MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin is far from a finished product on the defensive end of the floor, a battle the Badgers coaching staff continues to wrestle with five games into the 2023-24 season.

There’s also the issue of getting thoroughly dominated earlier in the week, with salt-in-the-wound plane issues returning home as icing on a frustrating first road trip.

So, while Wisconsin’s 78-68 victory over Robert Morris Friday wasn’t the prettiest of performances, a disjointed game in front of a quiet crowd that lacked flow, the Badgers will take a night where it found a rhythm in the low block, saw a true freshman take another big leap forward, and avoided its first three-game losing streak in November in six years.

Here are my takeaways from the Kohl Center.

How irritated was head coach Greg Gard about the growing inability of Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl to finish around the rim? Large enough to mention it eight times in a 55-word answer following Tuesday’s one-sided loss at Providence.

Playing against a starting lineup shorter than 6-foot-8, Wisconsin’s willingness to attack the low block helped kickstart the offense.

Crowl cleaned up his own miss for an easy layup on UW’s first possession, Wahl getting the ball in the low post or attacking the rim led to points on three consecutive possessions, and Max Klesmit – who drew Gard’s frustrations for fouling too much Tuesday – was fouled attacking the basket on a fast break, resulting in two made free throws.

UW started 7-for-11 from the floor and finished going 21-for-32 on two-point shots and 27-for-40 from the free throw line.

“That means you’re attacking the basket and playing in the paint,” Gard said. “That’s a good recipe. If you’re not shooting it well, you can still score points by putting the ball near the basket and getting fouled.”

The 40 free throws are the most Wisconsin has attempted since attempting 42 at Illinois in February 2013. Wahl was the biggest benefactor of the fouls, drawing a team-high eight whistles and going 8-for-12 from the line.

Telling reporters on Tuesday he needs to trust himself more, Wahl spent the night attacking and slashing to the rim and the results reflected a productive night. Crowl attempted only five shots at Providence (one in the second half) but went 7-for-9 with six made baskets at the rim. That production helped UW average a robust 1.279 points per possession.

Wisconsin scored 10 of the game’s first 13 points but found itself struggling to regain that separation well into the second half because of Robert Morris' perimeter shooting. Right after UW made its first 3-pointer at the 12:13 mark, Robert Morris made its 10th of the night to forge a tie at 48.

But from 10:38 to 5:22, UW unleashed an 18-6 run that changed the game. The catalyst over that stretch was Wisconsin freshman guard John Blackwell.

After a quiet first half, Blackwell erupted after halftime with 18 points (the next closest UW scorer was Chucky Hepburn with 8). The freshman was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, including a nifty move at the baseline that got him to the rim and led to a three-point play. His three-pointers on consecutive possessions gave UW its biggest lead and his two free throws the next trip down the court gave him eight points on three possessions. UW never looked back.

Robert Morris coach Andrew Toole said it was evident watching UW’s first four games that Blackwell was getting more comfortable the more minutes he played. Blackwell concurred.

“I feel like I have got more confident in my game and my abilities as the game has gone on,” Blackwell said. “You get more confident when your shot is falling or you’re making plays on defense or rebounding, little stuff. Being a freshman, getting acclimated with the plays, knowing the right reads, right cuts, where to be, it feels more comfortable going forward.”

Blackwell’s defensive awareness has always been one of his shining characteristics, even dating back to when Wisconsin started recruiting him out of Brother Rice HS in suburban Detroit. Combining the spark he’s given off the bench the last two games, Blackwell has become UW’s top reserve.

“He’s just efficient,” Gard said. “For the most part, he doesn’t take bad shots. I thought he got better tonight playing off two feet in the paint and getting to the free-throw line. Those are all steps that maybe a week ago he didn’t do as well … The thing that gets young guys on the floor is the defensive end. You have to be reliable and dependable, and his awareness is beyond the freshman class that he’s in.”

The flip side of Blackwell getting more minutes is sophomore Connor Essegian seeing his time on the court decrease. Since suffering an upper-body injury in the opener, Essegian has played 11, six, and now seven minutes, not checking in during the second half.

Gard clarified comments he made Tuesday when he declined to get into specifics with Essegian by saying the guard “is fine” and that the staff is working to get him back into a game rhythm.

“He’s practiced more consistently here lately, and I actually put him over on the scout team the last two days and let him really run around, get the back loose,” Gard said. “I have done in the past to get more reps, feel the ball, run around, get a lot of shots up. I thought he was cutting and moving better in practice.”

He finished 0-for-1 from the floor with a team-worst minus-6 in the plus/minus category after struggling to prevent dribble penetration. For the season, the sophomore is 3-for-9 shooting, including 0-for-3 from the perimeter.

“We’ve got to continue to help him be better keeping the ball in front of him,” Gard said. “It’s balance. He knows it and he knows that you have to be able to guard. We’ll help him get better at that.”

While there was a lot of good to discuss at halftime from an offensive efficiency standpoint, Gard said the majority of halftime was spent on the defensive end of the floor. An aspect that still is yielding

While Wisconsin did a decent job at protecting the rim, limiting Robert Morris to 10 points on 10 shot attempts, the Badgers were slow getting out to open shooters. Shots were better contested in the second half, but the Colonials’ confidence in seeing some early looks go in carried over to a 7-for-15 clip in the second half.

RMU finished 13-for-29 from the perimeter, outscoring Wisconsin by 30 in that department.

On the flip side, Wisconsin was a respectable sixth in the Big Ten last season in perimeter shooting, hitting 34.2 percent of its shots with three players shooting over 35 percent. Since opening the season 6-for-12 from the perimeter, the shooting percentages have fallen consistently by UW going 6-for-24 against Tennessee, 5-for-20 against Providence, and only 3-for-13 against RMU.

Three players have taken at least 10 three-pointers this season and all three are shooting 30 percent or less from the field (Klesmit 3-for-10, Hepburn 4-for-15, A.J. Storr 4-for-17). Hepburn went 1-for-5 from the perimeter Friday.

“We were in the double bonus by the 13, 14-minute mark; why would you crank them up from the perimeter if you don’t have to?” Gard said. “Just pound away … We get in the bonus, we got to keep attacking the paint (and) following guys out.”

18 - Blackwell's points Friday are the most by a UW freshman since Essegian scored 24 points at Michigan last season.

8 - Wahl became the eighth player in program history with 1,000+ points, 500+ rebounds, and 200+ assists in his career. He is also the seventh player to reach 1,000 points under Gard.

21 - Wisconsin forced a season-high 21 turnovers, leading to 19 points.

32:01 - Amount of time the Badgers led Friday night. UW hadn't led in either of its last two contests.

1981 - The last time Robert Morris beat a current Big Ten team, a streak that has been extended to 15 consecutive losses.

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