Wisconsin Basketball: Keys to the Game vs. Maryland
Back in action on Senior Day, the Wisconsin Badgers are coming off a blowout 90-73 win against Washington on Saturday. They’ll look to finish the regular season strong with their final game at the Kohl Center tonight at 7 p.m. CT, facing Maryland.
At 11-18, the Terrapins are in a major down year, currently 16th in the Big Ten standings. In their first season under head coach Buzz Williams, this is a team without a major win. Maryland’s best victory came against Iowa at home on Feb. 11 (77-70). Outside of that, there isn’t much for Wisconsin to be worried about.
However, the Badgers can’t afford to play down to competition, something that has resulted in losses to Oregon, Ohio State and a few other tough ones. Here are two keys to the game to avoid a Senior Day defeat and stay the course:
Defend the Three-Point Line
Without star forward Pharrel Payne (leg) sidelined, the Terrapins haven’t necessarily increased their three-point shooting by a wide margin, but it’s still up there on the scale of Division I hoops.
They attempt 26.5 shots from beyond the arc per game (60th). However, that number has jumped to 29 over their last three games, which would rank 34th. The visitors are also 325th in two-point rate (53.7%), meaning almost half of their shots come from the outside.
The Badgers have struggled to defend the paint when facing bigger bodies and better teams, but Maryland doesn’t pose much of an interior presence with Payne out. They’ll have to get out on wings such as David Coit, Andre Mills and Elijah Saunders (shooting 40% from three this season).
Paint Touches and Patience
This is more of a two-for-one, but they go hand in hand. Wisconsin didn’t score in the first two minutes of Saturday’s game against the Huskies, mainly due to settling for the deep ball. Of course, it would then get hot in the second half, as Braeden Carrington poured in a career-high 32 points on nine threes.
It’s clear that in order to win, the Badgers need double the offense to make up for half of the defense. That comes with letting it fly from the outside. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t come with precision and poise.
A trend in the second half of the last game was the off-ball movement. Nick Boyd was a force, getting to the rim at will, but a reason why Carrington, Nolan Winter and Aleksas Bieliauskas each hit multiple threes is that they moved well off the ball. When the defense collapses, whether it be in zone or man-to-man, Wisconsin’s off-ball movement leads to the best looks.
Get John Blackwell in a Rhythm
John Blackwell has suffered a late-season slump that has seriously hindered his overall offensive game. The star shooting guard put up seven points and three turnovers in Seattle. Over his last three games, his averages have gone down to 14 points, 3.7 rebounds, two assists and 2.3 turnovers on 31% shooting from the field and 33% from three.
Maybe it was the West Coast road trip, but this is a perfect opportunity for Blackwell to make a statement in Madison before the Big Ten Tournament. Against a struggling Maryland squad, he can play with a bit more freedom. It mainly comes with getting hot from beyond the arc.
Boyd has displayed unwavering confidence, no matter how he’s performing. His co-star will need to have something similar to that. There’s a reason why Big Ten coaches rave about the best guard duo in the conference: Boyd attacks the basket at an efficient rate, while Blackwell makes teams pay from the three-point line.
