The Badgers ran out of time against Rutgers Saturday, failing to string together back-to-back wins for the third time in six games.
Going into Saturday’s contest, the air in the Kohl Center shimmered with history to celebrate 125 years of Wisconsin basketball as the Badgers came ready to fight.
Following an ecstatic win against Michigan, Lily’s Classic captivated the attention of many students, resulting in a sparse student section during Saturday’s game. Low energy spilled into a low-scoring game, resulting in a 58-57 loss for Wisconsin.
While Saturday’s loss had grave implications for the Badgers’ future in March Madness, there were some positives from the game.
For much of the season, Chucky Hepburn has been the squad’s primary ball handler and the leading scorer in many games. But this was not the case against the Scarlet Knights, as the sophomore split minutes with Kamari McGee. McGee flourished, adding score and meshing well with Max Klesmit on the ball’s defensive and offensive side.
Along with McGee’s production, Wisconsin put up an awe-inspiring first half against an incredibly effective Rutgers defense. Steven Crowl continued to show that he is one of the best passers on the team and has maturity in handling double and triple teams, kicking the ball out to open shooters.
But Wisconsin’s 36 3-point attempts ultimately isolated players like Tyler Wahl and limited Crowl’s point prediction.
The pure volume of the 3-point shooting played to Rutgers’ strengths as the best 3-point defense in the conference. The Scarlet Knights displayed their dominance on the defensive end, slowly chipping away at Wisconsin’s 3-point efficiency to round out the game, holding the Badgers to just above 27%.
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Saturday’s game against Rutgers showed a real identity crisis that may be occurring within the Wisconsin locker room. Looking forward, it will take a leader in the locker room and on the court to stitch together back-to-back wins in a hard-fought league.
