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Badgers down big: Baylor opens up double-digit lead on Wisconsin at halftime
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If Wisconsin is going to pull off the upset of No. 1 seed Baylor, it’s going to have to have one of the best second-half performances of its season.
The Badgers trail Baylor 42-29 in the first half from Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The winner will make a trip to the Sweet 16 while the loser will see the season come to an end in the Round of 32.
Wisconsin jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, appearing to start off as well as it did on Friday in the win over North Carolina. But once Baylor got rolling, the Badgers had no answer.
After the game was tied at 11-11, the Bears went on a 9-0 run to build a big lead and never looked back. Hot 3-point shooting and flawless execution allowed Baylor to build a 13-point lead at the break.
Jared Butler scored 9 points in the first half, leading the way for Baylor. Matthew Mayer added 8 off the bench and Davion Mitchell had 7 points with 6 assists through 20 minutes, well on his way to a double-double.
Aleem Ford and Nate Reuvers led the way for the Badgers with 7 points each.
Baylor shot 53.3% from the floor and knocked down 5-of-11 shots from 3-point range. The Bears had just 1 turnover in the first half, compared to 9 by Wisconsin.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB