Mary Langenfeld-USA Today Sports
Wisconsin had four players finish in double-figures offensively on Tuesday night, as the Badgers went on the road and shocked second-ranked Indiana.
A stunned Assembly Hall was virtually useless against a tough-minded Wisconsin squad that simply appeared “in their zone.”
Yet, what leads the Badgers to having that success? Well, it’s their defense and ability to limit turnovers.
Bo Ryan has put together one of the toughest and stout defensive programs in the country over the past few years and their success despite star power speaks for itself. Now, in a year in which the Badgers lost Jordan Taylor from last year’s squad and then had Josh Gasser go down with a season-ending knee injury prior to the start of play, where else should the Badgers have turned other than the defensive side of the floor?
Well, good thing it is a side of the floor that they are utmost familiar with.
Ryan had a great game plan for the Hoosiers and despite this game being played in Bloomington, the evening belonged to Wisconsin. Indiana’s shooters were limited, while All-American forward Cody Zeller quickly became the only reason that the Badgers didn’t end up running away with victory on the road.
In addition, Wisconsin turned the ball over only eight times, a statistic from Tuesday that is right around their season average. Bottom line in regards to that: every team wishes that they could take care of the basketball that well.
Their defensive game plan and ability to slow down the game is incredible. So, why would last night’s upset even come as a shock other than the simple fact that the No. 2 team in the nation went down?
Wisconsin once again did what they do best, limit personal errors and grind things out defensively.
These same Badgers by the way are now 4-0 within the Big Ten Conference, a mark that positions them atop the league for the time being.
Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
