Northwestern coach Chris Collins tried to ignore the talk. But it clearly got under his skin.
“There’s a lot of chatter that we’re a one-trick pony,” he said, “that if you don’t let ’em get 3s, they can’t win.”
The Wildcats went 4-for-12 from 3-point range Tuesday night but still scored a solid 70-65 victory over Wisconsin before a spirited crowd of 7,264 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
They did it in part because of a clutch late play by a backup big man wearing a mask. But mainly they did it because Bryant McIntosh would not be denied, scoring a game-high 28 points.
“He was just magnificent,” Collins said. “Forget about guards, he’s one of the best players in the Big Ten. You ask coaches in this league, this kid is an elite, elite player.”
McIntosh was not moved by the compliment, saying “we have too much going on” for him to worry about his standing.
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What Northwestern has going is a nice season: 15 wins in 18 games and a 3-2 mark in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin fell to 9-9 and 1-4 in the Big Ten. Interim coach Greg Gard said his Badgers did not play their most “cerebral” game.
One possible example: With the Badgers trailing 52-47, Nigel Hayes passed up an open shot from the elbow with the shot clock winding down, leading to a violation. The team’s best player, Hayes finished with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists.
The Wildcats also had some stumbles down the stretch as they tried to put the game away. It didn’t help when top two centers Dererk Pardon and Joey van Zegeren fouled out and Tre Demps missed two free throws.
Collins summoned Gavin Skelly, a high-energy player wearing a clear mask after he suffered a broken nose three days earlier at Minnesota. With his team leading 68-63, Skelly took a charge from Bronson Koenig with 12.6 seconds to play.
“That’s a game-winning play,” NU forward Sanjay Lumpkin said. “The mask, we all were messing with him and he was a good sport about it. But that is the (aggressive) game he plays; sometimes he will get hit in the nose.”
Collins himself looked a bit unorthodox after the game, appearing for interviews wearing a black Northwestern T-shirt. His dress shirt was off to the cleaners.
“I got a little sweaty trying to get our fans to stand up,” he explained. “Look, I just want my guys to know I’m in the fight with them.”
This game was certainly more like a fight than an evening at the ballet. The Wildcats — third in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made — won by scoring 30 points in the paint and making 22 free throws.
“To play a grind-it-out, hard-nosed game and win,” Collins said, “it’s good for our growth.”
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein