I dont want to sit here and deny the obvious: yesterday's 58-52 loss at the hands of #3 Ohio State was a missed opportunity. Wisconsin not only had an opportunity to take over sole possession of first place in the Big Ten, but more importantly to quiet the naysayers who were of the belief that the Badgers were a boring team whose biggest weapon was their ability to lull teams to sleep.
Simply put, they did nothing to quiet those naysayers.
But as I said during the three-game losing streak a few weeks ago, the Badgers struggles havent been proof that the "Wisconsin" way doesnt work, but rather the result of failing to play "Wisconsin basketball".
To recap, the so-called "Wisconsin style" of playing basketball is built upon three things: 1. take care of the ball 2. play solid and physical defense 3. get to the foul line and make free throws
In contrast to what many believe, Wisconsin basketball is not about three-point shooting. They do look better on offense when they are able to knock down the three-point shot, but if you can tell me a team that doesnt, I will dive head first into Lake Mendota right now.
On Saturday, the Badgers once again failed to play up to their standards on all three of those facets. First and foremost, they didnt take care of the ball, turning the ball over 10 times and wasting numerous scoring chances as a result. When they had a chance to take control down the stretch, they wasted that chance with a turnover that led to William Buford's dagger three at the other end.
To make matters worse, the Badgers did not play a good 40 minutes of defense. Sure, they did hold the Buckeyes a full 19 points under their season average, but they could and should have held them even further from that mark. Throughout most of the game, OSU was able to get the ball into sophomore forward Jared Sullinger virtually unchallenged. While the decision to put Bruesewitz and Evans on Sullinger made the finish more difficult in the 2nd half, the Badgers were already behind the eight-ball with their inability to pressure on the perimeter and make post touches difficult to come by. 40 points between forward Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas is a stat line that is simply unacceptable when coming against a Wisconsin team built upon solid interior defense.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Wisconsin did not get to the free throw line on Saturday. After averaging nearly 16.5 attempts through their first 23 games, the Badgers only got to the line three times against Ohio State. On the other side, the Buckeyes were able to get 16 tries at the line, making 13. Ultimately, in a game as tight as Saturday, that 10 point differential at the free throw line proved to be the difference.
If Wisconsin does those three things, things they have done consistently since the beginning of the Bo Ryan era, they would be celebrating a big win right about now.
There is no doubt that the Badgers are a different team this year. They arent the kings of offensive efficiency they were last season but then again they arent the poor perimeter defenders they were during that 25 win campaign. This year the Badgers are much more comfortable playing from behind, much more comfortable grinding things out when the shots arent falling, and much more willing to win when things arent necessarily going their way.
But the fundamentals shouldnt change. Against Penn State, the Badgers were 13/19 from the line. In the win over Indiana, they went 15/19. 10/18 in beating Illinois. 11/14 against Northwestern. Nebraska: 18/24. Purdue 20/24.
During that six-game streak, UW gave up no more than 24 points in the paint. Saturday the Buckeyes had 30. Difference? 6 points. Kind of a theme.
Perhaps the most important number for the Badgers was indeed three point shooting. But not the bad percentage (18%) they shot from beyond the arc, but rather the percentage of their shots that were from three-point range. 27 of UW's 55 shots on Saturday were three-point attempts. During the six game streak, Wisconsin never attempted more than 23 three point shots. And that came in a game against Northwestern where the Badgers were making shots (12/23) and where they blew the game open fairly early in the 2nd half.
27 three's in 55 shots is just unacceptable. It allowed Ohio State to settle in and take away the kick out. While many of Wisconsin's shots were open, the passes were high, low, left, or right because Ohio State was able to challenge them, knowing that UW was only using penetration to get kick outs. As a result, many of the shots came off passes that werent in the "hitting zone", forcing the looks to be off balance regardless of how open they looked to be.
Inside out basketball is not simply about movement, its about intent as well. No matter how much penetration you may get, it doesnt do a thing for opening up the perimeter if you dont penetration with an eye on the basket. That is what Wisconsin was doing and the Buckeyes snuffed it out right away.
Bo Ryan talked about how he thought his team did a good job of penetrating off the dribble, but the numbers tell a different story. If it was indeed true "penetration", Wisconsin would have had more than three free throw attempts. Instead, what the Badgers did was drive inside without a look at the basket, getting stuck in the line on more than one occasion. Almost afraid of contact, the Badgers continued to look for kick outs and were met with a lot of pressure each time they did so. Result: no foul shots until the 6:46 mark of the second half.
Going forward, this team has the potential to make a run. At the Big Ten title? Maybe not. At the Big Ten tournament? Why not? In the NCAA Tournament? Possibility.
Unlike last year, this year's Badgers can play with the best that college basketball has to offer. Just a shot away from overtime on the road against arguably the most talented team in the country, the Badgers know they can win every time they step on the floor if they stick to what they do best: solid defense, discipline on the offensive end, and a determination to get to the free throw line and knock down shots when they do so.
If the Badgers do those three things, there is no reason why they dont have a chance to return to New Orleans come March 31st.
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