Three Things: Wisconsin Basketball vs. Michigan

How can you not be romantic about Wisconsin basketball?

UW took on Michigan tonight, ironically on Valentine’s day. These two have not matched up since the infamous Juwan Howard punch last February.

There is no love lost between these two, considering Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson called Wisconsin “scumbags.” The student section certainly didn’t forget.

It was a must-win game for Wisconsin basketball, which will be a common theme for all remaining games this season.

The Badgers pulled out the win 64-59. Here are three things, with a bonus one just for Connor Essegian.

Connor Essegian

I’ll keep this point nice and simple. Connor Essegian may very well be Wisconsin basketball’s best player.

I’m running out of words to describe this kid. He set his career high with 23 points tonight and will be an absolute star for Wisconsin for years to come.

Big Man Duel

As mentioned above, Hunter Dickinson had a lot of eyes on him entering tonight’s contest. Not just for his antics off the court but because he is one of the better big men in the conference.

Do you know who else has proven to be in that category this season? Big Steven Crowl.

This matchup lived up to the hype, as Steven and Hunter battled down low the whole night. Steven finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. Dickinson finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Big Steve and Carter Gilmore did a fantastic job on Dickinson in the second half.

Offensive Rebounds

Wisconsin basketball entered tonight ranked 349th in the Nation when it comes to offensive rebounding.

You wouldn’t know that by watching the game tonight. Wisconsin was all over the glass offensively.

Simply outworking Michigan to the “50/50” loose balls. Wisconsin totaled 14 offensive rebounds, and although it didn’t always result in second-chance points. Forcing Michigan to defend for long periods and getting another look to score is always good.

When your offense sputters, Like Wisconsin basketball tends to do almost every game, getting offensive rebounds is crucial.

Second Half Drought

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, Badger fans. Wisconsin had a chance to put this game away in the second half and went utterly ice-cold.

The Kohl Center was rolling as Wisconsin basketball was up 55-44 with just eight minutes left. Over the final 10:44 of game time, Wisconsin went without making a field goal. They cannot continue to do this and expect to win games in the Big Ten.

After Saturday’s blown 17-point lead, I hoped never to see that again. It ultimately didn’t cost them the game tonight, but as we advance, you have to learn how to put teams away.

Not to mention, Wisconsin has played the most games within 5 points in the country this season.

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