The University of Wisconsin’s return to the NCAA Tournament was quick and painful.
Hoping the momentum it found in the Big Ten Tournament was the catalyst to a long run through the NCAA Tournament, the fifth-seeded Badgers came out flat and were run out of the tournament by 12th-seeded James Madison in a 72-61 butt-kicking at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
It’s another tough postseason pill for the Badgers (22-14) to swallow, committing a season-high 19 turnovers and never leading as they were blitzed from the opening tip.
Pushing the nation’s longest winning streak to 14, James Madison (32-3) got 14 points from Terrence Shannon Jr. to advance to face fourth-seeded Duke, who used a big second half to knock off 13th-seeded Vermont, 64-47, on Sunday.
Max Klesmit scored all 18 of his game-high points in the second half, while forward Steven Crowl finished with a double-double (10 pts, 11 rbds). The rest of UW’s roster struggled.
Making his return to New York after playing last season at St. John’s, A.J. Storr scored 13 points but was 5-for-14 from the field with four turnovers. Playing his school-record 163rd and final game at Wisconsin, Tyler Wahl gritted through a knee injury to grab seven rebounds but was just 1-for-5 from the floor and 3-for-6 from the line, ending his college career with five points.
Chucky Hepburn battled foul trouble and lost his shot after averaging averaged 17.3 points on 69.0 percent shooting (20-for-29 FG) in the Big Ten Tournament, finishing with eight points on 3-for-8 with four assists and three turnovers.
Getting only seven points from the bench on 1-for-6 shooting, the Badgers shot 19 of 51 from the field (37.1 percent), 8 of 21 from the perimeter (38.1), and 15 of 23 from the line (65.2), a shooting percentage crippled after a start that had the look of a team that had sat around too long.
Looking nothing like the team that advanced to the conference title game, the Badgers dug themselves a 15-4 hole after just 11 possessions because it couldn’t handle the Dukes’ swarming aggressiveness. Committing four turnovers on its first five possessions and eight in those 11 possessions, the Dukes scored points off the first seven UW miscues – 12 total – to put the Badgers on their heels quickly.
UW cleaned things up over a three-minute stretch that correlated with an 11-3 Badgers run to cut the deficit to five. Over the final 6:34 of the half, the trio of Crowl, Storr, and Wahl went a combined 0-for-9 from the floor, the latter two each missing multiple layups in rapid succession.
The Badgers only scored four points during the stretch – all free throws – as James Madison built its lead as big as 17. Averaging 9.7 turnovers per game, Wisconsin committed 13 in the opening half, went 6-for-26 from the floor, 2-for-8 on layups, and 1-for-6 from the perimeter.
UW’s offense was better after halftime in starting 6-for-10, getting four three-pointers from Klesmit, but the Badgers struggled to shut off actions to the rim. The Dukes nearly equaled UW’s 60 percent shooting by shooting 53.8 percent over the same stretch which included going 4-for-6 on shots at the rim.
Despite being undersized compared to the Badgers, James Madison outscored them 30-22 in the paint.
What it means: UW hasn’t made it out of the tournament's first weekend since 2017, a stretch that includes losing to three lower-seeded teams. Of those three losses, this was the first to a mid-major program, one that played tougher, harder, and more aggressive than they did.
Star of the game: Playing in his first NCAA Tournament game, Klesmit’s shooting kept Wisconsin in the game but he didn’t get enough contributions from those around him for the Badgers to play with the lead.
Stat of the game: Wisconsin’s 19 turnovers led to 27 points for the Dukes. The Badgers managed only 10 points off 12 James Madison turnovers – the difference in the game.
Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin touted its depth since the start of the season but it was part of its undoing Friday. JMU's reserved outscored Wisconsin's 21-7. That three-pointer from Michael Green was a killer, putting JMU up 66-54 with under four minutes to go.
Don’t overlook: Klesmit had the seas part on a drive to the rim, but his off-balanced layup teetered on the rim before falling away from the nylon. Had that bucket gone, Wisconsin would have cut the lead to four with 7:55 remaining. Instead, JMU pushed the ball on the break and cashed in with Noah Freidel hitting a wing three-pointer to push the lead back to nine. UW never got closer than seven.
What’s next: Wisconsin had a chance to avenge its 2015 national title defeat to Duke on Sunday but instead was sent packing after one game. The Badgers now enter offseason mode where only Wahl has exhausted his eligibility, most of the roster has started their intentions to return, and the transfer portal continues to grow with options.
_________________________________________________
*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den
*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel
*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)
*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45, @seamus_rohrer, @DonnieSlusher_
*Like us on Facebook
