Wisconsin basketball fought to the final horn by the Vaqueros, but came away victorious 87-84, fueled by a 30-point performance from John Blackwell.
The UT-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros came out of the gates hot. They went 8-for-17 from downtown in the first half, and took a 52-48 lead into halftime. Wisconsin needed a strong shooting performance to hold off the upset bid, shooting 49 percent from the field, and 40 percent from three.
Takeaway #1: Wisconsin won this game by drawing fouls down the stretch
Wisconsin got to the free throw late in the game, making 11 free throws over the final four minutes of the game. Their ability to get to the line follows a trend they have set all season long, as they led the nation in free throw percentage (90%) entering the game. John Tonje and John Blackwell caused havoc as they drove inside, as the pair attempted a combined 18 free throws throughout the game. All in all, Wisconsin was 27-for-32 from the free throw line against the Vaqueros.
Takeaway #2: Head coach Greg Gard adjusted to the Vaqueros’ smaller team well, sitting Winter and Crowl
The Vaqueros played small, and spaced the floor well. They shot the ball well early, and Gard new he had to make a change. “We were better smaller, with Tonje at the four, (Xavier) Amos at the four, (Carter) Gilmore at the five.”
As a result, Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl combined for just 32 minutes despite the fact that they both started. Gard emphasized that this was not an indictment on the play of Winter and Crowl, but was instead complimentary to the Vaqueros gameplan, and how they forced Wisconsin to adjust.
Takeaway #3: Not everything can be seen in the box score
Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee did not score. However, their presence was valuable on the court. “Gilmore’s experience puts him in the position where he’s an asset in these type of games,” said Gard.
Both Gilmore and McGee were relentless defensively, as they each accounted for a steal, and forced the Vaqueros into bad shots. Despite their scoreless performances, McGee and Gilmore had the two highest plus minus numbers on the team at plus 12 and plus 5, respectively.
Next game for Wisconsin (5-0): at UCF Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. EST
Next game for UT-Rio Grande Valley (3-3): vs. Le Moyne Nov. 25 at 6:30 p.m. CST