Badgers Escape in OT Thriller

It had been nearly two full years since Wisconsin had beaten Iowa and with six minutes left still facing a nine-point deficit, it looked as if the Badgers were going to add yet another year to the drought. But this time UW responded to the adversity, tying the game on the strength of an 11-2 run and eventually heading to overtime after a Traevon Jackson three knotted the score at 58 with 20 seconds left. Although the Badgers managed just a single field goal in two overtime periods, they eventually outlasted the Hawkeyes by making 13 of 14 free throws in the 74-70 double overtime victory.

To say the Badgers (7-3 Big Ten, 16-7 Overall) escaped on Wednesday night would be a massive understatement. The Hawkeyes (3-7 Big Ten, 14-9 Overall) forced 12 turnovers and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, converting them into 17 second-chance points and15 points off turnovers. After Wisconsin built an 11-point first half lead, Iowa took control for most of the duration, following a technical foul by head coach Fran McCaffery with a 34-14 run that appeared to be enough for yet another upset in Madison.

Once again, the shots simply weren’t falling for Wisconsin. UW started the 2^nd half 5-for-20 from the field and managed to shoot just 12-for-45 in the 2^nd half and overtime. But after being outrebounded at one=point by 12, the Badgers started to control the glass and makes shots, doing just enough to get into overtime. Once there, Wisconsin made just one field goal in 10 minutes, winning the game at the foul line to the surprise of many in the Kohl Center crowd.

“To close that gap after we were down 9 and send it to overtime, “ UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “That was really gutsy by our guys.”

Although at times shaky, the senior core ultimately came through in the clutch for the Badgers. Senior forward Jared Berggren broke out of a mini-slump with 16 points , 7 blocks, and 14 rebounds for his 2^nd career double double. After struggling at the free throw line again during regulation, Berggren made all four of his free throws in the two overtime periods.

“You get things rolling a bit…” Berggren said of the free throw success. “It’s a free throw, its an easy shot and it should be automatic.”

Wisconsin’s comeback was fueled by a quick stretch that in essence woke up a sleeping giant. Down 9 in the closing minutes, junior guard Ben Brust hit an open jumper for 3 of his game-high 18 points. Junior forward Ryan Evans then found Berggren inside for a traditional three-point play just seconds later, immediately putting the Badgers within a bucket.

“We had two breakdowns immediately…” McCaffery said. “That changed everything because it makes it a one possession game really quickly.”

“It was good that we got something positive, “ Brust said. “Offensively we were in a bit of a slump there.”

While it seemed UW might have dodged a bullet by getting the game into overtime, things did not get any easier heading into the extra frame. Wisconsin failed to notch a single field goal in the first overtime, sending the game to a second extra frame on the backs of a 4-for-4 effort at the free throw line. Once in the second OT, Wisconsin continued to assert itself at the charity stripe, making 9-of-10 while hitting just a single shot from the field. Fortunately, that shot was a three-point bucket by freshman Sam Dekker with just 1:37 left, giving the Badgers a three-point lead they would never relinquish.

“We just kept working…” Berggren said. “We just kept working, showed a lot of fight, and did just enough to get the win.

One of the reasons Wisconsin was able to overcome another poor shooting effort was the defensive effort on Iowa’s leading scorer, Aaron White. Having dominated UW in the past, White did not have as much of an impact on Wednesday night, finishing with 13 points but just a 3-for-13 effort from the floor.

“Overall we did a good job…” Dekker said of the defense on White. “He almost brought them back at the end.”

The Badgers now continued a brutal stretch of play with three straight games against ranked opponents starting with Saturday’s game against No. 3 Michigan. Still squarely in the midst of a tight Big Ten title race, the Badgers know this was an important victory.

“Its a win that hopefully gives us confidence against Michigan coming up…” Dekker said. “Hopefully we can ride this wave and get a streak going.”

Home State Duo Leads Badgers Over Illini

CHAMPAIGN, Ill-  Despite notching a 24-point victory in their last meeting with Illinois, the Badgers were anything but comfortable heading to Champaign to face a desperate Illini team. But on the strength of breakout performances from Illinois natives Ben Brust and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin was able to get back into the win column with a 74-68 victory.

Having failed to reach the 50-point mark in each of their last three games, the Badgers (6-3 Big Ten, 15-7 Overall) had to be seeing flashbacks when they rushed out to a torrid 5-for-22 start from the field. Fortunately, the Illini (2-7 Big Ten, 15-8 Overall) were dealing with struggles of their own in the early going. Notoriously reliant on jump shots, Illinois couldn’t find the bottom of the basket for most of the first half, heading into the locker room down 33-24 thanks in large part to a 29.6% shooting effort.

With forward Jared Berggren and guards Traevon Jackson and George Marshall all in foul trouble, it was up to the duo of Brust and Kaminsky to pick up the slack. The Illinois natives certainly achieved that goal, with Brust scoring a game-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and Kaminsky adding a career-high 19 of his own coming off the bench, highlighted by an 11-for-13 effort at the free throw line.

“I think it was the flow…” UW head coach Bo Ryan said of Brust. “He got himself some scoring opportunities but the ball has to go through the net.”

The Badgers had been without Kaminsky for the better part of the past 5 contests and benefitted tremendously from his presence, especially with the foul trouble Berggren had to deal with most of the afternoon.

“He was playing really well {before the injury},” Brust said of Kaminsky. “It was good to see him get some confidence back, knock down free throws and knock down a couple of shots. He is really active and that helps.”

Just a few days after failing to shoot a single free throw against Ohio State, the Badgers went to the line 42 times against Illinois, converting those opportunities into 28 points. After a 9-point disadvantage at the line in Columbus, the 18-point UW advantage at the free throw line was enough to put the Badgers over the top on Sunday.

“Last game, we didn’t shoot any free throws…” Kaminsky noted. “Definitely cutting hard, getting fouled, and getting into the bonus was a big emphasis in practice.”

While Wisconsin never lost the lead after regaining it on a Brust three-pointer with 5:54 left in the first half, Illinois had plenty of opportunity to climb back even. After UW came up empty on its first two possessions of the second half, Illinois found itself within 5 and carrying all the momentum.

Still trailing 35-30, the Illini got out on a rare fast break courtesy of a Joseph Bertrand steal, ultimately failing to convert when Myke Henry missed a wide-open attempt at a thunderous dunk. Wisconsin responded on the next possession as Brust hit a three out of the media timeout, effectively shutting the door on the hopes of an Illinois victory.

“It was definitely a fortunate break because we converted,” Brust said. “There are a lot of plays that happen like that during a game but that was a critical one.”

Wisconsin was more aggressive on both ends of the floor, resulting in numerous chances both in the post and for inside-out looks from the perimeter. The penetration UW was able to have on a fairly weak Illini defensive unit was crucial in allowing for the breakout efforts of Brust and Kaminsky as well as the 15 points from senior forward Ryan Evans.

“Getting to the foul line and getting to the post you also have easier shots for your shooters,” Evans said. “I definitely think Ben benefitted from that.”

While Badger fans may be tempted to now shift their attention to Saturday’s matchup with Michigan, Wisconsin still has work to do before the Wolverines head into Madison. Having already lost to Iowa, the Badgers need to find a way to split the season series with a victory on Wednesday in order to maintain their spot in the Big Ten title race and keep the momentum earned in Champaign heading into the upcoming weekend.

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.”  

Badgers Not Doing The Little Things

Whether you are a Wisconsin fan or simply a fan of the game, Tuesday night’s 49-47 Badger loss to Michigan State was about as frustrating as it gets. The game slugged along with neither team hitting the 40% mark from the field and a combined six points being scored over the final 6:56.

By every account, Wisconsin should have come away with a victory. Despite shooting just 29.6% from the field, the Badgers had every opportunity to scratch out a win until missing their final five free throws in the closing minutes. Yes, UW scored just four points in the final 7:37 of the game, three on a miracle three-point shot by none other than forward Ryan Evans, and still had a chance to send the game to overtime with two free throws in the final seconds.

“Its cost us the game before and obviously it cost us the game tonight,” senior forward Mike Bruesewitz said of the free throw shooting. “We’ve got to get in the gym and start knocking them done, plain and simple. It can’t be an excuse anymore.”

Tuesday night was textbook Wisconsin basketball and the Badgers still couldn’t come away with the win.

That is why Tuesday night’s loss to Big Ten-leading Michigan State is even more worrisome than Saturday’s “upset” loss in Iowa City. Iowa has always been a difficult matchup for the Badgers and the Hawkeyes were able to dictate the pace throughout a blistering first half run that gave them an insurmountable 20-point cushion before UW could even blink.

On the other hand, the Spartans are a team Wisconsin can handle. Having successfully neutralized Michigan State’s strong front court duo of Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix (4 points, 8 rebounds combined), UW put the game on the shoulders of the sometimes-inconsistent MSU guards. Though Keith Appling and Branden Dawson each crept close to the 20-point mark, even the 37 points that duo was able to notch only left the Spartans with 49 points on the night.

Wisconsin was 78-2 under Bo Ryan when holding opponents under 50 points, so you had to like the Badgers’ chances given that effort on the defensive end. But Michigan State also had those statistics in front of them and paid no attention, instead choosing to accept they were going to be in for a rough game and to embrace it, something many teams struggle with when playing Bo Ryan’s Badgers.

“I think some teams make a mistake by trying to make Wisconsin turn up the speed of things,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “They don’t turn it over, I don’t care who they are playing. So we said we need to make sure we play a little like them in that respect.”

Though UW has shorn up its defense to this point in the season, this remains a formula that will get the Badgers beat in conference play. No longer blessed with a talented point guard the likes of Jordan Taylor to create penetration, Wisconsin is going to be largely at the whim of its sometimes inconsistent outside shooting. That is a given and no matter what Ryan and his staff try to do, they will have a tough time scoring when the shots aren’t falling.

But more importantly, Wisconsin has to do the little things well. Michigan State beat them in this respect Tuesday night, something very few teams have been able to do during Bo Ryan’s decade at the helm of the UW program.

The Spartans did turn the ball over ten times, but UW turned it over nine times themselves, with each team capitalizing on those turnovers to the tune of nine points. Wisconsin needs to have an advantage in that regard in order to win. MSU dominated in the paint, outscoring Wisconsin 20-10 despite the poor effort from their vaunted front line.

But above all, Michigan State shot 75% from the line, making 9 of 12 chances at the charity stripe. Wisconsin was just 7-for-18 at the line, including a dismal 5-for-13 effort in the 2^nd half.

These are the little things that used to put UW teams over the top, allowing Wisconsin to compete at the highest level against teams with a distinct talent advantage. Say what you want about the guard play and the loss of leaders like Taylor and injured guard Josh Gasser, these little errors are really what have put the Badgers in such a precarious situation.

But in the absence of Taylor, perhaps Wisconsin needs a change in mentality. The back court resources available to UW do not include anyone with the experience of a player like Taylor but perhaps include one player with even more pure talent and certainly more athleticism.

Redshirt freshman George Marshall has had an up-and-down season after being named the starting point guard in Gasser’s absence. Thanks to some early struggles, not surprising for a freshman, Marshall was replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore Traevon Jackson after just six games.

Since the change was made, Marshall has seen his minutes drop dramatically and his “leash” shortened infinitely, to the point where even a single off-the-mark pass can mean an immediate and often prolonged benching. On the other hand, Jackson has been given the reigns and has been provided with a far more consistent opportunity to play through his mistakes. During the Badgers’ two-game slide, Jackson is just 3-for-19 from the field with four assists and three turnovers (I would add at least two more according to my scoring).

Yet despite his struggles Jackson has continued to stay on the court. Against Iowa he fouled out in 31 minutes of play and against MSU he was pulled with four fouls in 28 minutes. By contrast, Marshall, who scored a game-high 20 points in the 2^nd half against Iowa, has tallied just 32 minutes in the two games combined.

Both Jackson and Marshall are going to have to contribute in order for Wisconsin to make its 15^th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. In the process, both Jackson and Marshall are going to have their ups and downs, a product simply of their inexperience at the college level.

But in the end, Marshall’s athleticism and pure talent as a guard and simply as a basketball player make him the man who will be of the most help for UW long-term. Even now, Marshall has the ability to take over a game, evidenced by his performance in Iowa City, that Jackson simply doesn’t have.

For Wisconsin to get back to the top of the Big Ten ranks, Marshall is going to have to be leading the charge. Doing the little things will only get the Badgers so far, likely back to the NCAA Tournament. But if this program is to take the next step, it has to prove it can utilize talents like Marshall. He is going to make mistakes in the process but if he can make two plays for every one of those mistakes, a ratio he is more than capable of sustaining, Wisconsin will be better off both in the short-term and even more so going forward into next season and beyond.

Badgers Ready For Another First Place Battle

Its Tuesday and once again Wisconsin men's basketball finds itself in a battle for the conference lead, this time playing host to No. 13 Michigan State (5-1 Big Ten, 16-3 Overall). Although the Badgers are coming off a disappointing loss Saturday night at Iowa, last Tuesday's win in Bloomington keeps UW right in the thick of a tightening Big Ten race at the start of this two-game home stand.

Winners of five straight and the Big Ten's hottest team, the Spartans come to Madison having finally cracked the code and winning at the Kohl Center last year in a game best remembered for its final moments when a three-point basket by Wisconsin's Ryan Evans was disallowed on review. That ruling helped MSU avoid a second overtime and gave them their first victory in Madison since 2001.

Michigan State has been about as quiet as a perennial contender can be in its rise to the top of the conference standings. After losing at Minnesota in their Big Ten opener, the Spartans have turned to the front court duo of senior Derrick Nix and junior Adreian Payne to lead them in five straight victories including a 59-56 win over then-No. 11 Ohio State this Saturday. Nix and Payne are each averaging 9.4 points per game while adding a combined 14 rebounds per game in the process. The UW front court is still without sophomore forward Frank Kaminsky and will need to stay out of foul trouble in order to maintain the manpower necessary to neutralize the Spartan attack.

Just as important is UW's ability to take care of the ball. After holding an aggressive Indiana defense to just 7 points off turnovers last Tuesday, the Badgers turned the ball over 12 times against Iowa, allowing the Hawkeyes to capitalize to the tune of 12 points off turnovers. Michigan State enters play forcing 13 turnovers per game and has averaged a tick over 15 points per game off turnovers in conference play. The Spartans will no doubt look to exposure the Badgers' inexperienced back court in an attempt to speed up the game and take UW out of its element.

The formula for Wisconsin is clear: take care of the ball, maintain defensive integrity, and make shots early to get the crowd involved. If the Badgers are able to do that, as they were last week in Bloomington, there is a good chance the Big Ten could have a new leader by the end of the night.