Syracuse's Best Punch A Knockout Blow to Badgers

If would have told you that Syracuse would outrebound Wisconsin on Thursday, that the Orange would commit the same number of turnovers (6) as the Badgers, and that Syracuse would shoot over 55% from the field, you probably wouldn’t even feel the need to tune in.

But Thursday night in Boston, the Badgers took the best punch that top-seeded Syracuse had to offer and nearly delivered a knockout blow in response.

“It was like a heavyweight fight,” UW senior guard Jordan Taylor said. “We hit them and they hit us.”

Ultimately, the game would come down to its final possession, with Taylor coming up just short on a would-be game winner just before the clock was set to expire. But Wisconsin’s 64-63 loss to Syracuse, its second straight loss in an NCAA regional semifinal, was more about the little miscues of execution that put the Badgers in a ten-point hole than it was that final gasp.

“We were one or two shots away...” Wisconsin sophomore guard Josh Gasser said. “You can’t point to one thing in the game because there were so many things from early on to the end that could have made the difference.”

Perhaps it was the five missed free throws. Or maybe it was the seven offensive rebounds that they allowed a Syracuse team not known for its willingness to compete on the glass. And certainly the seven points that the Badgers gave up off turnovers are ones they would like to have back.

However you look at it, the Badgers were just one notch short of the perfection they needed in order to beat the region’s number one seed.

“It seemed like every one of their players was on and feeling it from start to finish,” Gasser said. “We did a pretty good job, just not enough.”

While the emotional hurt was very much palpable in the Badger locker room after the game, UW gave us one hell of a show.

“We can play with anybody in the country…” head coach Bo Ryan said. “I think we played well enough to have this one on our side but it just didn’t work out that way.”

Jordan Taylor, much maligned this season for what many around the country have termed a disappointing effort, was every bit the All-American on Thursday night.

Despite getting off to a slow start, Taylor kicked it into a 2^nd gear when the Badgers went down double-digits late in the first half. Taylor ended the half with a steal and a layup that turned the momentum then capitalized on that momentum by knocking down four three-pointers as Wisconsin mounted a charge that turned a potential beat down into an instant classic.

“He wasn’t going to lose tonight,” Gasser said. “It sucks not to get him a win here.”

Taylor finished the game with 17 points and 6 assists, sharing the team-high in scoring with junior forward Jared Berggren.

Ultimately it was Berggren who had perhaps the biggest impact on the game. The Princeton, Minn native picked up his 2^nd foul midway through the first half with the Badgers leading by 6. He was forced to sit the rest of the half as that six-point lead turned into a six-point deficit.

“I was having some success early on,” Berggren said. “{The 2^nd foul} changed the pace a little bit when we had to bring Frank {Kaminsky} in there for extended minutes.”

Ultimately, Berggren’s absence was yet another “little thing” that led to the Badgers coming up on the short end of the stick.

Trying to reach the Elite 8 for the first time since 2005, the Badgers played a nearly perfect game Thursday night. But with Syracuse bringing their A-game as well, near perfection simply wasn’t going to be enough.

“I think we faced Syracuse’s best, Gasser noted. “That’s why its so tough to swallow.”