.
“I think just our guards and bigs, we told each other to kind of have a little bit more bite to us, don’t let them get into our paint,” said sophomore guard John Blackwell, who led the Badgers with 19 points. “I think we did that good—shut off their guard, made it difficult.”
That level of defensive commitment is exactly what Gard wants to see carry over into the Round of 32—because if shots aren’t falling, defense always travels, no matter the opponent or venue.
“I think the Big Ten Tournament was good for us—we got our defensive bite back,” Gard said before the matchup. “And our recovery plan for how we wanted to approach once we got to this month is right where we needed to be.”
Room to grow—and tougher tests ahead
Despite the 19-point win over the Grizzlies, Gard was quick to note there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
“We had a couple of careless turnovers at times,” Gard said. "As a coach, my expectations are never met in that regard, so I always want us to take care of the ball. We were a little choppy offensively in the first half… I think this one was a grinder.
"But just getting through the first game, getting one under their belt, that’s always important. Now you want to take another step because you're going to be playing an even better team on Saturday."
Now the Badgers will face a much tougher challenge in the Round of 32 against 6-seed BYU on Saturday, with the game set to be televised on CBS at 6:45 p.m. CT.
The Cougars play fast, shoot often, and average over 10 made threes per game—capable of catching fire and erasing deficits in a hurry. BYU is KenPom's No. 10 offense in adjusted efficiency.
Led by Richie Saunders and Egor Demin, BYU is 21-1 when scoring 80 or more points and has the kind of inside-out scoring balance that makes them a tough cover defensively when they’re in rhythm.
If Wisconsin plays to its identity—balanced offense, attacking the rim, aggressive defense, and contributions up and down the roster—they’ll have every chance to keep on dancing into the Sweet 16.
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