Badgers Make Uncharacteristic Mistakes in Another Uncharacteristic Loss

Wisconsin men’s basketball has been told over and over again that their brand of basketball is boring. They have been told that it is bad for the game, that it is too slow, that it will never lead to a national title.

But the bottom line is that when the Badgers play so-called “Wisconsin basketball”, they usually end up on the left side of the scoreboard, to steal a line from UW head coach Bo Ryan.

On Thursday night, UW did not play “Wisconsin basketball” and that alone is why they faced a long bus ride home.

For as boring as the Badgers’ style might be, the bottom line is that it works. By focusing on dominating at the defensive end, on taking care of the ball, and on slowing down the pace, UW gives itself a chance to win each and every time they step on the floor, regardless on whether or not the shots are falling.

Thursday night in Iowa City, the shots were falling. No longer can Wisconsin fans clamor about how “if they could just hit a few threes they would have won”. They did. In fact, they outshot Iowa for the evening, finishing the game 50.9% from the field to the Hawkeye’s 48%. They hit six three pointers in just 16 attempts, a more than respectable 37.5%.

What they didn’t do was take care of the ball and defend. Eleven first half turnovers led to twelve Iowa points. This from a Badger team that entered the game on Thursday averaging just under nine turnovers a game. In a tight game, those mistakes will burn anyone.

“In the big picture, that is what probably cost us the game…” UW sophomore guard Josh Gasser said. “That’s what happens when you commit eleven turnovers in the first half. It’s a one possession game and it just comes up and bites you.”

To make matters worse, the Badgers had arguably their worst defensive performance of the season. After allowing Iowa to put up 72 points back on December 31^st at the Kohl Center, UW again struggled to contain the Hawkeyes, allowing Iowa to head into the halftime break with 43 points on a mind boggling 57.1% from the field.

Iowa senior guard Matt Gatens did a lot of that damage himself. Following up a 30 point effort last time out against Indiana, the Iowa City native hit his first six shots of the night and never looked back. When all was said and done, Gatens had himself a 33-point effort, the most by an opponent against Wisconsin since Stephen Curry had another 33-point night in the 2008 Sweet 16.

“He just got comfortable early, hit a few threes early on….” Gasser added. “You thought he would start missing a couple but he never really did.”

This was the Wisconsin team that Badger fans have worried about all season. Unable to quell the momentum of a streaking Iowa squad, the Badgers time and time again failed to get the stops that they absolutely needed to have. In the end, it was Iowa that made the big plays and thus it was Iowa that got the win.

Now the focus quickly shifts to Sunday and to a road date with Ohio State. While the Buckeyes are not exactly the opponent one would pick to play after a tough loss like this, a win in Columbus would obviously do wonders toward putting the season sweep by Iowa in the rear view mirror.

Having said that, the Badgers do not appear to be in any position to pull off the upset at this point. Since seeing their six-game win streak come to an end against Ohio State, UW has escaped a road game in Minnesota despite not scoring over the final 7:41 of regulation, lost in ugly fashion to Michigan State, escaped after yet another brutal effort at home against Penn State, and now this loss to Iowa. Wisconsin has not picked up a victory in Columbus since 2008 and it doesn’t appear that one is in the offering on Sunday.

That being said, I don’t think I was alone in thinking the same thing heading into the game at Purdue back on January 12^th. At that time, UW was coming off of an ugly three-game losing streak and heading to Mackey Arena where they had only won once since 1973.

But they got out of there with a win and kept the momentum for six games.

Ohio State is obviously a much taller task. But for whatever reason this Badger team seems to play better with their backs against the wall. Having lost three of five and in danger of falling out of the all-important top four in the Big Ten standings, that is exactly where Wisconsin finds itself as they head on the road for the final time in the regular season.

“We will prepare for them like we prepare for any game,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “We know what we are facing. We know what they are, who they are. They are a very good team needless to say.”

Ohio State is indeed a very good team, capable of being the best in the nation when they are on their game. Right now it is tough to say what or better yet, who these Badgers are.

We should find out Sunday afternoon.

Badgers Outplayed, Outhustled In Blowout Defeat

Just when it seemed as if Wisconsin men’s basketball was hitting its stride, the No. 15/17 Badgers (8-5 Big Ten, 19-7 overall) simply didn’t show up to play in Thursday night’s 69-55 loss to No. 7/8 Michigan State.

As they have done all season, the Spartans (10-3 Big Ten, 21-5 overall) ran their opponent up and down the floor all night long. After holding opposing offenses to less than five points per game on the fast break, the Badgers couldn’t stop MSU from doing what it does best, allowing the Spartans to notch 15 points in transition (all in the first half) and 16 off 10 uncharacteristic Badger turnovers.

Many will look to Wisconsin’s struggles shooting the ball (34% from the field and 5-24 from three-point range), but it was on the glass where UW found itself simply unable to compete. The Badgers allowed 8 offensive rebounds, leading to 13 2^nd chance points and a whopping 34 points in the paint for the Spartans. Michigan State didn’t need many of those second chances as they shot a staggering 52.2% from the field against a Badger defense that had been holding its opponents to just over 36% for the year.

What has to frustrate the UW coaching staff is that the Badgers were simply outhustled in East Lansing. Michigan State got seemingly every loose ball out there, capitalizing at every opportunity. For a team used to taking advantage of hustle plays in its own right, this is perhaps the most troubling aspect of the losing effort.

A step slow on defense, the Badgers allowed 8 separate “and one” opportunities, each one thrusting the dagger further into the chest of a UW team that was playing from behind virtually all night.

Spartan sophomore guard Keith Appling and senior forward Draymond Green both took advantage of the poor defensive effort by the Badgers. Both Green and Appling finished with a game-high 20 points, with Green adding a game-high 10 rebounds. The only silver lining for the Badgers was the play of junior forward Ryan Evans who followed up his first career double-double with a team-high 17 points and 7 rebounds in the losing effort.

While this loss all but eliminates Wisconsin’s hopes of a Big Ten title, the final five games of the regular season remain crucial as the Badgers try to position themselves for a high seed heading into the NCAA Tournament. By taking care of business down the stretch and in the Big Ten Tournament, the Badgers have a shot to get anywhere between a 3 and 5 seed, something that can make a huge difference in terms of making a run into the latter weekends of March.

That run begins Sunday afternoon as the Badgers host Penn State. Though the Nittany Lions gave UW all they could handle in State College back on January 31^st, they have yet to win a game away from the Bryce-Jordan Center and are 0-11 all-time at the Kohl Center.

Still, PSU guard Tim Frazier poses a threat every time he sets foot on the floor. The junior from Houston has been tearing apart Big Ten defenses to the tune of 18.5 points (2^nd in the Big Ten) and 5.0 rebounds per game. When the Badgers last faced Penn State, Frazier was on top of his game, scoring a game-high 21 points while adding 7 assists to just 2 turnovers. While Wisconsin got home with the victory, Frazier is definitely a threat to return the favor on Sunday afternoon.

But after Thursday night’s tough loss, Sunday has become all the more important for UW. The Badgers face two straight road games after their date with PSU and need to regain some of the momentum that has certainly been lost after the events that unfolded in Michigan. Wisconsin is just 3-3 at home thus far in Big Ten play and has to start taking advantage of the Kohl Center crowd with just three home games remaining.

Yet throughout Bo Ryan’s career at Wisconsin, the Badgers have made it a point to never fall into a prolonged slide. Sunday provides them with an opportunity to avoid doing just that and it is an opportunity that they must take advantage of in order to be in position to make a return trip to the Sweet 16 come March. 

Badgers Head to East Lansing Back In The Hunt

Last week might have been the border battle, but if you are looking for two schools with a lot of recent history, look no further than Wisconsin and Michigan State. Looking beyond the memorable battles on the gridiron last fall, the Badgers and Spartans have needed overtime to decide two of their last three meetings on the hardwood, the most recent coming back on January 3^rd at the Kohl Center when Ryan Evans’ 3-point shot at the end of overtime was infamously wiped off the board upon video replay.

While that tough defeat came during a stretch of three straight early season losses for the Badgers, the rematch is going to be played under far different circumstances. No. 15/17 Wisconsin (8-4 Big Ten, 19-6 overall) has won eight of ten since that loss, while Michigan State’s 58-48 defeat of Ohio State on February 11^th has put the No. 7/8 Spartans (9-3 Big Ten, 20-5 overall) in a virtual tie with the Buckeyes at the top of the Big Ten standings. However, both the Badgers and Michigan lurk just one game back in the loss column, each controlling their own destiny over the final two and a half weeks of the regular season.

Simply put, there is plenty on the line Thursday night at the Breslin Center.

“It’s definitely a good feeling {to control our own destiny} but we kind of knew someone was going to lose eventually…” UW sophomore guard Josh Gasser said. “We just have to take it one game at a time and it starts Thursday with a big one against Michigan State because they are right up there with us.”

In order to maintain control of that destiny, Wisconsin will have to shut down the Spartans’ high-octane transition game. Michigan State has averaged over 10 points per game on fast break opportunities while adding nearly 16 points per game off turnovers.

“We’ve been playing really well in transition…” Gasser added. “Anytime you can take away a couple easy transition baskets in games like this, where its usually decided by one or two possessions, its definitely huge.”

But throughout the season, Wisconsin has been second to none on stopping the transition game, holding opponents to under 5 points per game on fast break opportunities.

“Its always an emphasis. We don’t want teams to come down and get easy shots,” UW junior forward Mike Bruesewitz said. “I think we have some of the best transition defense in the country and that’s something we work on.”

Led by the front line trio of senior Draymond Green, junior Derrick Nix, and sophomore Adreian Payne, the Spartans have dominated both in the paint and on the glass. MSU has outscored its opponents by over 13 points per game in the paint while posting a rebound margin of 10.2 per game.

“They take a lot of pride in doing that…” UW senior guard Jordan Taylor said. “We definitely want to outrebound them. We know they are big, but we have guys who can rebound too.”

Having already won in hostile environments at Purdue, Illinois, and just last year at Minnesota, the Badgers are more than ready for whatever the “Izzone” has in store.

“We’ve won in some tough road environments this year…” Taylor noted. “We just have to execute offensively and defensively and do whatever we can to get the win.”

A Badger win on Thursday night would truly shake things up in the Big Ten. With Wisconsin set to face Ohio State yet again in just over a week’s time, the next ten days mark just about as pivotal a stretch as any that the Badgers will face this season.

“If the juices aren’t flowing for what we’ve got coming,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “You need help.”

Tough To Stomach But Good For the Soul

For Badgers, It Really Is All About Winning

I’ve been a staunch apologist of Wisconsin basketball since well before I set foot on campus last year. As a true basketball purist, I can appreciate the value of a system that has produced (13) consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a decade of top-four finishes in the Big Ten.

But this year, the Badgers have been flat out tough to watch. Even when they win, watching a Badger game is like watching a slow death march, one that you can only hope comes to an end with the defense plucking its long lost offensive counterpart out of the depths of defeat.

Yet somehow, despite an offense for which the description “anemic” would be generous, Wisconsin sits at 19-6 on the year, 8-4 in Big Ten play. The Badgers are two plays from first place in the most competitive conference in the country.

Last night was perhaps the best example of what the 2011-2012 season is all about for UW. After the Badgers escaped with 68-61 overtime win on the road in Minnesota, I honestly was disgusted. They had exactly one field goal over the final 12:41 of play and didn’t score a single point over the final 7:41 of regulation.

To me, that isn’t deserving of a happy ride home.

Yet somehow the Badgers came home with a win.

And maybe that is what it really is all about. All it took was a hot start and some solid defense down the stretch to get Wisconsin its first win at The Barn in three tries. All it has taken is a determination to win wherever the game is played for UW to capture 6 true road wins this season.

That is why as hard as it is to watch the Badgers this season, the 2011-2012 squad might just be the one that Badger nation should be most proud of.

Think about it: If you told me Jordan Taylor would shoot barely 40% from the field and that UW would lose four games at home, I would have gone ahead and made plans for an NIT trip in a heartbeat. The way things have gone this season, the Badgers truly have no business contending for the conference title.

But again, they are doing just that. Despite losing three straight early in conference play, despite shooting under 40% from the field in Big Ten games, Wisconsin is back in their familiar role at the top end of the conference standings.

There are many ways to be successful in college basketball, or basketball of any sort for that matter. You can dominate athletically or take advantage of size. You can play fast or play slow. You can rely on a zone or play hard man-to-man. The options are endless.

This year it seems that Wisconsin doesn’t have any of the things you generally need to win and win consistently. But the one thing they do have is the ability to defend better than anyone in the country. Maybe they don’t have the most talent and maybe watching Wisconsin play basketball is more excruciating than having a colonoscopy without anesthesia. But the Badgers have bought into the notion of winning tough and winning ugly. They have decided as a team that the only number that matters is the number next to “Wisconsin” in the conference standings. It might not be pretty, but it is basketball at its finest and that in itself is fun to watch. 

Border Battle Looms Large

By Josh Schur

MADISON, Wis- Aside from the bus rides and hotel rooms, the Badgers have not seemed to care about playing away from the Kohl Center this season.

This weekend, Wisconsin men’s basketball looks to continue to feel at home even as they travel to Williams Arena to square off against Minnesota (5-6 Big 10, 17-7 Overall).

Since UW (7-4 Big 10,18-6 Overall) lost to Michigan on January 8th, it has yet to lose a game on the road in the Big-10 and had won 6 conference games in a row before falling to Ohio St. on Saturday.

“On the road so far we have had a good mentality and been really focused”, sophomore guard Josh Gasser said, “Its tough to go on the road and win games, but we have playing hard and aggressive. We just need to find a way to win. “

Wisconsin’s shooting has been a bit shaky this year, but they have actually been better on the road shooting over 38% from beyond the arc away from Madison compared to just 33% at home.

Still, the Badgers know that while their shooting will come and go, it is their defense that will play a crucial role in the outcome.

“Knocking down shots is obviously a priority, but its sometimes not going to happen”, Gasser added, “When shots aren’t falling, you’ve got to find other ways to win, and that comes from the defensive end. We have to try to limit their second chance opportunities and that will give us a chance to win.”

To go along with the confidence that this team has gained from winning on the road, junior forward Mike Bruesewitz is also looking forward to returning to his home state.

“Its always good to go home, you get to see family and friends and play in front of the hometown crowd a little bit,” Bruesewitz said. “It’s some of the same people who watched you in high school, it’s definitely a good environment to play in.”

While the homecoming may be sweet for the St. Paul native, Bruesewitz and the other Minnesota natives still understand the gravity of another crucial Big-10 road game.

“I know some of those guys, and I have great respect for them, but when Thursday comes, they’re not my friends anymore,” Bruesewitz said, “We just have to take care of business.”

The Golden Gophers certainly have no intentions of providing Bruesewitz and his teammates with an easy victory at the Barn, as they look to win their 3^rd game in their last 4.

Following an overtime victory against Illinois in their last home game, the leading shot-blockers in the Big-10 will continue to try and be tough in the lane, using their depth to their advantage as well.

“They’re a really good team. They play 9-10 guys, and have athletic perimeter guys who can attack which can be hard to stop,” Gasser said. “If we don’t bring it we could end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.”