The Wisconsin Badgers fell to the Villanova Wildcats in overtime, 76-66, on Friday, dropping them to 0-3 against Quad 1 opponents.
The first half was all Wildcats. Villanova took a commanding 35-22 lead into halftime thanks in part to outrebounding Wisconsin 18-13, including gathering six offensive rebounds to the Badgers’ one. In addition, the Badgers allowed the Wildcats, one of the best three-point shooting teams in the Big East, to connect on 8-of-19 three-point attempts.
Advertisement
The Badgers came alive in the second half, rallying from a 15-point deficit to tie the game late and force overtime. John Blackwell, who was held scoreless in the first half, had 14 second-half points. With momentum on Wisconsin’s side, and the partisan Badger crowd revved back up, Greg Gard’s team appeared ready to earn its first big win of the season.
Alas, it was not to be. Villanova seized control in the extra period with two Bryce Lindsay three-pointers and one Matt Hodge free-throw to go up seven and never looked back. The Wildcats outscored the Badgers 20-10 in overtime to escape Milwaukee.
There are multiple reasons why the Badgers fell on Friday night. As a team, Wisconsin committed 16 turnovers compared to Villanova’s eight, which is simply unacceptable if you want to get a Quad 1 win.
From an individual perspective, the Badgers need more production from the four spot with Austin Rapp and Aleksas Bieliauskas. Bieliauskas had two points and six rebounds, while Rapp failed to score or gather a rebound against Villanova.
Advertisement
Finally, we need more from the bench, as Hayden Jones’ second-half layup was the only two bench points for Wisconsin.
Here are three standouts in the Wisconsin-Villanova game.
Tyler Perkins
Perkins led all Villanova scorers with 19 points on 6-of-17 shots from the floor, including hitting 4-of-10 three pointers on Friday night. Three of those three-pointers came in the Wildcats’ stellar first half. When Wisconsin cut Villanova’s lead to 18-16, Perkins responded with a three-pointer to ignite a 14-3 run for the Wildcats.
Duke Brennan
Brennan came into this game as one of the best rebounders in college basketball, and the transfer forward from Grand Canyon did not disappoint. Brennan posted his fourth double-double of the season with a 13-point, 11-rebound performance against Wisconsin. He is quietly becoming one of the best transfer portal additions in college basketball.
Advertisement
Nolan Winter
Winter was the lone bright spot for Wisconsin throughout the game. The junior forward scored a career-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shots from the floor and added 11 rebounds against the Wildcats. It’s Winter’s sixth double-double of the year. When Winter is aggressive on the boards and on offense, the Badgers are tough to beat. It’s a shame that Winter’s best game of the year was all for naught on Friday.
