The Wisconsin Badgers beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 96-87 on Saturday afternoon, improving to 13-5 as they won their fourth-straight game. With the win, Wisconsin now stands at 5-2 in Big Ten play.

It was a dominant start for the Badgers, as their offense exploded early with efficiency both inside and outside the arc. They also had some quality defense early in the game, while the offense maintained the lead as the game went on. Rutgers did provide some resistance as their offense heated up in the second half, but Wisconsin managed to hold on and get the win.

Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s 96-87 win over Rutgers on Saturday.

Game of runs

The Badgers are a team that has seen their cold spells and heaters this season. On Saturday, there were several of the latter in a 51-point first half.

After Rutgers took an early 7-5 lead, the Badgers went on an 11-0 run, as John Blackwell hit a pair of threes to give Wisconsin a 16-7 lead. Midway through the first half, Wisconsin found itself leading 27-20 and proceeded to really separate itself with an 8-0 run as Nick Boyd scored five straight, and Jack Janicki hit a three-pointer.

Then, the Badgers ended the half on a 16-6 run, taking a 51-29 lead into halftime. Wisconsin did a great job turning defense into offense, forcing some tough looks and turnovers, and running in transition, with Nick Boyd leading the way at 15 points.

We’ve said it before, but the potential of this team is shown during these runs, where the Badgers look tough on defense and hot on offense. On Saturday, they sustained that throughout the first half.

In the second half, there weren’t many runs to start the period as Rutgers’s offense really started to click, but Wisconsin was right there as well, continuing where they left off. That kept the game out of arm’s reach, leading the Badgers to a comfortable victory.

However, the Scarlet Knights just wouldn’t go away, as they continued to chip at the lead. They went on an 8-0 run to cut a 19-point lead to 78-67 with seven minutes remaining in the game, as Harun Zrno and Darren Buchanan Jr. both hit threes. Shortly after, they chipped the lead to single digits.

From there, Wisconsin was able to hang on, controlling the pace of the game to lead to a victory. But there were a few big swings in this one.

Ball movement

The Badgers came into the game as 15.5-point favorites. They were expected to win big. But it’s important to see how they come out to play in a game like Saturday’s.

Rather than being sloppy, I thought the ball movement was on point in the win. Wisconsin had assists on 11 of its first 14 shots, but they were just generally creating great looks without turning the ball over (three TOs in first half).

And it wasn’t just one player. After a slow start, going 1-of-6 from the field, Nick Boyd really settled in and had six assists to go with his 15 points in the first half alone. Andrew Rohde and John Blackwell both orchestrated the offense well with three assists apiece in the opening period.

I thought the Badgers were hitting from three, but also attacking well and getting the ball inside the paint before kicking out for better looks. Their offense can be really, really efficient when moving the ball like they did (1.46 points per possession in 1st half).

In the second half, the offense picked up where it left off, scoring 20 points over the first eight minutes of the period, as they shot 53.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep. Once again, the ball movement played a big factor there, as Wisconsin had six assists on seven field goals, while continuing to create open shots, both inside the arc and on the perimeter.

But, as Rutgers cut the lead, Wisconsin went on a four-minute stretch without a field goal, as its offense finally stalled. I thought the Badgers weren’t moving the ball enough here. They settled too often for threes (4/14 on threes through first 15 minutes of second half, 67 percent of field goal attempts were threes). That cost them a bit offensively, making the game closer than it should’ve been.

The Badgers were able to hold on, living at the free-throw line late as they conjured enough on both ends for the win. But there was a scare there for a few minutes.

Defense

Wisconsin’s defense has been up-and-down this year, but I think we’re slowly starting to see some better performances. I thought Saturday’s first half was one of the best of the year for Wisconsin.

I thought Wisconsin was very active defensively, forcing Rutgers into tough two-point shots and not giving them much in the paint or behind the arc. The Scarlet Knights made some tough shots, but they averaged less than one point per possession in the first half (0.967).

Having the size advantage, Wisconsin also didn’t allow many second-chance opportunities and forced turnovers from a team that likes to play at a slower pace. It was a good performance in the first half, especially in the paint.

The second half? Not so much. Wisconsin really struggled to open the half, allowing Rutgers to score 25 points in the first eight and a half minutes. The Scarlet Knights were 11/15 from the field in that stretch, while averaging an insane 1.92 points per possession.

Now, it ultimately didn’t matter because Wisconsin’s offense was humming at such a high rate, but that’s the consistency we’re talking about. The Badgers need to find a way to play together for 40 minutes. In that eight-minute stretch, Wisconsin allowed way too many dribble drives in the paint, as Rutgers was getting deeper in the paint as compared to the tough midrange jumpers they shot in the first half.

A few minutes later, after some back-and-forth on both sides, Rutgers really started to heat up, going on an 8-0 run with a pair of threes to cut the lead to 11. Once again, there were a few too many good looks given up, which the Scarlet Knights capitalized on. Through the first 11 and a half minutes, Rutgers had 36 points in the second half, shooting 68.2 percent from the field, and still averaging 1.9 points per possession.

The Scarlet Knights were even able to cut what was a 26-point lead at one point to single digits. But, the Badgers mitigated the damage from there, getting a few stops and not allowing Rutgers to get 10 points over the final four minutes of the game, securing the win.

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