Kamari McGee on key to beating Iowa: 'We knew they didn't want to play defense'

Wisconsin pounded Iowa 116-85 on Friday, scoring its most points ever at the Kohl Center and its second-most overall in program history.

Senior guard Kamari McGee had a solid game off the bench for the Badgers, finishing with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. After the game, McGee was asked what led to Wisconsin’s blowout win. He shared that Iowa not wanting to play defense was a huge factor.

“Once we realized that they were just trying to outscore us, once we realized that they were just coming in here to try and outscore us and they didn’t really care much about the defensive end, we took advantage of that,” Kamari McGee said.

Wisconsin certainly did take advantage of Iowa’s struggles on defense. The Badgers shot 64.5 percent from the field and 67.7 percent from 3-point range, while nailing 21 3s.

The Badgers put up 62 points in the second half to pull away after leading by 11 at the break.

McGee added that Wisconsin was well aware that if it played solid defense, it would come out on top.

“We trust our teammates. We trust the players. We know we can score the ball in bunches,” McGee said. “And we just knew that they didn’t wanna play defense and all we had to do was play a little bit more defense than them and the game is ours.”

Wisconsin not only made school history against Iowa but also Big Ten history. The 116 points were the most scored in a Big Ten conference matchup since 1995. The Badgers also set the Big Ten record for 3-pointers made in a game.

All-in-all it was a dominant performance by Wisconsin to improve to 11-3 (1-2) on the season. Iowa fell to 10-4 (1-2) with the loss.

“Obviously the stats tell the story of the game,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “It’s not every night you go 21-31 from 3, and that’ll get the chatter and the talk and everything. … But the thing that jumps out to me is the defensive job we did on Payton Sandfort, who is a terrific player.

“Twenty-six assists on 40 baskets I think tells you the unselfishness of this group. Controlled the boards for the most part. Maybe taking 11 days off is a secret sauce. … You see these games every once in a while. It just shows the talent of this group and the unselfishness of this group.”