After perhaps its worst half of the season, Wisconsin trails Iowa at halftime, 35-24. The Badgers have the nation's longest winning streak and their best start in program history at stake, but Iowa has looked remarkably sharp, or at least in comparison to Wisconsin's miserable effort. The Hawkeyes' size -- which Phil identified would be a significant obstacle for the Badgers -- has indeed been critical, with Iowa holding a 27-16 advantage on the boards. Iowa also 11 offensive rebounds, more than either Wisconsin's offensive or defensive boards.
The Badgers blew an uncharacteristic number of layups in the first half, and that's a huge reason they're shooting 26.7 percent (8-of-30) from the field. From deep, they're 4-of-13 (30.8 percent). Sam Dekker has one point and is 0-for-6 from the field, Ben Brust is scoreless and 0-for-3 and no bench player has more than one basket. Frank Kaminsky leads UW with nine points on a trio of three-pointers, and he's probably been the sole bright spot for Wisconsin.
Points per possession: Iowa 1.09, UW 0.77. the Badgers scored two points in their final nine possessions after pulling to within 23-22.
— Jim Polzin (@JimPolzinWSJ) January 6, 2014
Wisconsin was held 22 points below their season eFG% in the first half. I don't even know how to process that.
— Patrick Vint (@HS_BHGP) January 6, 2014
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