Overtime: Wisconsin Holds Off Washington 85-82 in Big Ten Tournament

CHICAGO — In the month of March, you don’t care how the job gets done. However, Wisconsin would have liked not to have to sweat out the final moments in Thursday’s 85-82 win over Washington in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament.

The fifth-seeded Badgers (23-9) led by as many as 18 points, but needed Husky guard Zoom Diallo to missfire on a potential game-tying 3-pointer to send them into Friday’s rematch with 4-seed Illinois.

“I thought we got too loose, too lazy at times,” said UW head coach Greg Gard, who improved to 12-9 in the Big Ten Tournament. “It’s part of the — maybe do we look ahead to tomorrow, saying, ‘Alright, this thing is gonna be wrapped up?’ I don’t think that was in their head, but you’ve got to give credit to Washington, too.

“That’s March. It’s about having confidence and momentum.”

Nolan Winter Remained Out

Forward Nolan Winter (ankle) sat for the second consecutive game, although he did travel with the team to Chicago, something he didn’t do in Saturday’s 97-93 win over No. 15 Purdue.

Despite the win, the Badgers seemed to miss Winter a little more this time around.

Starting in Winter’s place, sophomore forward Austin Rapp picked up his second foul nine minutes into the game. UW had to lean a little more on true freshman center Will Garlock, who scored three points in seven minutes.

Washington’s Hannes Steinbach had his way with the Wisconsin frontcourt. The freshman scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. The Huskies also racked up 20 offensive rebounds, turning those into 18 second-chance points.

Without Winter, UW has now surrendered 38 second-chance points in its last two games. During that span, the Badgers have also only recorded 17 defensive rebounds apiece, a season-low.

“We’re missing a seven-foot, double-double guy,” said Gard. “He’s our version of Steinbach.”

Wisconsin Won the Guard Battle…Again

There was some pre-game chatter from Washington about this backcourt matchup between Zoom Diallo and Wesley Yates against Nick Boyd and John Blackwell.

Wisconsin’s guards once again got the better of Washington’s.

Senior guard Nick Boyd scored 23 points (8-15) and dished out nine assists, while junior John Blackwell went for a UW program record in the Big Ten Tournament, 34 points (14-24), 10 rebounds, and two assists. Boyd and Blackwell scored 29 of the first 40 points for the Badgers.

Diallo made things interesting late. Putting the Huskies on his back, Diallo scored 11 points in the final 5:39 to give Washington a shot. However, his running mate, Yates, struggled again, posting a 1-for-6 shooting effort with three turnovers.

“I’ve said this multiple times, but I think ‘JB’ and Nick Boyd are the best backcourt in the whole country,” said Rapp.

Round Two With Illinois Looms

Wisconsin and Illinois meet for the second time this season in what will be a revenge spot for the Illini. On Feb. 10, the Badgers went into Champaign and knocked off UI 90-90 in overtime, one of four consecutive wins over top 15 ranked opponents for UW. However, in that win, Illinois did not have Kylan Boswell or Andrej Stojaković.

“It’s going to have to be another gritty win,” said senior guard Braeden Carrington. “When we went there and beat them, it took all five guys on the court. It’s gonna be a physical game. They probably have a bad taste in their mouth from us going there and beating them. So, they’re gonna be ready and fired up.”

Game Ball

Earlier this week, Blackwell was named to the All-Big Ten third team. If Blackwell felt slighted, he certainly let his play do the talking.

At one point in the second half, Blackwell scored 15 of 21 points for Wisconsin. When the Badgers needed a bucket, Gard called a timeout and got the ball in Blackwell’s hands. The junior delivered, getting two feet in the paint and knocking down a 10-footer.

“It was a ghost action where they just run at me,” Blackwell explained. “Run two screeners, just trying to get me downhill. I saw the paint was clogged, so I just got to my spot, got to my pull-up.”

Beyond the Box Score

1.33: Wisconsin averaged 1.33 points per possession.

4: Washington began the game 4-of-19 shooting with four turnovers.

6: The Badgers scored the final six points of the first half, taking a 43-33 lead into the locker room.

7: Seven of UW’s first nine field goal attempts came from 3-point range.

18: The Badgers led by as many as 18 points.

19: UW had 19 assists for the second consecutive game.

20: Washington’s 20 offensive rebounds were the most allowed by UW this season.

21: In two games against the Huskies, the Badgers made 21 more 3-pointers.

23: In two games against UW, Yates went a combined 2-of-23 shooting.

29: Boyd and Blackwell combined for 29 of the first 40 points.

34: Blackwell’s 34 points were the third-most in Big Ten Tournament history.