Wisconsin Basketball: 3 Takeaways From Badgers Win Over Iowa

Wisconsin Badgers basketball began the New Year by resuming Big Ten play, taking on Iowa. It’s always a tough matchup when taking on the Hawkeyes, but the Wisconsin Badgers got the win 83-72 at the Kohl Center.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Wisconsin Basketball Turnovers

One thing Wisconsin basketball can always hang their hats on is their ability to take care of the ball. For as long as I can remember, the Badgers have always valued possessions and ranked one of the best in the country when it comes to turnovers. A very uncharacteristic start for the Badgers tonight saw them commit 7 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of game action.

I assume Greg Gard emphasized at halftime to take care of the ball better in the second half, especially against an Iowa team that loves pushing the pace and scoring in transition. Wisconsin basketball only committed 5 turnovers in the second half.

A Dominant Steven Crowl

Big Steven Crowl has been outstanding for Wisconsin basketball at the start of this season. Iowa has had its troubles when it comes to defending big men this year, and now add Crowl to that list. Steven had an excellent game tonight, scoring 14 points and collecting 13 rebounds.

Not to mention, his three-point stroke has looked good all year. After going 2/2 from behind the arc tonight, Crowl is now 11/16 from 3 this year.

High Flying AJ Storr

AJ Storr brings excitement and athleticism to Wisconsin basketball that we haven’t seen since maybe Khalil Iverson. When the Kohl Center seems quiet, it feels like Storr explodes for a jam that brings the crowd to a frenzy. Tonight, we saw a couple of massive slams from the transfer Storr, including one off the glass from Chucky Hepburn.

CHUCKY OFF THE GLASS FOR AJ‼️@ChuckyHepburn x @storr_aj pic.twitter.com/zPmSd4NRUc

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 3, 2024

I don’t think it’s been mentioned enough. AJ Storr has been one of the country’s best and most important transfers this season. He ranks first in the Big Ten when it comes to usage rate. If Storr continues his excellent season, I could see his draft stock rise.

Cant leave out the fact that Wisconsin basketball shot 25-35 from the free-throw line, including Tyler Wahl going an impressive 11-13.

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