Offensive improvement overshadowed by issues on defensive end for Wisconsin
MADISON - Head coach Greg Gard and assistant Dean Oliver didn't want much to do with questions about the offensive end when meeting with reporters Thursday afternoon ahead of a match-up with in-state rival Marquette.
After all, Wisconsin was coming off a night in which it scored 75 points, nailed 12 threes, scored at a rate 1.12 points per possession and went 15-for-18 from the free throw line. The "big three" of Steven Crowl, Tyler Wahl and Chucky Hepburn combined to score 55 points, and freshman Connor Essegian continued to add a nice punch off the bench with 12.
Usually, that kind of outburst would have improved UW's record on the season to 6-1. In fact, the last time the Badgers lost a game where it scored 75 points or more was back on Jan. 11, 2019 in an overtime loss to Purdue.
"I don't think there were any offensive issues the other night," Gard told reporters on Thursday. "That was 1.18 (points per possession)? You have to win those games."
Sure the team can around the rim (UW was 7-for-14 on layups), get to the line more and run their actions better. A seven-minute scoring drought in the first half doesn't help, either, but the defensive effort served as a harsh reminder for the team.
"Like I mentioned, we’ve had our best offensive night other than maybe South Dakota and our defensive night, so what’s more important? The defensive end," Gard added. "Over the course of a season you’re going to go through ebbs and flows of offensive outbursts, but we’ve won games against very good teams where we haven’t scored 1.18 (points per possession)."
The offensive showing continued what's been a bounce-back on that end the past three games. Dating back to a tough loss to Kansas, the Badgers are averaging 69.0 points and only 11.7 turnovers in the three games. In the past two contests, the team shot 43.7 percent from the field (49-112) and 42.3 percent from three (22-52).
Individually, Hepburn has turned it around after a slow start, averaging 20.0 points per game in the last two outings. Wahl has maintained a nice start - 18.0 points over the past three games - and Essegian has become a crucial piece off the bench with 13.7 points over the last three. Crowl has been consistent all season with just one game with fewer than eight points and is coming off a season-high 15.
Coming into the season, that kind of performance against Wake Forest was what anyone could have hoped for in terms of any kind of ceiling for the Badgers on the offensive end. Yet there was a flat feeling in the locker room afterward.
"We talk about playing a complete game. Playing 40 minutes and not just on one end. Executing on the offensive end as well, but it starts with the defense," Oliver said. "We were really unhappy with how we started the game versus Wake Forest and we’ve got to change that.
"It’s a little bit contagious when you’re really going defensively, your offense will follow with it, and usually you’re going to make enough shots to win a ball game when we’re really playing the type of defense that we’re known to play. We felt like when we make that many threes and make that many free throws, we should win the game. And when you don’t, it’s very disappointing because we take a lot of pride on defense."
The unusual effort was due to some uncharacteristic mistakes for the Badgers. Throughout the night, Wisconsin continued broke its defensive rules.
Gard and the staff pointed to 20 points for Wake Forest coming off straight-line drives. The drives to the basket were off action where defenders let the ball handlers go baseline or refuse a ball screen, which are "rule violations."
The Demon Deacons shot 56.0 percent in the second half, finished with 36 points in the paint on the night and were 12-of-16 on layups.
"We have a saying: 'don’t lose to Wisconsin,' and there is a lot of things we did to ourselves - and credit to Wake for taking advantage of it," Gard said. "(Tyree) Appleby is a really good player but we understand how we need to play to minimize or eliminate specifically the straight-line drive stuff."
The good news for Wisconsin is that its offense appears to be coming together. For a team that keeps track of post touches and runs many of its actions through its bigs, the post served as a hub throughout the night for Wahl and Crowl to get a good look to find an open man.
With a little under three minutes to go, Wahl was found in the low block on the right side, and after a cut by Essegian drew a help defender, he hit Hepburn on the left wing for his sixth 3-pointer of the night to put UW up four.
The Badgers nailed 10-plus threes for the third time this season and tied a season-high with 12 threes against Wake Forest. For reference, UW hit 10 or more threes just five times a season ago and the season-high for made threes was 12. Of Wisconsin's 24 baskets, 14 were assisted, which also tied a season high.
"I thought we played pretty well offensively," Oliver said. "We still have to get better with our actions, our movements, but we can’t depend on offense. We’ve always been a defensive-minded team, that’s our identity and that’s where we got to be going forward."
Next up for the Badgers will be a matchup with Marquette on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Eagles are averaging 82.3 points on the year and are forcing 16.9 turnovers a game. They are coming off a 96-70 win over No. 6 Baylor in which it forced 20 turnovers.
"Got to do both and his group is starting to understand that," Gard said. "We’ve won games where we haven’t looked great offensively and that reemphasizes how important the defensive end is. We’ve won playing terrific defensively and have not been hitting on all cylinders offensively.
"One of our better offensive games and we don’t like the result because of what we were not defensively. They understand it. They know. They know we have to be good defensively and a lot of things go into that."
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