MADISON, Wis. – A schedule change moved Wisconsin’s extended Big Ten bye week four days, a modest alternation but well-timed as far as the players were concerned.
Feeling on top of the world in 2022, reeling off five straight conference wins to move into first place, the Badgers got a dose of reality that straying too far away from the program’s fundamentals can quickly knock them a rung or two down the ladder.
“A little bad taste in our mouth,” senior Brad Davison said. “When you win seven in a row, you kind of forget what it feels like to lose.”
The loss – an 86-74 setback to then-No.14 Michigan State Friday – was viewed in two different lights. From one perspective, the Badgers were wounded with junior forward Tyler Wahl out for the game with an injured right ankle. Of the three losses UW has suffered this season, two have been without one of its best players on the floor (sophomore Johnny Davis missed the Providence game) and the flu bug was plaguing the team in its loss at No.21 Ohio State.
The other viewpoint was what the Badgers players were latching on to this week, that Wisconsin’s defense was not up to snuff with the ability to follow their basic principles.
“Getting the guy at the rim is the first thing for us always and getting the shooters after that,” forward Steven Crowl said of UW’s focus in transition. “When we don’t get the rim stopped, everything else kind of crumbles after that.”
Without Wahl, UW’s most versatile defender, it collapsed quickly. The Spartans shot 52.7 percent, averaging 1.28 points on their 63 possessions by getting the Badgers on their heels quickly in transition. Michigan State had 32 points in the paint, was plus-19 on the glass, and was outscored by an eye-popping 21-2 in transition.
UW hadn’t given up more than 14 fast-break points without Wahl in the lineup. The 86 points were the most UW had allowed in a Big Ten game since giving up 91 points in a loss at Purdue in March 2016. It was the most points the Badgers had given up at home since 2002.
“We pride ourselves on keeping teams out of transition,” Davison said. “The fact that (Michigan State) was able to get some confidence and get comfortable early, whether it was transition threes or getting all the way to the rim or getting second-chance points off transition shots, it all kind of flows together.”
Wahl will be a game-time decision when No.11 Wisconsin (15-3, 6-2 Big Ten) take on last-place Nebraska this afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Wahl did not practice Tuesday but was not wearing a boot at the end of practice when the media was present.
If the past week has taught us anything, fortunes can change quickly in the Big Ten. After their impressive performance at the Kohl Center, the Spartans managed only 55 points in a one-point loss at No.24 Illinois Wednesday. Despite playing without two preseason All-Americans, the Illini moved into sole possession of first place at 7-2 with the Badgers and Spartans a half-game behind.
The Huskers (6-13, 0-8) appear like easy pickings on the surface. Nebraska has lost eight straight, is 0-12 against power conference teams, and is coming off a brief COVID pause. Moreover, senior Kobe Webster created waves in Lincoln over the last week when he questionable coaches and players holding one another accountable.
But while the Huskers rank last in the Big Ten in scoring defense (79.1 ppg), field goal percentage defense (44.4 percent), and 3-point defense (35.9), they rank ahead of Wisconsin in points per game because they like to push.
An offense that Crowl described as “fast and loose,” trying to turn games into those often seen during the high school summer camp circuit, the Huskers are eighth nationally in possessions per game (76.1) and 21st in adjusted tempo per Kenpom.
“Trying to control them in transition and limit those guards from getting downhill and getting to the basket is big for us,” Crowl said.
Wisconsin hasn’t lost consecutive games all season but the immediate performances after a loss have not been works of art. The Badgers fell behind by 16 points in less than eight minutes against Texas A&M before rallying in the Maui Invitational. Last month, UW trailed Nicholls at home by nine at halftime before pulling up a four-point win.
How well the Badgers contain Nebraska’s tempo and force them to play in the half-court will determine how this bounce-back performance plays out.
“(Losing) is a lesson,” Davison said. “Everybody is going to get knocked down, but it’s how you respond to it. Throughout the course of the year, we’ve responded pretty well to our losses. That’s our mindset … (to) get some momentum and start a new win streak.”
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