Wisconsin ended a three-game skid Saturday night when they defeated Butler 83-74. It was the best game of the season for the Badger frontcourt, something that Greg Gard had been desperately trying to get from the big men.
After being publicly called out by Gard for a lack of aggressiveness, center Steven Crowl responded by dropping 18 points to go along with six rebounds. Nolan Winter, who has been enjoying a breakout season, scored a team high 20 and also led the team in rebounds with eight. It was a refreshing sight after the duo had been flat out bullied by opposing big men during the losing streak.
The rest of the team largely struggled however, especially on the offensive end. Max Klesmit shot just 1-of-7 and John Tonje was 2-for-8 while the team as whole was just 6-of-25 from three. However, once again the team was elite from the free throw line going 25-for-27. They started 22-for-22, tying a school record to maintain their top spot in the country from the charity stripe. The difference in the game was foul shooting, as Butler went just 68% from the line on 32 attempts.
After the Butler win, Tonje has now failed to reach 20 points for four straight games as his offensive struggles continue. He's shot just 32% over that stretch. There's no reason to panic yet, but it could be a problem headed into the meat of the conference schedule if he can't get his shot back.
It was a clean game overall as the Badgers only turned the ball over three times. The team responded well after some very public criticisms from Greg Gard to end the losing streak and got some big performances from Crowl and Winter. The win might have been enough to keep Wisconsin in the top-25 polls, but the team is certainly flirting with the edge.
Wisconsin will take on Detroit next on December 22nd.