Wisconsin guard Kamari McGee delivered the standout quote of the night following the Badgers’ impressive 116-85 victory over Iowa.
“We recognized they weren’t keen on playing defense,” McGee stated. “All we needed to do was play a bit better defense than them, and the game was ours.”
His remark mirrors the final statistics of the game. Wisconsin achieved a remarkable 31-point win, shooting 40-of-62 (64.5%) from the field and 21-of-31 (67.7%) from beyond the arc. The contest was competitive for the first 13 minutes, with Iowa leading 30-27 with 6:43 left in the first half. However, Wisconsin dominated the remainder of the game, outscoring their rivals 89-55 in what is seen as one of the best offensive displays in the team’s history.
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery praised the Badgers in his post-game comments: “I know Steven Crowl is capable of hitting threes, and while his stats may not reflect that, players like [Nolan] Winter and [Kamari] McGee have shown they can score. It’s challenging to defend against all their threats. Their spacing is excellent, making them tough to guard.”
From Wisconsin’s perspective, coach Greg Gard highlighted the significance of the team’s performance: “The statistics tell the game’s story. It’s rare to see a team shoot 21 of 31 from three-point range. However, what stood out to me was our defense against Payton Sandfort, and we effectively dealt with Owen Freeman and Josh Dix as well. With 26 assists on 40 baskets, our unselfishness is evident. We also controlled the boards. It seems that taking 11 days off may have worked in our favor, but I reminded the team that practice is tomorrow. Games like this are rare and showcase our talent and teamwork.”
Gard further noted the growth in player performance, stating, “He’s becoming increasingly comfortable with the ball, having achieved 15 assists and only two turnovers in the last three games. Surrounding him with skilled players makes us harder to defend. His eight rebounds demonstrate his active engagement on both ends.”
He commented on the defensive strategy used against a key player: “We managed to limit his touches and focused on preventing dribble penetration. Sometimes, you have to balance your defensive efforts between covering him and his shooters. We adjusted our game plan to make sure our offensive players exerted effort on defense too. Our movement and unselfish play put pressure on the opposition.”
“I wasn’t aware of how well we were shooting until I saw the scoreboard, where we were 20 of 30 at one point. During the game, I’m focused on whether we’re playing correctly and taking good shots. When we follow our game plan for spacing and the talent of our players who can all shoot threes while sharing the ball, it leads to performances like this.”
Finally, Gard noted areas for improvement: “We discussed the importance of better transition play and shot selection. Early on, we had some turnovers that hurt our flow and allowed them to run. We worked on our transition defense and adjusted our ball-screen strategies late in the first half to improve our defensive performance.”
