Wisconsin just claimed its most prestigious win in seven years.
Now, Greg Gard wants to make sure his Badgers team avoids a letdown in its follow-up performance.
Wisconsin (11-5, 3-2 Big Ten) goes for its third win in a row when it tips off against Minnesota (10-6, 3-2) on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
The Badgers are coming off a 91-88 win on the road against then-No. 2 Michigan — their first win over such a highly ranked team since knocking off another No. 2 Michigan squad on Jan. 19, 2019, at the Kohl Center. It marked the first loss of the season for the Wolverines and earned Wisconsin its first Quad 1 victory this season after five losses.
Before knocking off Michigan, Wisconsin posted an 80-72 win at home against UCLA.
“We are getting better,” Gard said. “I thought we showed some things in the right direction playing at a high level, and we did that pretty consistently against UCLA. Then (we) took another step against Michigan. The key now is we don’t want to take another step back.
“So keep doing that, and getting better.”
John Blackwell and Nick Boyd combined for 48 of the Badgers’ points against Michigan, including Blackwell’s layup with 3:46 left that gave Wisconsin the lead for good. Boyd, who earned a share of the Big Ten’s Player of the Week award, averages 19.7 points and 3.4 assists to lead Wisconsin. Blackwell, the recipient of the national Naismith Player of the Week honor, adds 18.0 points per game.
Minnesota had its five-game winning streak snapped with Friday’s 70-69 overtime loss to Southern California. The Golden Gophers already have two home wins over ranked opponents (Indiana and Iowa) in their first season under coach Niko Medved.
Gard said it was impossible to ignore Medved’s early success at Minnesota.
“Good coaches will find a way to make their team very competitive, and he has obviously done that quickly,” Gard said. “It’s not surprising, and they have been very good at home.”
The conference rivalry between these bordering states has been lopsided in recent years, something that Medved hopes to change. Wisconsin has won nine in a row against Minnesota dating to March 1, 2020.
In the last 20 meetings between the programs, Wisconsin has lost only twice.
Medved knows the importance of Tuesday’s game. He pointed to the Golden Gophers’ recent win over Iowa as an example of what a big win over a rival program can do for Minnesota.
“(When players) come to Minnesota, you learn pretty quickly what the rivalry means with Wisconsin,” Medved said. “You kind of saw that against Iowa the other night, but this one kind of takes on a new life of its own.”
Cade Tyson powers the Golden Gophers with 21.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest.
