Forward Marcus Landry has always found a way to bother Northwestern in his three years playing for Wisconsin.
The forward scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds in the team’s first meeting this season and is averaging nine points and five rebounds per game in five career matchups with the Wildcats. He also tussled with former NU center Vince Scott in last year’s game at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Landry again made his presence known to NU on Saturday.
The goggle-wearing junior scored eight of his 12 points in one minute to help the No. 10 Badgers expand their slim eight-point halftime lead into a comfortable 16-point margin.
NU could not cut into Wisconsin’s second-half lead and finished its worst conference season since 2000, losing its final home game of the season 65-52.
“My guys have arms like me, which is not good,” coach Bill Carmody said. “Their guys are big strong guys, and we weren’t able to keep them off the backboard and off the block. They were getting very good position and they overpowered us, I thought.”
Badgers forward Brian Butch made the big difference in the game, recording a double-double with 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. The Cats had no answer for his inside play and suffered because of it. Wisconsin (26-4, 16-2 Big Ten) held a 38-21 advantage on the boards and scored 14 second-chance points.
Carmody said Wisconsin is a very physical team and Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said his team’s tough defense has been his team’s calling card all season. The Badgers attacked the Cats where they have struggled all year – on the inside – and the Cats were unable to respond and stop the onslaught.
NU (8-21, 1-17) started the half trailing by nine points, but only got as close as seven – scoring the first points of the second half.
The Cats made no other serious runs at the Badgers’ lead, failing to cut the deficit below 10 points after Landry’s run pushed the lead from eight points to 16 at the 14-minute mark.
“There are runs when you play everybody, either for or against,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. “We can take 30 minutes out of every Northwestern game and they kicked the crap out of the other team. There’s that fine line in some of these games that Bill (Carmody) and his team didn’t quite get over. When you prepare to play them, those kinds of runs where you can get eight in a row, is like 20 against some other teams.”
Sophomore forward Kevin Coble led the team with 17 points. Freshman guard Michael Thompson added 13 points and five assists and junior guard Craig Moore chipped in 11 points.
The Cats kept the game close throughout the first half by applying a full court pressure defense, forcing eight turnovers in the half that helped keep the Badger’s lead within six points.
But Wisconsin never trailed in the game because of its ability to control the boards. The Badgers had a 21-9 rebounding advantage and scored eight second chance points in the first half. They finished with 14 offensive rebounds and 14 second chance points.
Butch, the Big Ten’s leading rebounder, nearly outrebounded NU on his own, grabbing eight by halftime. Wisconsin scored the final eight points of the half and took a 29-20 lead into the locker room, after holding a one-point lead with 5:27 to play.
The two teams played even in the second half, but with the Cats down nine entering the final 20 minutes, the Badgers easily held on for the win to finish the Cats’ worst conference season under Carmody.
“It’s very frustrating to have those games that we let get away,” Coble said. “To have games that are right there and then it runs off. When you are in the game and you are playing well and you still don’t get the win. You have to take that record with a grain of salt, and I think that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Wisconsin clinched the top seed in next week’s Big Ten tournament with the win. NU was already locked into last place and will face Minnesota on Thursday in Indianapolis.
