The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers finished the week strong, with a win Michigan State Spartans 81-66 at home with a strong performance on both ends.
In the win, the Badgers shot the ball better, shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 36 percent from three, averaging 1.35 points on the day.
With Michigan State scoring just 1.01 points on the day on defense, the Badgers allowed the Spartans to shoot just 41.7 percent from the field.
Here are three quick takeaways from the Badgers’ 81-66 win over the Michigan State Spartans.
Chucky Hepburn
Chuckie Hepburn didn’t make a field goal until the final minute on Monday in a 3-point victory for the Badgers.
So why is he doing a column tonight? Well, Hepburn’s main task Friday wasn’t to take over offensively, but rather to make life as difficult as possible for Michigan State guard Tyson Walker, and he succeeded.
Hepburn paced Walker with 11 points on 4/14 shooting, but his presence was felt more profoundly than on the stat sheet.
Hepburn stuck to his assignment in a brutal battle, working hard off the ball but leaving nothing to break free as Walker went through screens both on and off the ball.
The Badgers guard effectively shut down Michigan State’s leading scorer and main lifeline, finishing with three steals.
If Walker can work at his usual pace, this will be a very close ballgame. However, Hepburn took on the tough task of limiting Walker’s impact and played very hard on that end, which was crucial to Wisconsin’s defensive approach.
Bench scoring
The Badgers had a successful first half, shooting 55.6 percent and 43 points, and took a 9-point lead into halftime.
However, it was a close game for a good first half until Wisconsin slowly crept away to an 11-6 lead with 5:13 left to give the Badgers’ bench some life.
Connor Esejian and Nolan Winter both hit threes while John Blackwell had a jumper and a converted and-1 for 11 points.
The bench was crucial for the Badgers in this one, as the team scored 22 total points, compared to just four for Michigan State’s reserves.
And, that came when all of Wisconsin’s starters played at least 29 minutes.
Connor Essegian had eight points, scoring on a pair of threes, as well as another nice midrange jump shot on 3/4 shooting.
Nolan Winter pulled the trigger on a pair of threes, John Blackwell had five points and Carter Gilmore had three.
This year’s team of Badgers is different. It’s much deeper than last year’s team, allowing them to trust their bench when needed, and they were the difference maker in Friday’s game.
Color protection
The Badgers come into this game with some defensive questions as they are second-to-last in the Big Ten in opponent field goal percentage and three-point percentage, and the Spartans were among the better shooting teams in the conference with over 47 shots. percent of their shots and 36 percent from three.
Well, on Friday, Wisconsin held Michigan State to 66 points and 41.7 percent from the field. It’s even more impressive when you consider that the Spartans shot better from three (42.9 percent) than they did from inside the arc.
The Badgers were impressive in their paint defense, contesting several shots after missing early open looks by Michigan State, creating tough chances for the Spartans that they ultimately couldn’t convert.
Michigan State shot 41.3 percent on twos and had just 12 free throws, shooting an ugly 7/19 against the Lions.
The Badgers were clicking on defense on Friday as the team looked to be heading in the right direction heading into a tough week against Nebraska and Purdue.