MADISON, Wis. – The leadership at the University of Wisconsin has been asked a form of the same, question over the past month-plus of games, inquired about so often that it’s become to grate on the players like nails on a chalkboard.
What has happened to Wisconsin’s defensive identity and how can the Badgers get it back before it’s too late?
But having dropped seven of the last nine games, it’s clear the question has gone unanswered, along with the player trying to regain the formula that led them to a 16-4 start and No.6 national ranking.
Following the latest disappointment, a 91-83 loss to No.13 Illinois Saturday, junior guard Max Klesmit was asked how he and his teammates can fix a once-promising season to make any kind of run in March.
“I think just try to take it day-by-day, one game at a time,” he said. “We can’t get ahead of ourselves, look past what we’ve got in front of us. I think it’s coming to work every day with the give-everything-I-got, pour-it-into-the-team mentality moving forward.
“Taking it one step at a time, keeping your head down, not focused on what others may say or think about you.”
Appearing like a virtual lock to gain a double bye in next week’s Big Ten Tournament just one month ago, Wisconsin’s postseason position is in flux heading into the final week of the regular season.
The Badgers (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten) sit alone in fifth place in the league standings, a full game behind Northwestern and a half-game behind Nebraska. UW holds the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Wildcats by virtue of their 71-63 victory in Madison on January 13.
UW split its two meetings with the Huskers, winning in Madison on January 6 and blowing an 18-point lead, and losing in overtime on February 1. In a head-to-head situation, the tiebreaker goes to record against the No.1 seed. The Huskers are 1-0 against Purdue (which clinched a share of the regular-season title Saturday and can win the outright title with a road victory at Illinois Tuesday). UW lost, 75-69 to Purdue to Madison on February 4 and will close the regular season in West Lafayette on Sunday.
Even if UW wins its final two games, the Badgers need help to avoid playing until Friday.
Northwestern finishes with a Wednesday road game at Michigan State and a Saturday home game against Minnesota. Nebraska’s lone game is a Sunday afternoon road game at last-place Michigan. If both schools win out, UW can finish no higher than fifth and will open play on Thursday afternoon.
If the Wildcats split their remaining two games and Nebraska, Northwestern, and Wisconsin finish in a three-way tie, the Badgers would be the No.3 seed, Nebraska would be No.4, and Northwestern would be No.5 based on UW’s 2-1 round-robin record against them.
UW holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with both Michigan State (2-0) and Minnesota (1-0), which would come in handy if it splits their final two games, Northwestern losses twice, and Michigan State (vs. Northwestern, at Indiana) and Minnesota (vs. Indiana, at Northwestern) wins its final two. With all four teams at 11-9 in the league, UW would get the No.4 seed based on having a 4-0 round-robin record.
Should Wisconsin lose its final two games, finishing 10-10 in the league, the Badgers could fall to either seventh or eighth based on results from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, and Minnesota, which all have a path to finish at .500 in the league.
All this proves moot if the Badgers don’t start winning games, starting against a Rutgers team Thursday that whipped Wisconsin physically in New Jersey last month. Otherwise, UW could be headed for another short postseason stay.
“I would probably say that was the only game this year that we were like, damn, they are really into our stuff,” said guard Chucky Hepburn of Rutgers’ 78-56 victory over UW, the Badgers’ biggest margin of defeat in conference play. “This is a game we’ve been looking forward to for a long time, and we’re definitely going to be ready for them this time.”
_________________________________________________
*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
