Wisconsin searching for stronger defense vs. Villanova

Wisconsin will be looking for renewed defensive commitment when it takes on Villanova in a nonconference game Friday night as part of the Milwaukee Hoops Showdown.

Wisconsin (7-3) has been idle since a lopsided 90-60 Big Ten road loss at No. 15 Nebraska last Wednesday, when it allowed the Cornhuskers to shoot 54.1%.

"We don't have a defensive identity. Haven't had one all year," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said following the Nebraska game. "So, we'll search to find one and I'll find guys that want to play defense."

Villanova (8-2) defeated Pitt 79-61 on Saturday, bouncing back from an 89-61 loss at second-ranked Michigan.

Duke Brennan paced the Wildcats with 24 points on 8-of-8 shooting along with a team-high nine rebounds. Bryce Lindsay also had 24 points, including four 3-pointers.

The Wildcats assisted on 20 of their 26 made field goals against Pitt and committed just three turnovers.

"I think these guys showed (Saturday), especially on the defensive end, coming in and just letting a tough loss go and then coming back and playing really well," Villanova coach Kevin Willard said.

Villanova averages 80.4 points, giving up 68.1. The Wildcats have been hammered on the boards the last two games, getting outrebounded by 20 against Michigan and nine against Pitt.

Lindsay leads a balanced attack with 17.2 points per game, and Acaden Lewis adds 12.4 points. Brennan averages 12.1 points and 11.7 rebounds, the latter ranking No. 2 in the country.

Wisconsin averages 85.1 points per game, allowing 75.4.

The backcourt duo of graduate transfer Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, one of two returning starters, averages 20.2 and 19.6 points, respectively. Nolan Winter adds 12.8 points and a team-high 9.4 rebounds.

Blackwell hit just 1 of 11 shots vs. Nebraska after scoring 30 points the previous game, a 96-76 rout of in-state rival Marquette.

The Badgers' other two losses were similar. BYU shot 47.7% in a 98-70 victory and TCU made 46.7% in a 74-63 win.

"We'll get better because we have to and that's regardless of the outcome on Friday," Gard said Tuesday. "We'll have to get better as we go through the rest of the nonconference and back into Big Ten play."

It's the first meeting since 2017, when eighth-seeded Wisconsin upset the top-seeded and defending national champion Wildcats 65-62 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

--Field Level Media