Frank Kaminsky helps Wisconsin stay in control in the Big Ten
To avoid relinquishing first place in the Big Ten for the first time this season, Wisconsin had to survive a far tougher game at Michigan than many surely expected.
Only a big overtime period from national player of the year candidate Frank Kaminsky enabled the Badgers to escape Ann Arbor with a 69-64 victory.
Kaminsky gave Wisconsin the lead for good on the opening possession of overtime by getting into the middle of Michigan’s three-two zone, attacking the rim and drawing a foul for a three-point play. The skilled 7-foot senior added five more points later in overtime and finished with a game-high 22 as Wisconsin salvaged a win despite blowing an 11-point second-half lead.
Wisconsin’s victory elevates the Badgers to 18-2 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten, a half game in front of second-place Indiana entering the Hoosiers’ visit to Ohio State on Sunday. The only two games Wisconsin has lost this season are a December showdown with a Duke and a stunner at Rugers in which the Badgers were without Kaminsky and lost starting point guard Traevon Jackson to injury.
That Michigan came so close to delivering a third loss is encouraging for a Wolverines team that lost its best scorer and facilitator Caris LeVert to a season-ending foot injury this week. Michigan hadn’t even been all that formidable with LeVert, having endured a disappointing non-conference season that included shocking losses to NJIT and Eastern Michigan.
The Wolverines compensate for LeVert’s absence on Saturday thanks to some unexpected offensive boards from its collection of unheralded big men and some timely scoring from point guard Derrick Walton. It was Walton who helped Michigan force overtime at all, scoring the final seven points of regulation including a game-tying 3-pointer with less than two seconds remaining after Aubrey Dawkins drew a double team and fed him on the left wing.
Michigan also was effective defensively, switching between zone and man-to-man to keep the Wisconsin guards out of the paint and limit the Badgers to a pedestrian 47.1 percent shooting by their lofty offensive standards. Wisconsin was effective when it was able to feed Kaminsky or forward Sam Dekker, but the backcourt missed Jackson’s ability to create for himself and others off the dribble.
Nonetheless, Wisconsin avoided what would have been an ill-timed loss with a road game at Iowa and a home game against second-place Indiana up next.
The Badgers are still in control of the Big Ten race. They just had to work a little harder than anticipated to remain in that position.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
