Badgers 73, Cougars 56: Badgers Clamp Down, Brust Heats Up for CIC Title

For the first time since 1996-97, the Wisconsin Badgers are 6-0, and they’ve got a hard-fought trophy to commemorate it. It was a far cry from the walkovers that got the Badgers their first five victories, but the winning formula was entirely familiar: stifling defense and hot shooting from deep.

In the first half, BYU proved a significant step above the competition Wisconsin had faced to date, utilizing their high-paced style and some impressive defense to stick with the Badgers through the entire half, taking a 30-26 lead with about four minutes left in the first half and going into the break down by only two points. The Cougars took advantage of an unusually sloppy Wisconsin offense that committed 6 turnovers in 31 first half possessions, including more than a few live-ball turnovers that turned into BYU runouts.

With the Badgers seemingly in control up 22-10 after only 6 minutes of play, the offense fell into a rut characterized by missed layups and poor execution. Over the next roughly 10 1/2 minutes, the Badgers scored only four points on a Ryan Evans jumper and a pair of free-throws by Mike Bruesewitz, allowing BYU to go on a 20-4 run. There were more than a few exchanges in that stretch that surely boiled Bo Ryan’s blood. In one series, Wisconsin missed three consecutive shots around a pair of offensive rebounds. Rob Wilson threw a lazy pass back toward halfcourt that was batted away for a breakaway dunk by Brandon Davies, compounded by a dumb foul from Wilson who was trying to chase him down. Ben Brust showed off his relative inexperience with some risky passes and seemed to be playing faster than he could think. Of course, Brust also finished off the first half with back-to-back three pointers to regain the lead. Brust taketh away, lo, but Brust also giveth.

BYU gave the Badgers trouble with a pressure zone defense that disrupted Wisconsin’s typically patient ball movement. When Wisco’s bigs were able to get the ball near the basket, they were often quickly and effectively double-teamed, leading to bad shots, turnovers, or choppy offensive breakdowns. Dribble penetration isn’t a strength for the Badgers’ backcourt, and the zone only made it more difficult.

Of course, for all the inside pressure a zone defense provides, it does open up shots on the perimeter. Considering Wisconsin’s crazy hot shooting to start this season, the Cougars were playing with fire in every sense of the expression. It didn’t take long to get burned. After exchanging a few baskets early in the second half, the score wound up knotted at 42 apiece. That’s when the Badgers took over.

Ben Brust scored nine of the Badgers’ next eleven points on a trio of three-pointers during a stretch that saw BYU miss four shots and turn the ball over twice. Jordan Taylor doled out 6 of his 8 assists in the second half and added 10 points. More than anything else, the Badgers’ defense tightened up significantly in the second half, holding the Cougars to 36% shooting in the final 20 minutes.

Wisconsin’s distinctive offensive style–deliberate, patient passing deep into the shot clock in search of high-quality looks–is routinely brought up as a key factor in their success, and nearly every game is prefaced by analysts insisting that the Badgers need to slow the game down. This was particularly true Saturday night, when the nation’s slowest team (Wisconsin) went up against the 36th-fastest. In the first half, the game was played at a pace of 62 possessions per 40 minutes. In the second half, it slowed to about 58 poss/40, settling right at 60 for the game–right within Wisconsin’s comfort.

The Badgers played another well-rounded game, relying on their strengths and minimizing that of their opponents’. The result is the best start to a season in 15 years.

Up next? A date with the ex-top team in the nation, North Carolina. After being upset by UNLV, the Tar Heels will have plenty of motivation to get back on track against a quality opponent in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, so the Badgers had best come prepared. It will be an extremely difficult test, but also a chance to prove the program deserves a spot among the nation’s elite.