Wisconsin Badgers probably were not on a bubble, but it started to trending that way after another loss against Maryland. Badgers could be staring down a seventh loss of a year, and their fifth loss in six games if they were to fall to previously undefeated Michigan. For Wisconsin, they showed off why the Kohl Center can be such a hard place to win. Wisconsin takes down Michigan winning 64-54 and puts themselves in perfect position to be in the tournament. Now, Badgers need to push towards the top of the Big Ten.

Player of the Game: Ethan Happ – When Wisconsin needed a big game, they received it from Happ. He dominated the Michigan big men with 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in one of his best of the season. Happ did a great job handling Michigan’s tough defense and had his way with the Wolverines big men. Happ doesn’t get much credit for his defense, but he played a role in shutting down Michigan’s top scorer Ingas Brazdeikis who did not score at all in the game.

Silver Star: D’Mitrik Trice/Brad Davison – These guys did not have a great day shooting the basketball, but they played damn good defense on Michigan’s top guards. Jordan Poole and Zavier Simpson both struggled from the field. They forced Poole into more bad shots than Simpson and seemed completely out of sorts. Credit to both Trice and Davison who did a good job guarding the perimeter.

Thing I Liked: The Kobe King impact – It’s pretty clear that Greg Gard unlocked his best lineup for this year’s Badgers. Kobe King played 31 minutes off the bench while Khalil Iverson only played nine minutes. King could be the straw that stirs the drink and be the difference for this Badgers team. King had six points and five rebounds off the bench. I’ve given Gard a ton of shit for some things this year, but he deserves credit for this move.

Thing I didn’t like: There really isn’t a second option for Wisconsin – Even though the Badgers won, they do not have a second banana on offense. Neither Trice or Davison are reliable options for them on offense. Trice went two-for-10 from the field. When Happ isn’t on, the team likely will fail and lose. That’s not great for the Badgers. They need to have someone else pick up the slack. I get that they won, but that’s an issue that they haven’t solved this year.

Next up: Badgers need to avoid a letdown when they head to Illinois on Wednesday night. Fighting Illini are not a good team, but they’ve put up a fight against a few teams especially at home. Badgers need to take care of business and keep the ball rolling for a second straight game.

Charlie.