Madison, Wis. — Entering a daunting road environment, Northwestern failed its first Big Ten test of the season. Badly.
Wisconsin punished a shellshocked, turnover-laden and misfiring Wildcats (5-3, 0-1 Big Ten) squad, opening up a gigantic early lead and never looking back en route to a 85-73 victory.
“We gotta be a lot better with our grit, physicality and toughness,” coach Chris Collins said postgame. “I’m not sure the last time I remember a half where we didn’t force a turnover.”
The Badgers (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) led by as many as 27 points on a night when they were boosted by guard John Blackwell’s first-half frenzy of 3-point shooting that propelled him to a 26-point double-double.
Collins scrambled his rotations in search of an answer, turning to the experience of the seldom-seen junior guard Jordan Clayton for extended minutes. Clayton helped spark a brief and ultimately futile second-half comeback effort, while it was junior center Arrinten Page who topped the NU scoring charts with 21 points, with 15 coming in the second half.
But, each time the ’Cats thought they had a narrow window back into the game, they were hampered by a bout of turnovers and fouls in the paint.
Junior guard Jayden Reid opened the scoring with a midrange jumper, but from there it was all Badgers. Wisconsin embarked on a 16-2 run that thrust its lead to 13 points before the second media timeout had even arrived.
It was at that stage that Blackwell took over, nailing five 3-pointers in a five-minute span en route to an absurd 23 first-half points. NU looked out of sorts on every inch of the floor, and Wisconsin took a 55-32 lead to the locker room.
Senior forward Nick Martinelli went down holding his ankle for an extended period of time early in the second period, but was able to walk it off and return to the floor soon after, avoiding an almighty scare.
The return of NU’s star man did little to quell the endless onslaught of Badger pressure, as the hosts maintained a comfortable lead throughout the opening parts of the second half.
The ’Cats made one short-lived push to find a way back in the game, going on a 7-0 run that cut the lead to 72-56. But, right at NU’s high-point of momentum, Page botched a 2-on-1 transition opportunity and sophomore guard Max Green gifted the Badgers a fast-break bucket with a head-scratching turnover.
Collins’ side closed the gap in the game’s dying embers, but it never seriously threatened a come-from-behind victory.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s comprehensive defeat to Wisconsin in its Big Ten opener:
1. ’Cats fold under the limelight
As NU failed to stage a last-ditch comeback in its previous matchup against Oklahoma State, it did so in front of a near-empty United Center in a game that began on Thanksgiving and ended on Black Friday. That hollow environment typified NU’s experience to start the season, as it came off two games at a minuscule colonial-style hotel ballroom in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
The deafening boom emanating from the Kohl Center upon each Badger bucket in the opening minutes made for a stark contrast to the sleepy atmospheres the ’Cats have applied their trade in thus far.
That noise level made a dent in NU’s confidence early, with Reid air-balling a 3-pointer and committing a sloppy turnover, and sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino losing track of his whereabouts on the baseline to turn the ball over as Wisconsin led 9-6 heading into the first media timeout.
It would soon get far worse.
Collins’ young squad looked out-of-sync on both ends of the floor, breaking down defensively to allow the Badgers to rain down a barrage of threes and committing seven first-half turnovers as they worked themselves into a daunting hole.
As Reid was pelted with chants of “air-ball” by the Wisconsin student section, he struggled to command a stagnant offense. He finally silenced the Kohl Center crowd with a triple to cut the lead to 38-18, but on NU’s next offensive possession, Martinelli dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds.
Bruised. Battered. Demoralized well before the intermission. It can only go up from here.
2. Defensive issues go beyond rebounding and fouling
The story of NU’s season so far has been a consistent one: a squad flexing its offensive firepower but undone by its inability to get defensive rebounds and keep its opponents off the free-throw line.
Over their last four contests, the ’Cats were made to pay dearly for their nonchalance on the defensive glass, conceding 16.5 offensive rebounds and 18.8 second-chance points per game across that span.
After his squad picked up its second loss of the season against Oklahoma State, Collins noted that its set defense was doing an adequate job holding opponents to low shooting percentages, but that its concession of extra possessions was proving fatal.
“It’s always fixable,” Collins said in the early hours of Friday morning.
On Wednesday, both of NU’s achilles heels persisted, but the defensive rot spread far beyond those departments.
The Badgers were indeed more physical on the boards, converting 13 offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points. The ’Cats also sent Wisconsin to the charity stripe 21 times, and the home side sank an efficient 18 free throws.
Yet, Wednesday’s shellacking was not another contest that could be written off as a solid offensive effort undone by rebounding and fouling lapses.
From the matchup’s nascent stages, Wisconsin had its way in the paint, capitalizing on defensive miscommunications for a pair of open dunks. The Badgers were also able to manufacture open threes at will, shooting 9-for-21 in the first half.
Perhaps most troublingly, Wisconsin won the turnover battle in overpowering fashion.
The Badgers took care of the ball with the delicacy of a bomb squad, not allowing NU’s defense a sniff as they committed no first-half turnovers. On the flip side, it was turnovers galore for the ’Cats as they gave the rock away 12 times and allowed Wisconsin to saunter up the court for easy baskets — concluding the night with 22 points off turnovers.
“Offensively, we’re gonna be okay,” Collins said. “It’s my job, it’s our staff’s job and our players’ accountability to say we’re gonna defend better.”
If Collins had a pair of plagues festering in his team before Big Ten play began, he has a whole plethora now.
3. Blackwell latest Badger to feast on ’Cats
Blackwell has already had a storied career in Madison, notching his 1,000th career point in Wednesday’s comfortable victory. The junior came into the night averaging 19.0 points per game and has NCAA Tournament pedigree, having made two statement performances as a backcourt lynchpin this March.
But one thing Blackwell had not yet checked off was a signature game against NU.
The ’Cats have gotten used to being on the wrong end of awe-inspiring takeovers from names like John Tonje, Nolan Winter, Steven Crowl and Max Klesmit in recent years, but Blackwell had struggled against them in prior contests. He scored only eight points on 3-for-10 shooting in last season’s Big Ten Tournament win over the ’Cats, and was even more absent in its regular-season victory, scoring five on 2-for-8 efficiency.
Wednesday’s Big Ten opener was a whole new story, as Blackwell’s early dominance shut the door on the ’Cats before they knew what had hit them.
His spurt of five triples in under five minutes was the most eye-catching moment, but Blackwell’s all-around dictation of play and defensive aggression caused nightmares for a floundering NU squad.
“He can really shoot the ball, as we saw in the first half,” Collins said. “He played very under control, that’s what I was very impressed with. I just never felt like he was playing forced.”
The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native was quieter in the second half, only notching three points, but he let out an almighty scream of celebration after converting an and-one layup with just over 12 minutes remaining in the second half, cementing his commanding night.
Blackwell finished with 26 points on 8-for-18 shooting, including going 5-for-10 from beyond the arc, and added 11 rebounds.
The ’Cats will have much to prove when they return to Evanston for their home opener against Ohio State on Saturday.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Rapid Recap: Oklahoma State 86, Northwestern 81
