Greg Gard breaks down how Wisconsin transition offense made difference vs. Colgate

Wisconsin survived a furious upset-attempt from Colgate in the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament. Afterwards, Badgers coach Greg Gard stated that Wisconsin’s defense helped open-up opportunities for the Badgers’ offense. Specifically, Gard spoke glowingly of star guard Johnny Davis, and his performance against Colgate.

Looking ahead to a 2nd Round showdown with Iowa State, Gard broke down how the Wisconsin transition offense made a huge different against the Patriot League champions in Colgate.

“Yeah, I don’t know if lazy is the right — he’s pretty self critical, if that’s the right word,” stated Gard, regarding Davis. “Obviously to try to get them off the line and he was right about — not that he didn’t go over. He didn’t go over aggressively enough in some of those situations.

“Any time we can get our defense to turn into some offense. He’s really good in transition. Chucky’s good in transition. Tyler is. So, if we can get that — especially with how good Colgate is in terms of squeezing the floor. If we can get some buckets before they get set. Obviously, he’s pretty — Johnny specifically is pretty dynamic in transition.”

Davis came alive during the second half after a slow-start, leading Wisconsin to a victory with 25 points on the day. Now, the Badgers have a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 if Davis and company can lead the way against the Cyclones on Sunday.

Iowa State vs. Wisconsin: NCAA Tournament odds, final score predictions from ESPN, KenPom

The 11-seed Iowa State Cyclones (21-12) take on the 3-seed Wisconsin Badgers (25-7) in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 6:10 p.m. ET. Here’s how to watch, odds, ESPN BPI predictions and KenPom game predictions as well for both teams ahead of Sunday’s 2nd Round clash.

How to watch Iowa State vs. Wisconsin

Time: 6:10 PM ET

Channel: TNT

Location: Fiserv Forum — Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Odds

Wisconsin is a 4.5-point favorite over Iowa State on Sunday, according to Vegas Insider.

Money line: Wisconsin -204, Iowa State +168

Spread: Wisconsin -4.5, -112, Iowa State +4.5, –109

Total: Over/Under 126, -110

Check out the rest of Vegas’ odds for Sunday’s slate here.

ESPN BPI Predictions 

Matchup quality: 87.3%

Win probability: Wisconsin, 60.4%

Predicted point differential: 2.4

The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team’s W-L record is to achieve. 

Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily,’ per ESPN.

For the rest of ESPN’s BPI predictions, click here.

KenPom Predictions

Score prediction: Wisconsin 64, Iowa State 63

Win probability: Wisconsin, 52%

Check out the rest of KenPom’s predictions for Iowa State vs. Wisconsin and the entirety of college basketball here.