Badgers Title Hopes Take a Hit in Minnesota

In over 100 years of basketball at Wisconsin, the Badgers had never played in three consecutive overtime games. Thursday night that streak came to a close, with UW losing a 58-53 overtime decision to rival Minnesota to snap a run of two consecutive overtime victories. Wisconsin (8-4 Big Ten, 17-8 overall) led 49-43 with free throws coming but failed to score over the final 5:08 of regulation, ultimately running their scoreless drought to 8:48 before Sam Dekker made two free throws in overtime with the game already slipping out of reach.

Once again, UW struggled to put the ball in the basket. In addition to an uncharacteristic 11 turnovers, the Badgers shot just 18-for-59 from the field (30.5%) including a 7-for-28 (25%) effort from three-point range. While Wisconsin was able to hold the Gophers to just 36.7% from the field, it was unable to overcome 7 misses at the free throw line, six coming after the six minute mark of the second half.

The inconsistent play of sophomore guard Traevon Jackson hit a low point in Minneapolis. Jackson finished with just 7 points on 3-of-14 from the field while being credited for three turnovers. The turnover figure was fairly generous, with Jackson losing possession on two other occasions before a jump ball kept the ball in UW hands.

Adding to the Badgers’ misery was the continued offensive struggles of senior forward Ryan Evans. Although he did finish with a game-high 11 rebounds, Evans once again struggled to put the ball in the basket, finishing just 2-for-8 from the field and 2-for-8 at the free throw line. During Wisconsin’s second half drought, Evans missed three consecutive free throws, any one of which would have been enough to seal a Badger victory.

Though they led for most of the game, Wisconsin did not deserve to leave Minneapolis with a victory. The Badgers allowed Minnesota (6-6, 18-7) to finish the first half on an 8-0 run over the final 2:50 and a 6-0 run over the final 5:08 of regulation. Senior forward Mike Bruesewitz opened the door by committing a baseline violation with 22.6 seconds left, erasing what appeared to be a game-winning charge taken by the Minnesota native on the previous play. Minnesota senior guard Joe Coleman was fouled by freshman Sam Dekker on the ensuing play and made both of his free throws to even the score at 49.

Wisconsin had the final look but once again came up with a terrible offensive possession, managing to get nothing more than an off-balance and contested jumper from Jackson that didn’t even catch a piece of the rim. After two more misses at the charity stripe by Evans, Minnesota sophomore guard Andre Hollins (21 points, 5 rebounds) capitalized with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, giving the Gophers a 52-49 lead they would never relinquish.

If there was a bright spot for the Badgers, it was once again the play of freshman wing Sam Dekker. The Sheboygan native got off to a slow start but gave the Badgers a needed spark in the second half, finishing with a game-high 14 points on 3-of-7 shooting. Dekker’s back-to-back three-point shots midway through the second half turned a 39-37 deficit into a 43-41 lead that for a while looked to be enough for a 5^th-straight UW victory over the rival Gophers.

Now halfway through arguably the most important weekend of the Big Ten season, the Badgers need desperately to bounce back as they host No. 13 Ohio State on Sunday afternoon. The Buckeyes have been in the top 10 most of the season but have struggled of late, dropping two straight last week to Michigan and Indiana before nearly losing a third straight when they hosted Northwestern Thursday night.

Except for a shocking 63-60 win last February in Columbus, the Badgers have struggled since knocking off a then-undefeated Ohio State team back in 2011. After its 58-49 win in Columbus last month, OSU has now won three of four over Wisconsin. With both teams entering play at 8-4 in the Big Ten, it would be hard to overstate the importance of Sunday’s contest.

Wisconsin will have to start by keeping junior forward DeShaun Thomas at bay on the offensive end. The Fort Wayne, Ind. native torched the Badgers for 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting in the last meeting between these two teams and is leading the conference with 20.1 points per game. Outside of Thomas and junior guard Aaron Craft, Ohio State lacks much in the way of experience, giving Wisconsin a golden opportunity to get back to its winning ways in the friendly confines of the Kohl Center.

If there is one thing we know at this point in the year, Wisconsin will be playing a tight game. In addition to three consecutive overtime games, the Badgers have played four consecutive games at the Kohl Center within a single possession. Although behind the eight ball after Thursday’s loss, a fourth straight win in Madison on Sunday would keep the Badgers alive for that elusive conference title in a very competitive Big Ten race.

Clutch Play Late Gets Badgers Over The Top

Whatever Saturday’s border battle lacked in beauty was certainly made up for in drama as it was a missed free throw with 1.7 seconds left that ultimately proved to be the difference in a 45-44 Wisconsin victory.

Both teams entered play struggling on the offensive end of the floor, with both the Gophers (3-4 Big Ten, 15-5 Overall) and Badgers failing to reach the 50-point mark in midweek losses. So when the scoreboard read 43-43 as Wisconsin took possession with 39.1 seconds left, very few in the Kohl Center crowd were surprised.

More surprising perhaps was the Wisconsin response. After nailing a cold-blooded jumper with 1:03 left to tie the game, sophomore guard Traevon Jackson got a friendly roll on another short jumper, barely beating the shot clock to give UW a two-point lead with less than four seconds left.

“He shot-faked and we jumped out the way. Once again, a mistake…” Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith said. “That’s a recipe for getting a loss.”

A Minnesota timeout eventually gave the Gophers possession at half-court with 1.8 seconds left on the clock and after a lob pass intended for senior forward Trevor Mbakwe resulted in a foul call against UW forward Mike Bruesewitz, the game came down to a pair of free throws.

With Mbakwe injured on the play, Wisconsin chose Williams to shoot the free throws in his place. After making the first with ease, the Minneapolis native was too strong on the final attempt and a Badger rebound brought the slugfest to its conclusion.

Having already given up three points at the free throw line in the final 1.2 seconds of the first half, Wisconsin had to be dealing with flashbacks when the whistle blew. UW had regained a three-point lead on the strength of a 15-2 run and took possession out of bounds, handing the ball back to the Gophers on an errant inbound pass by freshman Sam Dekker and then watching fellow freshman George Marshall foul a three-point shooter.

“A freshman throws that pass and then a freshman fouls a three-point shooter…” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “How about that for a turn of events at the end of the half.”

Both teams were clearly on the brink heading into Saturday’s game. After a big win last week at Indiana, UW had dropped two straight to Iowa and Michigan State while Minnesota’s slide hit three games after a 55-48 loss at Northwestern on Wednesday.

“We’ve had three chances now to break it…” Smith said. “We just haven’t stepped up to the plate.”

Fortunately for Wisconsin, Jackson did step up to the place. Having come through a stretch of two-plus games shooting just 5-of-26 from the field, fans had to, understandably, cringe when Jackson lifted to shoot on each of his two jumpers down the stretch. Struggling or not, Jackson took each shot without any doubts, showing a confidence Wisconsin seemed to be sorely lacking. 

“People that have the mindset of being a competitor, there isn’t any other thought process…” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “When you are presented with the moment, there can’t be any doubts.”

Another player who had little doubt on the floor was Minnesota guard Andre Hollins. The Memphis, Tenn. native lit up the Badgers for 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Hollins went on a personal 7-0 second half run to grab a two-point lead out of what had been a five point Wisconsin advantage.

“He got a lot of his points off screens…” Jackson said of Hollins. “When a guy is doing that, you cant really do too much.”

Seniors Bruesewitz and Jared Berggren, Wisconsin’s two Minnesota-born starters, struggled all afternoon. Bruesewitz fouled out without a point for the first time since last year’s Big Ten Tournament while Berggren managed just two points on 1-of-7 shooting..

Senior Ryan Evans led a chorus of Badgers who stepped up in the absence of the two big men. Despite three turnovers and continuing to struggle at the free throw, Evans did everything he could to do the “little things” needed to come away with a victory, adding 3 assists, 8 rebounds, a block, and a steal to his 10 points for the afternoon. The three assists each came on the crucial inside-out looks UW had been struggling to find of late.

“I was pretty happy with my assists tonight…” Evans said. “That opens up so much more for us on the inside.”

Though the Badgers still shot just 37% from the field Saturday, they did enough off the ball to come away with a win, capped off with a crucial charge taken by junior Ben Brust in the game’s penultimate possession.

“That was very good footwork, very good awareness and he deserves a lot of credit for making a play…” Ryan said. “He made a play that helped us get that ballgame on the left hand side. That was a huge charge to draw.”

With road games at Ohio State and Illinois awaiting them in the next week, Wisconsin simply could not afford to lose a 2nd straight at the Kohl Center to remain in contention for a Big Ten title.

“This was a must-win game, “ Jackson said. “You have to take care of home court when you get a chance.”