Despite A Likely NCAA Berth, Wisconsin Is Reeling As March Approaches

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin finds itself on a slippery slope where it can’t seem to find a foothold on its side down the Big Ten standings. If that analogy doesn’t work, think more of the Badgers trying to plug a leaky dam that keeps sprouting new leaks faster than they can spackle.

Continuous defensive breakdowns, rebounding troubles and cold shooting have all contributed in keeping the Badgers far short of their regular season conference expectations, evident by their second half on Thursday night.

Shooting a season-worst 30 percent from the field, they trailed for the final 38-plus minutes after missing countless opportunities at the rim, inconsistent shooting from 3-point range and a failure to make timely plays in a 77-62 loss to No.11 Iowa.

“It makes it tough when you dig a hole to start with,” senior guard Brad Davison said, referring to UW trailing by 11 points less than five minutes into the game. “It’s kind of been the story of our season so far is we can’t get over that hump. You win a couple, lose, win, lose, win, lose, have a few good possessions and then not so good possessions.”

Ranked as high as No.4 during the early weeks of the season, Wisconsin entered conference play averaging 78.7 points per game, shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 43.7 percent from 3-point line. Defensively, the Badgers held teams to 58.1 points, 36.6 percent shooting and 31.6 percent from 3-point range.

Those numbers generally tighten entering conference play with the familiarity between teams, but the Badgers’ conference numbers have plummeted. Offensively, UW is averaging 66.1 points, shooting 40.6 percent overall and 32.9 percent from three. On defense, opponents are scoring 65.4 points, shooting 43.1 percent overall and 34.4 percent from three.

“We’ve shown it and we know it in our locker room how good we can be,” Davison said. “We’re going to keep working, keep believing in one another because that’s what we do here.”

But for all the doom and gloom being placed on the Badgers after a 5-5 stretch, they still sit in relatively good shape to make the NCAA tournament for the 21st time in the last 22 tournaments, while traditional powers Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State are currently on the outside looking in. Wisconsin (15-8, 9-7 Big Ten) is 22nd in the NCAA NET rankings, 8-8 in games that fall in Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 and has no losses that are considered “bad.”

One thing that is helping is that the Badgers played their full allotment of seven nonconference games, three more than the recommended minimum by the Division I men's basketball committee. From that group comes a victory over Loyola-Chicago (No.15 in the NET) and Louisville (No.33). The victory over the Ramblers – a late addition to the schedule following a canceled game against Northern Iowa – represents UW’s best win to date.

With the entire tournament taking place in or near Indianapolis to help minimize travel, thus eliminating the four geographic regions, the NCAA will likely rely heavier on the “S” curve to ensure the No. 1 overall seed would have the No. 8 overall seed as the second-best team in its region.

While rules still specify teams from the same conference can't meet before the regional final if they've already played each other at least three times in a season, Wisconsin – which was not included when the NCAA unveiled its top 16 seeds earlier this month – are sitting as a No.6 seed on the curve via the NET rankings.

“I think the biggest thing is continue to try to put yourself in position to be in the curve,” head coach Greg Gard said earlier this week. “This is an unprecedented tournament, an unprecedented time. Hopefully it’s only a one off, and we only have to navigate this one time this way.”

Of course, Wisconsin has bigger problems at the present than worrying about its tournament positioning. After traveling to Northwestern (No.86 in the NET), the Badgers’ final three games are home against Illinois (No.4), at Purdue (No.27) and a rematch at Iowa (No.5).

The Wildcats (6-13, 3-12 Big Ten) have lost 12 straight conference games, including a 68-52 loss in Madison January 20, but aren’t a pushover. Northwestern lost in double overtime to Indiana on February 10 and trailed No.5 Illinois by two with 1:43 left Tuesday until guard Ayo Dosunmu buried a pair of 3-pointers.

With a roster full of players struggling to shoot with any consistency, it’s another challenging task for Wisconsin to prepare for after shaking off another head-scratching loss.

“We win as a team and we lose as a team,” Davison said. “We make shots as a team, and we miss shots as a team. Whether an individual has a good game, rather an individual has a bad game, just continue to keep that team mindset and team perspective. We’re all going to go through it.

“That’s one of our biggest strengths, we have a lot of different guys that can pick each other up. If I’m not scoring, (D’Mitrik Trice) will score. If Meech is not scoring, Micah (Potter) will score and go down the line all the way for the guys on the floor. Never feel sorry for yourself because no one feels sorry for us. We’re going to continue to work, we’re going to keep believing each other and we’re going to stay together and stay committed … to figure things out. March is still coming.”