MADISON, Wis. - Taking care of the basketball has been a cornerstone principle of University of Wisconsin basketball teams during the coaching tenures of Greg Gard, and his predecessor Bo Ryan.
So the mood on Friday night following Wisconsin’s 84-80 overtime loss to Purdue – the Badgers’ second straight home setback – was a somber one for Gard and UW players.
Wisconsin recorded a season-high 17 turnovers, and senior standout Ethan Happ posted eight of those miscues.
Purdue, led by junior point guard Carsen Edwards’ 36 points, scored 20 of its 84 points off Wisconsin turnovers.
The Badgers got sloppy at inauspicious moments in the extra session as the Boilermakers collected two baskets on back-to-back possessions off Wisconsin turnovers.
To make things even more exasperating, the Badgers entered the game against the Boilermakers ranked second nationally, committing an average of 9.1 turnovers per game.
There wasn’t much that would elevate Gard’s attitude with evaluating the turnover situation.
“We had been so good in that area (taking care of the ball), and to have rear its ugly head, so to speak, yes, it’s disappointing,” Gard said.
“We’ve been pretty solid, specifically, with taking care of the ball, and to have that transpire is unacceptable.”
Turnovers also plagued Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in its 59-52 loss to Minnesota on Jan. 3, as the Badgers had three turnovers with 84 seconds left in regulation.
Happ contributed 31 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, but those eight turnovers likely will stick with him as Wisconsin heads on the road for a game at Maryland on Monday night.
“I know that I had eight of them, and there (are) a lot of them I could have controlled and done better,” he said.
Just when it felt like Wisconsin could stay in contention in the second half, an errant pass into the lane by Aleem Ford, or a forced pass by Happ into traffic under the basket nearly thwarted any momentum. A quick pass by Happ to Iverson forced a turnover and gave Purdue the ball with 46.9 seconds left in overtime.
Meanwhile, not cleaning up the glass also was a factor in the Badgers’ demise on Friday night. The Boilermakers grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and scored 12 second-chance points. The Badgers only had eight offensive boards.
Gard realizes the Badgers (11-5 overall, 3-2 Big Ten Conference) will have to improve significantly to have a chance at gaining ground in the league standings.
“Defensive rebounding and turnovers (are) two things we pride ourselves on,” Gard said. “You’re going to have hard time when you turn it over that much and don’t clean up the glass on those ends.
“It’s all the controllable, self-inflicted things I think are the most disheartening.”
