Wisconsin Basketball Bigs Cap Non-Con with Standout Performances
Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl have fully bounced back from an ugly start to December
Madison, WI - Wisconsin basketball walked out of its only game in 19 days with a resounding victory on Sunday afternoon. Pounding the paint, the Badgers exerted dominance in a 76-53 win over the Detroit Mercy Titans.
After allowing Illinois to grab 15 offensive rebounds to Wisconsin's two, head coach Greg Gard all but laid down the gauntlet to his team. The Badgers needed to get more stout around the rim to succeed in the conference.
Nobody needed a bounce-back performance after that game against Illinois more than Steven Crowl. He and Nolan Winter have combined for 71 points over Wisconsin's past two games, and the pair has indeed bounced back.
Wisconsin Basketball Bigs Dominate Detroit Mercy
UW starting center Steven Crowl was aggressive in the post, as a shooter, and in transition against the Titans. His 15 points helped the Badgers outscore Detroit Mercy 36-14 in the paint. On an afternoon when three-pointers did not fall, Wisconsin made only seven of 35 attempts from deep, and the graduate student tied his season-high with seven made field goals.
However, Crowl's play in transition was perhaps more impressive than his performance in the paint. On several occasions, the three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree aggressively ran to the hoop, putting pressure on the Titans' defense.
Crowl's frontcourt partner, Nolan Winter, led Wisconsin with 18 points, including two made three-pointers. Adding a career-high 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, the sophomore has taken an enormous leap in his second season in Madison, becoming a versatile weapon.
Last time out, against the Butler Bulldogs, Wisconsin's frontcourt duo combined for 38 points and 14 rebounds. This string of performances for Crowl and Winter are night and day compared to the first two games in Big Ten play.
Can the Wisconsin Badgers Bigs Do it in the Big Ten?
What remains to be seen is if Crowl and Winter can parlay their recent success into success in conference matchups. The Badgers, 0-2 in Big Ten play, will need much more than they got from Crowl in particular as conference play resumes.
The Eagan, Minnesota native did not cover himself in glory in Wisconsin's first two Big Ten games this season. Against Michigan, Crowl was played off the floor and eventually fouled out. In his 22 minutes, he recorded only two points on 1-5 shooting. Winter scored 8 points on 4-11 shooting, but his performance paled compared to Michigan's bigs, who combined for 44 points.
Winter looked much improved against Illinois with 15 points in an 86-80 road loss, but the same could not be said for Crowl. Crowl was called out by Gard, asking, "How do you have no rebounds" in 19 minutes as the starting center?
The Badgers have excelled in games where it scores in the paint. Against Appalachian State, Pitt, and Butler, Wisconsin basketball recorded over 40 paint points. All three matchups resulted in double-digit victories for UW. The Badgers will be challenged to put performances like that together in the Big Ten.
Hey! If you want even more thoughts! My full notebook from Wisconsin’s victory over Detroit Mercy is below! See all my unfiltered thoughts from tracking the game that I eventually turn into post-game stories and more.
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