Chucky Hepburn and AJ Storr each threw their hands up in frustration as they watched Garwey Dual — a true freshman not known for his three-point shooting — walk into a wide-open triple at the top of the key and find nothing but nylon, killing what was previously a 9–2 Wisconsin run and widening the difference to 18.
It was just one of those days.
The Badgers trailed for all 40 minutes of Tuesday’s matchup with Providence, and it was never particularly close. The Friars took a double-digit lead at the 13-minute mark of the first half and didn’t look back, ultimately winning the contest 72–59 and improving to 3-0 on the year.
The Badgers shot a porous 21-for-62 (33.9%) from the field and connected on just five of their 20 attempts from three-point land. They were frequently thrown out of rhythm in the half-court, as Providence’s constant ball pressure and ability to cut off drives to the basket led to many contested looks late in the shot clock.
Wisconsin endured similar failures on the defensive end, allowing Providence to make 58.5% of their field goals and 44.4% of their triples.
Missing from the University of Wisconsin attack was Connor Essegian, who played just six minutes and was held scoreless on three attempts. While it’s unclear if the back injury he sustained in Wisconsin’s season opener against Arkansas State played a role in his limited action, his absence was glaring.
After struggling down the stretch of Wisconsin’s 10-point loss to Tennessee, Greg Gard’s offense came out of the gates crawling Tuesday. They were held scoreless for the first three minutes of the contest, prompting Gard to insert true freshman John Blackwell for Storr. Blackwell answered immediately with a three-pointer, and provided seven of the team’s first nine points.
Blackwell’s efforts weren’t enough to keep up with red-hot Providence. The Friars opened the game 8-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc while imposing their will on the Badger defense.
The Badgers had little success converting inside, going 4-for-12 from inside the paint in the first half and failing to draw a single shooting foul. Wisconsin found themselves entering the break down 16.
While Storr poured in 20 second-half points and Wisconsin found some semblance of an offense after the deficit ballooned to 25, it was too little, too late. They would ultimately falter by 13 points and drop to 1-2 on the season.
Providence relied heavily on their first unit — their starters accounted for 68 of their 72 total points. They were led by Devin Carter, who scored 21 points and eight rebounds, and Josh Oduro, who accounted for 13 points, four assists, three rebounds and a pair of blocks from the center position.
For Wisconsin, Storr finished with 22 points (7-17 FG) and five rebounds while John Blackwell provided 11 points and five boards off the bench. Max Klesmit was limited to 19 minutes due to foul trouble and was held scoreless. Outside of Storr, Wisconsin’s first unit combined to shoot 6-for-26 from the field and 0-for-7 from deep.
With games against Virginia, Marquette, Michigan State and Arizona scheduled for the coming weeks, the Badgers will need to get back on track. Their first chance to do so will come Friday during a home bout with Robert Morris at 6 p.m.
