Wisconsin Badgers have a trend as a team. They beat up on bad teams then when faced with elite-level competition, they cannot make it. This has happened all season. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Wisconsin Badgers destroyed the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday night. Against teams who are 50 or worse in KenPom rankings, Wisconsin is 10-1 with their only loss being to Marquette. Any team in the top 50, Wisconsin is 6-7. This is not said to dauer what Wisconsin did last night, but more so point out it is true to what they’ve done all year. They beat up Northwestern, 68-51.

Player of the Game: Micah Potter – To see if Nate Reuvers could find some magic again, they move him to the starting lineup and Potter to the bench. Well, Potter showed that he thrived with the second unit. He scored 19 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and had four threes in this one. Potter was extremely efficient. After a rough patch, this is the second straight game for Potter where he scored 15 or more points. If Potter can get hot for Wisconsin, that’s a huge lift for the Badgers.

Honorable Mention: D’Mitrik Trice: Good game from Trice in this one as well. He scored 13 points with five rebounds and five assists. He only missed one shot the entire game. Trice did a good job commanding the floor and finding the right opportunities to either shoot or pass. Trice hasn’t been struggling to score, but the shot selection in recent weeks has been questionable at best. He looked much more in control with his shot selection last night.

One thing to think about: Can Wisconsin build on this? – We’ve seen this before. Wisconsin gets a big win against an inferior team then they play a top-tier team only to lose. Wisconsin has alternated wins and losses since mid-January. They haven’t won two straight since beating Rutgers and Northwestern. While they’re a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin could help their seeding tremendously if they start stacking wins to finish off the Big Team season.

Next up: Wisconsin goes back to the gauntlet on Saturday afternoon and welcomes Illinois to the Kohl Center. Illinois is playing like one of the best teams in basketball right now. Ayo Donsumnu is playing like a National Player of the Year candidate. It will not be easy for the Badgers. Wisconsin could be getting the Illini at a good time though. They’re playing three games this week, so, it could be an opportunity for Wisconsin to play a tired Illinois bunch.

Charlie.