Wisconsin has now won two Big Ten Tournament games in a row, with the win being decided by a final half-court heave by the opponent. Washington stormed back from 18 down to get it within striking distance. Today, Wisconsin did the same (15 points down) to Illinois, but instead of coming up short like the Huskies, they pulled off the overtime victory, and Illinois was heaving the shot, hoping to tie it up.
After the game, Greg Gard had a postgame quote that will have you believing in the Badgers this year and how far this team can go. "March is for guard play, and I'm glad I got two really good ones." And that's been the case for the last two games as Wisconsin has had record-setting performances from both Nick Boyd and John Blackwell. These two guards are the secret sauce, and they will have you believing in Wisconsin's tournament run.
John Blackwell and Nick Boyd took over against Illinois and willed the Badgers to victory
Yesterday, John Blackwell set a Wisconsin Big Ten Tournament record with 34 points, and that record only lasted one day as Nick Boyd took it down with 38 against the Illini. Blackwell added his own 31 in the game. The two guards willed the Badgers to victory without Nolan Winter (once again).
Gard talked more about the dynamic duo that many are referring to as the best backcourt in college basketball. Gard said, "Two of the best guards in the country. They've grown together, they play off one another really well...they hate losing more than they like winning."
These two guards will make or break the tournament run for the Badgers. The phrase about guards winning you tournament games is a common message this time of year; it's incredibly true, and we've seen it in back-to-back games. In fact, Washington almost came back because of the excellent guard play of Zoom Diallo. Illinois almost tied it up in overtime thanks to an incredible effort by Keaton Wagler.
There's no backcourt like the Badgers, and they are showing off. Now, they take their talents to another Big Ten Tournament game, this time against the top dawg in Michigan. That game will be Saturday at noon on CBS.