ST. LOUIS, MO – #7 Wisconsin only scored 16 points in the first half, but the Badgers somehow put together enough points to come away with a win over #10 seeded Pittsburgh, 47-43.
The first 20 minutes were ugly to say the least. Pittsburgh started on a 13-3 run over the first 8:58, with 10 points in the paint. During that span, the Badgers shot 1-10, including three missed layups and two additional turnovers. Overall, Wisconsin shot 6-24 (25%) in the half, but ended on an 8-2 run. Heading into the locker room, the Badgers trailed 22-16, lucky to only trail by six.
Ignited immediately in the second half by a 7-2 run, the Badgers were officially right back in the thick of things. Wisconsin’s gameplan out of the locker room was to feed Ethan Happ, and it worked. Happ, who only had 3 points in the first half, finished with 15 points and was the anchor in the second half.
“No one on their team could guard him, no matter who they threw at him,” Nigel Hayes said after the game in the locker room about Happ.
Wisconsin assistant coach Howard Moore confirmed the Badgers’ plan was to get the ball to Happ. “We thought that was a matchup we could exploit,” Moore explained. “He did a good job of asserting himself, and the guys were looking for him.”
Hayes (12 points, 3-17 from the field) and Bronson Koenig (2 points, 1-8 from the field) struggled to anchor the offense throughout, but it was just enough. The Badgers went down to the wire with the Panthers; but with some huge three-pointers by Vitto Brown and clutch free throws by Nigel Hayes, Greg Gard’s team was able to just squeak out the win. Wisconsin was able to stop Pittsburgh from the field, only allowing 43 points on 37.5% shooting.
“We put ourselves in a position to win a number of times,” Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon said. “But, we didn’t get it done. ”
Wisconsin fans were loud and proud at the Scottrade Center tonight, giving the Badgers more support than the other five schools got from their fans throughout the day.
“It felt like we were really at the Kohl Center,” Brown said about the crowd. “And I think that was a big part of our success tonight.
On numerous occasions, the crowd got Wisconsin back in the game, which helped the Badgers mount a comeback and the players recognized and appreciated.
“Thank you to all the fans that came out,” Happ said, applauding the crowd. “It felt like a home game.”
In the end, the Badgers happily took the win, despite an ugly display offensively. The feeling in the locker room was relief, but determination to continue moving forward after what was still considered a win after all.
As Hayes put it, “We’ll take the ugliest, ugliest win ever over a pretty loss.”
The Badgers will take on the #2 seeded Xavier on Sunday night at approximately 7:45 PM CT on TNT.