Quick Hits: Wisconsin Goes Cold Late in 66-63 Loss at Northwestern
The amount of truly open looks the University of Wisconsin got over the final six minutes will be determined by head coach Greg Gard on what is destined to be a quiet flight to the East Coast.
The likely answer? An excruciating amount in crunch time.
A second half that featured 16 lead changes, Monday night’s outcome was destined to be determined by whichever team had the ball last until the Badgers went ice cold, missing nine of their final 10 shots in a 66-63 defeat to Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Four players reached double figures for Wisconsin (12-6, 4-4 Big Ten), which shot 40 percent in the second half but only made one shot over the final six minutes and none of its final six attempts.
That allowed Northwestern (12-5, 4-3), which hadn’t played since January 15 because of COVID health and safety protocols, to close on a 12-6 run. Five different Wildcats scored over that stretch, including forward Boo Buie, who led all scorers with 20 points.
Five different UW players missed shots during the decisive cold stretch, including Chucky Hepburn missing three shots in the final 1:47.
Wisconsin scored nine points on its first seven possessions (seven coming from Jordan Davis) but managed only 17 on its last 22 possessions of the half. Averaging .929 points per possession, UW managed few clean looks until it burst out of the gates in the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 34-32 lead.
It was a tug-of-war from that point forward.
What it means: Wisconsin had six days to rest and recover but was beaten by a team that hadn’t played in eight days and coming off a COVID outbreak.
Star of the game: Back in the starting lineup due to an upper-body injury to Max Klesmit, Jordan Davis delivered with a career-high 15 points, only the fourth game this season the junior has reached double figures.
Stat of the game: Northwestern ranked first in the country in opponent field goal percentage on 2-point attempts (41.5%), but the Badgers went 12-for-26 (46.2 percent) from the floor on two-point shots.
Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin continues to grind offensively with little margin for error. The Badgers haven’t cracked 70 points in 2023 and are averaging 61.3 points over those six games.
Don’t overlook: Steven Crowl finished with only eight points, the only starter not in double figures, but the junior had a team-high nine rebounds, three assists, one steal, and no turnovers in 33 minutes. One of those assists was thwarting a low-post double team to hit an open Hepburn for three to cap an 8-0 run to start the second half.
What’s next: Wisconsin continues its road trip when it faced Maryland in College Park, MD, Wednesday. Losing two days of prep due to the rescheduling, Wisconsin will fly from Chicago tonight and spend two nights in Maryland. Since suffering their first loss of the season, a 64-59 defeat in Madison on December 6, the Terrapins (12-7, 3-5) are 2-6 against Power Five competition and are coming off a three-point road loss at now-No.1 Purdue. UW has won three straight in the series, including consecutive wins at the Xfinity Center.
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