The Badgers capped off their year with a blowout non-conference victory.
The Wisconsin Badgers capped off their year with a 76-53 victory over the Detroit Mercy Titans, improving to 9-3 as they finished their non-conference slate.
It was a game that Wisconsin dominated from the jump, overcoming a slow start and controlling the score from that point on en route to a blowout victory.
Wisconsin led by as many as 32 points in this one, as they had a strong defensive effort, paired with a clear approach in attacking the paint offensively, leading to the win.
Here are three quick takeaways from the Badgers 76-53 win over Detroit Mercy on Sunday.
Advantage in the paint
Wisconsin had a clear size advantage entering Sunday’s game, but that hasn’t always gone in the Badgers’ favor, as the mismatches have been a struggle at times on the defensive end.
However, they were determined to be aggressive in the paint, as they were against Butler, and it paid off well on Sunday.
The duo of Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl combined for 33 points on 13/19 from the field, while hitting three three-pointers and 7/7 from the free-throw line.
Wisconsin held Detroit Mercy to just .791 points per possession, while outscoring them 36-14 in the paint, with the Badgers scoring efficiently inside the arc, hitting 65.6 percent of their twos.
The Badgers had a major rebounding advantage, bringing down 16 offensive rebounds, which led to 16 second-chance points. At the same time, Detroit Mercy had just two second-chance points in the game.
Overall, with Wisconsin shooting just 7/35 from three, their paint advantage led to a significant victory on Sunday.
Defending the twos
Wisconsin has struggled at times in the pick-and-roll defensively, as teams have picked on the two big men as they try and space out the Badgers’ defense to get looks at the rim.
Well, that didn’t happen on Sunday, as Detroit Mercy shot just 18/58 (31 percent) inside the arc, with many of them coming on jumpers, as the Tigers shot just five layups on the day.
Wisconsin did give up 10 offensive rebounds, but still held the Tigers to only 33.3 percent from the field, while allowing only six free throws overall.
Yes, Detroit Mercy came in shooting just 41.6 percent from the field, but they’ve been far more efficient on twos than what was seen on Sunday, so credit to the Badgers defense for defending the paint well, especially after a slow start where the Tigers jumped out to a 6-4 lead.
Off the bench, Jack Janicki was a +10 in 13 minutes, recording a team-high three blocks in another productive outing for the redshirt freshman guard.
And, Wisconsin’s bigs never found themselves in foul trouble, as Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter both ended with zero fouls.
To cap off the year, it was a solid defensive performance, especially inside the arc.
First half run
The Badgers have struggled against non-Power 5 competition at times this year, specifically when it comes to slow starts.
That came again to begin Sunday’s day, as the Badgers scored just four points over the first 5:44, trailing 6-4 early.
Well, then came the onslaught, as Wisconsin poured in a 26-7 run over the next 10-or-so minutes to take a 30-13 lead with 5:21 remaining in the first half. That stretch included a 14-0 run from the Badgers, where Steven Crowl scored seven straight, while Nolan Winter scored four straight as well to get Wisconsin up 17.
That run set the tone for the rest of the game, as Wisconsin held a double-digit lead till the final buzzer from there.
The Badgers really poured it on to open up the second half, as they took a 39-26 halftime lead to a 62-34 blowout with a 23-8 run over the first 10 minutes of the period.
Playing strong defense and getting contributions offensively from all over the place, the Badgers blew the game open, which allowed them to play some of their bench for the second half of the final period.
It was a productive victory for the Badgers that saw them have things to work on, but also put together a quality blowout win to cap off the 2024 year.