Wisconsin has its Big Ten Tournament matchup set after Northwestern took down Minnesota 72-64 on Wednesday afternoon.
The Badgers, who earned a bye in the tournament, were tasked with facing the winner of Northwestern and Minnesota. With the Wildcats’ commanding second half finish, UW knows its next opponent heading into Thursday.
Here are a few thoughts on where Wisconsin stands in the upcoming postseason matchup.
The results favor Wisconsin
Wisconsin was set to play a team that it hasn’t lost to yet this year, with two wins over Minnesota and one against Northwestern. After the Wildcats advanced, the Badgers will get a second crack at the matchup.
In its previous win, Wisconsin battled Northwestern in a hard-fought contest on the road. The Badgers scored just 25 points in the first half, but overcame the defensive pressure to climb ahead with an explosive 50-point second half to take down the Wildcats.
Wisconsin is pursuing a similar offensive rhythm this time around, as it looks to shake off its regular season-closing loss to Penn State. Though the Badgers will likely rely again on the effectiveness of guard John Tonje, who was the leading scorer in the prior matchup, they may also attempt to respark a 3-point flurry from forward Carter Gilmore, who secured three made triples and 15 points in the win.
Paint play made the difference
Northwestern and Minnesota traded consistent blows through the first half, but neither pulled out to a quick pace in the contest. The teams exchanged just nine total fastbreak points in what turned out to be a rock fight.
But ultimately Northwestern ground out an advantage on the inside, putting up 32 points in the paint to Minnesota’s 20 points and outrebounding the Gophers 36-32 across the matchup. The Wildcats were able to create consistent looks inside to help keep Minnesota at a distance.
Northwestern’s front court was a deciding factor in the win, combining for 35 points and 14 rebounds as a unit.
Martinelli heats up
The preeminent cause for Northwestern’s dominant performance as a front court was the outstanding day from forward Nick Martinelli. The Wildcats’ leading scorer fielded another impressive outing with 28 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the matchup.
Martinelli was comfortable finding leverage on the inside, and consistently finished with 12-for-22 shooting on the day. All of his scoring came from inside the arc with no made threes in the 20-plus point performance.
Martinelli is, by far and away, Northwestern’s most efficient scorer this season. The Wildcats will try to get him as many looks as possible from the inside, and the Badgers need to keep him from finding a rhythm.
How does Wisconsin stack up?: The Badgers may have been in bigger trouble had the health situation, particularly with forward Nolan Winter, not improved from this weekend. It will also be on Gilmore and forward Steven Crowl to make an impact down low. But depth in the front court may be the biggest factor in finding defensive stops on the inside and slowing down Northwestern’s game underneath the hoop. The Wildcats didn’t play with much pace in their matchup against Minnesota, so if Wisconsin can get things flowing its way, the Badgers are capable of running away with a win.
