Defense Falters Once Again In Badger Loss

Having seemingly righted the ship after their blowout loss last week against Florida, Wisconsin once again struggled to contain the attack of a ranked opponent, losing 84-74 to No. 14 Creighton in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Invitational.

The Badgers (3-2) were unable to slow down the Creighton attack and All-American Doug McDermott. The Ames, Iowa native dominated the post and finished with a game-high 30 points on 10-of-23 shooting. The production of junior forward Ethan Wragge was perhaps even more of a crushing blow to UW as he added 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

Wragge’s two three-point shots combined with four points from McDermott spawned a 20-6 run by the Jays that turned a two-point Wisconsin lead with just under 9 minutes left into a 12 point Creighton advantage inside the two minute mark.

Though the shooting struggles of junior Ben Brust (2-for-12) and sophomore Traevon Jackson (1-for-6) certainly hurt the Badgers’ chances of pulling off the upset, it was the defensive effort that once again paved the way for another Wisconsin defeat. After only allowing 70+ points in a game twice last season (including a 79-71 win over Indiana), UW allowed Creighton to become the 2^nd opponent in the 1^st five games to reach that mark.

The 84 points for the Jays were the most allowed by a Badger team since a 93-65 loss at Ohio State way back on March 6, 2011.

One bright spot for Wisconsin was the play of senior center Jared Berggren. Perhaps motivated by the chance to make a good impression on NBA scouts in Las Vegas to see McDermott, the overlooked Princeton, Minn native finished a career-high 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Though ultimately outscored by the Jays’ star, Berggren certainly made an impression, single handedly taking UW on a 15-5 run midway through the 2^nd half that turned an 8-point deficit into a 60-58 lead as he headed to the bench for a much needed rest.

Unfortunately that lead would be the final Badger lead of the night. Wragge erased it with a 3-point shot with 7:49 left that gave Creighton a 61-60 lead they would never relinquish.

Outside of Berggren, the Badgers’ other experienced contributors had a tough night. Senior forward Mike Bruesewitz was in foul trouble practically from the opening tip and would finish with just 2 points and 4 rebounds in 26 minutes prior to fouling out with just over 3 minutes left.

Fellow senior Ryan Evans had another up-and-down night. While the Phoenix native finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds, his shot selection was poor on several occasions and he was unable to run down several crucial loose balls.

Brust also struggled in another game against a ranked foe. After two consecutive double-double efforts, the Hawthorn Woods, Ill native finished with just 4 points and 7 rebounds and was 0-for-5 from 3-point range before fouling out in the final minute of play.

In the end, Wisconsin’s inability to hold Creighton to one shot per possession was a difference maker. Though the final run by the Jays was primarily on first-shot opportunities, the Badgers were only kept from a large lead by 15 2^nd chance points from the Jays (IN THE FIRST HALF ALONE?). Add to that a plus-10 advantage at the free throw line and Creighton had itself a formula for victory.

Wisconsin now turns its attention to the third place game Saturday against Arkansas. The Razorbacks are coming off an 83-68 loss to Arizona State in the semifinal round and are now 3-1 on the young season. Led by sophomore guard BJ Young, who had 29 points in Friday’s loss, Arkansas gives the Badgers yet another chance to notch a victory over a major conference foe in a non-conference slate featuring three more such opportunities.

Badgers Face Stiff Test In Sin City

Coming off an 88-43 win Tuesday over Presbyterian College, No. 24 Wisconsin now heads to Las Vegas for the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational and a Friday night matchup with No. 12 Creighton.

All-American junior forward Doug McDermott, who averaged 22.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while leading Creighton to a 29-6 mark last season, leads the Blue Jays (4-0) into the season with high expectations. The son of head coach Greg, McDermott’s 1,382 points coming into this season were the most by any incoming junior since Davidson’s Stephen Curry in 2008. During the season’s first four games, the Ames, Iowa native has averaged 16.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting over 56% from the field.

Unlike past years, however, the Badgers (3-1) head into this tournament matchup with one test already under their belt in last Wednesday’s defeat at the hands of No. 10 Florida. Having already been given that necessary early season wakeup call, UW is now ready to compete.

Perimeter defense had always been a strength for this Badger program, but against Florida it was a glaring weakness. The Gator guards were able to penetrate with ease, ultimately opening up the floor enough to allow UF to score 74 points on a defense that led the nation last season in allowing just 53.2 points per game. If Wisconsin hopes to knock off Creighton and then to knock off the winner of the tournament’s other semifinal matchup (Arizona State and Arkansas), they will need to improve defending penetration.

One bright spot for UW early on has been the aggressive play of junior guard Ben Brust. After averaging just 7.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in just over 21 minutes per game last season, the Hawthorn Woods, Illinois native has already notched three double-doubles in the first four games, averaging 14.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in the early going.

Brust leads three Badgers averaging double figures so far this season, joined by senior forward Jared Berggren and freshman forward Sam Dekker. Dekker, who had 16 points in just 15 minutes of action Tuesday night, has continued to improve as he gets more comfortable coming off the bench.

Regardless of outcome, Wisconsin has certainly answered calls from its fan base and from critics of the program to beef up what has over the past few years been a fairly weak non-conference schedule. Other than the ACC/Big Ten Challenge game against North Carolina, Wisconsin’s only major conference foe last season was in-state rival Marquette.

This season, the Badgers will face two top-12 teams in their first 9 games, with additional games against Arkansas/ASU, Virginia, California, and Marquette to follow. If the Badgers can survive that non-conference lineup unscathed, they will be more than ready for the grueling Big Ten slate that lies ahead.

But right now, the focus is on the task at hand and that task is getting a win over Creighton. Despite the obvious temptation to look forward that any tournament will have, the Badgers are fully aware they must focus on one game at a time.