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Jawing with Purdue's Zach Edey showed that Wisconsin's Steven Crowl can stand up to anyone

jeff potrykus, milwaukee journal sentinel
·2 min read

MADISON – You want an aggressive Steven Crowl?

You saw him in the flesh during the Big Ten Tournament, ready to chirp at his foe if needed.

“I think we’re better when I’m aggressive,” Wisconsin’s fourth-year center said after practice Tuesday. “These guys tell me that. The coaches tell me that.”

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And there was Crowl, barely more than two minutes into UW’s semifinal game against top-seeded Purdue, standing face to face with Zach Edey, Purdue’s 7-foot-4, 300-pound center.

Crowl had just boxed Edey out well enough to grab a defensive rebound and drew a foul in the process.

The two glared at each other and started jawing.

Wisconsin forwards Steven Crowl, left, and Tyler Wahl fight Purdue center Zach Edey for the ball during a game at Mackey Arena on March 10. They met again on March 16 in their Big Ten tournament semifinal game.
Wisconsin forwards Steven Crowl, left, and Tyler Wahl fight Purdue center Zach Edey for the ball during a game at Mackey Arena on March 10. They met again on March 16 in their Big Ten tournament semifinal game.

Both were given technical fouls just 2 minutes 4 seconds into the game but since Edey had also been assessed a personal foul, he went to the bench with two fouls.

“I’ll chirp at anyone,” Crowl, 7-0 and 247, said. “I don’t really care who it is. I just wanted to be a little more active out there, a little more aggressive.

“I don’t think anyone on the staff or any of my teammates minded. It was a 2-for-1 for me a little bit. I got one foul; he got two.”

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UW went on to upset Purdue in overtime, 76-75, to reach the title game.

Although the Badgers eventually fell to Illinois in the title game, Crowl left with a solid four-game run.

He hit 7 of 13 three-pointers (53.8%) and 25 of 39 shots overall (64.1%) and averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Badgers forward Steven Crowl celebrates his dunk against the Boilermakers during the second half at Target Center on March 16.
Badgers forward Steven Crowl celebrates his dunk against the Boilermakers during the second half at Target Center on March 16.

UW coach Greg Gard hopes to see Crowl remain aggressive in the NCAA Tournament, beginning Friday against James Madison.

“That wasn’t intentional for him to get into a little jawing match with Edey,” Gard said. “But it’s good to see him kind of stand his ground.

“The fact that he is aggressive, that is the mindset he is in. He is playing pretty well right now and we need to continue to capitalize on his aggressiveness and keep him in that mode.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jawing with Zach Edey shows Wisconsin's Steven Crowl can be aggressive