The Wisconsin Badgers got a much-needed Big Ten win last night against UCLA, 80-72. It is only their second quality win of the season as the Badgers are still looking to get things on track. Part of the problem is that Wisconsin has been outworked and pushed around by the quad-1 opponents they've faced. That changed last night when they took on UCLA.
There was a fire in their bones and aggressiveness in their play. It was a game that you could call spicy and physical. The two teams were slowly getting after each other more and more throughout the game. In the final seconds, it led to a scuffle with pushing and shoving, and players walking out with technical fouls. Here's the thing: that's just what this team needed.
The UCLA dustup showed something from Wisconsin we haven't seen all year
Related: Nick Boyd explains why the TV caught him yelling at Austin Rapp vs. Purdue
Sure, you don't want scuffles or fights in basketball, but sometimes those are the result of a team that is fighting for every loose ball, playing tight defense, fouling when necessary, and using other aggressive plays. Wisconsin has lacked that, and it seems that getting pushed around by Purdue helped them find it and unleash it against UCLA.
Nick Boyd even said after the game about the scuffle, "Over these last couple weeks, man, we just been getting pushed around too much." Fans are tired of it, and now the players are, and they are playing with the fire it takes to win Big Ten basketball games.
Greg Gard agrees, "The thing I like about tonight is we showed some fight and some togetherness and some heart, and it wasn't perfect. But when you have heart, and you have fight, you always have a chance." He said this after a question specifically asking about the dustup at the end of the game.
The Wisconsin Badgers have a chance to really turn this season around, but it's going to take fight, togetherness, and the ability to outwork the opponent. The Badgers finally showed it throughout the entire game against UCLA.