Wisconsin Badgers Scrape Out Tough Victory Over Iowa Hawkeyes

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Falling behind early, it looked like the undefeated No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers would lose in their first tough game of Big 10 play against the No. 22 Iowa Hawkeyes. However, tough defense and a big game from Ben Brust, who finished with 19 points, led to the Badgers coming back and holding off the Hawkeyes for the 75-71 win.

Iowa will be disappointed that they let this game slip away. The Hawkeyes would have liked to won a resume-boosting game early in Big 10 play to take off the pressure as the season goes on, but now they must pull off some major upsets down the road if they want to make it to the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

With the win, Wisconsin will gain a lot of confidence moving forward as they attempt to win the Big 10 and secure the No. 1 overall seed for the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Next up for the Badgers are the Illinois Fighting Illini, but they don’t face a  team that they should lose against until February 1 when they take on the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes.

Along the way, they face some tough opponents like the Indiana Hoosiers and Michigan Wolverines, but if they can come back against a talented team like Iowa, they shouldn’t worry about these teams.

The Big 10 is turning out to be one of the most competitive conferences in college basketball, and if Wisconsin can continue to win, it could set up the Badgers to make a run to the Final Four and eventually the National Championship.

Taylor Sturm is an SEC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

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