(14) Wisconsin 63, Minnesota 60: Last word

January 3, 2023
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

No. 14 Wisconsin withstood a late run by Minnesota to earn a 63-60 win on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.

Player of the Game: Chucky Hepburn

Wisconsin’s point guard put together a complete game, delivering 16 points on one end of the court and nabbing a career-high five steals on the other end. He saved his best for last, picking the pocket of Ta’lon Cooper in the final seconds, which didn’t allow the Gophers to get off a potential game-tying 3-pointer.

“It was one of those where you can either steal it or foul, so I stole the ball,” the sophomore said afterwards.

Offensively, Hepburn went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and is now shooting a Big Ten-best 51.9% from deep on the season.

The good: Steven Crowl

It was another strong effort from the Badgers big man, as he had a team-high 17 points and five rebounds. He was especially effective in the second half, scoring 13 of those points.

During Wisconsin’s six-game winning streak, Crowl is averaging 14.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

The not so good: Tyler Wahl injury

Wisconsin lost its leading scorer midway through the first half when Wahl stepped on someone else’s foot and rolled his ankle. He initially returned to the court but was clearly not feeling right and soon after exited the game. Coach Greg Gard said the intention was for Wahl to use halftime to get the ankle loose and play in the second half, but that didn’t happen.

“I don’t know on a timeline,” Gard said of Wahl’s return. “I think each individual heals from those differently. We’ve got three days here (before playing Illinois), so we’ll see where he’s at.”

Stat of the Game: 21

That’s how many points Wisconsin had off the 20 turnovers it forced, while Minnesota managed just five points on the Badgers nine turnovers.

What They Said

Gard on his team’s performance:

“I told them in the locker room, good teams find a way when you’re not playing and clicking on all cylinders, and you’re sputtering at times, good teams dig down and find a way to get it done.”

In Case You Missed It

— New Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell addressed the crowd at halftime and received a standing ovation when he was introduced.

— After Wahl went down with the injury, Wisconsin had to rely on Carter Gilmore and Markus Ilver more. Gilmore played a career-high 30 minutes, while Ilver saw 11 minutes. For Ilver, that was one more minute than he had played in the last seven games combined.

— Max Klesmit drew the tough assignment of dealing with Jamison Battle and he didn’t back down despite giving up four inches to the 6-foot-7 lefty. Battle scored 13 points but it took him 15 shots to do it and he turned it over six times.

— Jordan Davis did his part in helping fill Wahl’s void on the boards, tying his career-high with eight rebounds. He also had seven points.

— After going 8-for-20 on 3-pointers against Minnesota, the Badgers are now shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc. For perspective, last year’s team shot 30.6%.

— Wisconsin had a 15-point lead at one point in the second half but couldn’t put Minnesota way. Still, the Badgers held on to improve to 6-2 in games decided by single digits this year.

“That’s something that we apologize to the fans about, giving you guys heart attacks,” Hepburn said of not finishing Minnesota off. “But, we’re definitely going to try to get better to finish things out and not make it such a nail-biting game.”

— UW moved to 3-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since the 2014-2015 season. That team would eventually end up 16-2 and the winners of the conference.

What’s next?

Wisconsin (11-2, 3-0) will visit Illinois (7-4, 0-2) on Saturday.