MADISON, Wis. – Grabbing the game’s final rebound in Tuesday's win over Michigan, Connor Essegian followed up his skip with a flex and a scream of jubilation. He was the complete opposite by the weekend, a downtrodden shooter biting the top of the jersey wondering what had happened.

One of Wisconsin’s offensive bright spots this season, the freshman had nothing go right for him Saturday: finishing 0-for-10 from the field, 0-for-7 from three-point range, missing a shot from each distance in the closing seconds, and having a career-low two points in a 58-57 loss to Rutgers.

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard was going to touch base with Essegian following the game, wanting to provide some context and encouragement to him, but noticed the freshman was headed up to the Nicholas-Johnson facility with a manager and three basketballs. That was all the reassurance Gard needed about the 6-4 guard.

“Every elite shooter is going to have one of those days,” Gard said. “If you’re doing this long enough, you’re not going to avoid one of those.”

Scoring has been an issue for Wisconsin (15-11, 7-9 Big Ten) through a hair-pulling stretch of basketball. Sitting in a tie for 10th place in the conference, the Badgers have shot 40 percent or less in three straight games and in eight of their last 11. UW is 1-7 in those eight outings.

Essegian has been one of Wisconsin’s more steady contributors during its rough patch, averaging 14.1 points over its last 11 games that include 10 in double figures and six making at least three three-pointers.

Against the Wolverines, Essegian set career highs in scoring (23), field goals (6), free throws (9), and free-throw attempts (10) in the 64-59 victory. Four days later, he couldn’t hit water falling out of a boat.

“This game can humble you fast,” Gard said.

Combing through previous box scores, Essegian isn’t alone in having rough shooting days. In a 66-56 loss at Tennessee in 2000, Kirk Penney -14th on the school’s scoring list and sixth in three-point makes – went 0-for-13 from the floor and 0-for-9 from the perimeter.

In a 60-52 home loss to Northwestern in 2018, Brevin Pritzl - 19th on the school’s three-point list - went 0-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-9 from three.

The good news for Essegian is neither of those shooters stayed down for long. Penney played 34 minutes and scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting (3-for-4 from three) in a 68-64 win over Northern Illinois while Pritzl reached double figures in four of his next six games while shooting 51.7 percent from three.

“The key is to have a short memory," Gard said. "Right away he said, ‘Yep, I understand it. I’m good. Next one’s in.’ That’s really the mentality every shooter has to have.”

Alternating wins and losses over its last six games, Wisconsin has missed multiple chances to enhance a tournament resume that has the Badgers squarely on the bubble with four regular-season games remaining.

Wisconsin sits at No.76 in Monday’s updated NCAA NET rankings, a number reflected by the Badgers going 5-6 in Quad 1 games - home games against teams in the top 30 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings, road games against the top 75 and neutral-site games against the top 50.

UW is 4-4 in Quad 2 games (home games against 31-75, neutral 51-100, and away 76-135), 1-1 in Quad 3 (home games against 76-160, neutral 101-200, and away 136-240), and 5-0 in Quad 4.

Including Saturday’s loss to Rutgers, the Badgers have played 17 games this season that have come down to the last one or two possessions and are 10-7 in such games. The next highest school in the conference is 10.

“Our margin for error is slim, so you have to find every advantage you can to take advantage of a situation,” Gard said. “When things don’t go well, you have to learn from it and quickly flush it. You can’t let what happen in the past affect your preparation or how you are going to play next.”

Despite the fact Wisconsin hasn’t won consecutive games in nearly two months, two notable bracketology have the Badgers squarely in the NCAA Tournament picture.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Wisconsin as his last team in the field in his Tuesday bracket, playing USC in a First Four game in Dayton. The Badgers beat the Trojans, 64-59, in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game in November. CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has Wisconsin as his first team out of the field in his Monday bracket.

UW’s final four regular-season games include two Quad-1 opportunities (Sunday at Michigan, March 2 vs. Purdue) and a Quad-2 opportunity on Wednesday when the Badgers host Iowa (17-10, 9-7). The Hawkeyes are No.41 in the NET rankings and feature four players averaging double figures, including junior forward Kris Murray at 20.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

Murray didn’t play in the team’s first meeting in Iowa City, one of Wisconsin’s 10 "close" wins on the season (78-75 in overtime).

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