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This game was a certified weekend killer.
The No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers (21-6, 11-5 B1G) crumbled down the stretch in a 77-73 loss to the Oregon Ducks (20-8, 9-8 B1G) from the Kohl Center.
Oregon scored 77 points on 76 offensive possessions. That’s barely over a point per possession. The defense wasn’t the problem today, although, sure there’s some plays UW would like to have back defensively. It was the offensive execution that cost the Badgers today.
Wisconsin did not have a good day shooting from three-point range (7-for-28/25%), those kinds of days happen, that’s just the reality of the situation. However, the Badgers had plenty of chances to overcome the poor shooting from deep. UW didn’t handle the defensive pressure from Oregon and had a season-high 17 turnovers which Oregon turned into 24 points, that’s where the game ultimately was lost.
Wisconsin also didn’t shoot a free throw in the game’s final 27:34. The six attempts tied a season low.
I can live with aggressive mistakes. But the Badgers got out of their flow and looked skittish offensively once Oregon turned up the pressure, which was disappointing to see because it was uncharacteristic of the offense that usually remains aggressive and takes care of the ball.
While Steven Crowl has been playing better as of late and had a decent first half, but he had a team-high six turnovers today including a very costly one in the final two minutes.
The worst epitaph you can ever hang on a loss is this: We did it to ourselves. Not sure the Badgers had done that all season until today.
The good news is that everything is still on the table for this very good Wisconsin Badgers team. A Big Ten regular season & tournament championship are still realistic possibilities. A deep run in the NCAA Tournament is still on the table.
Time to turn the page and regroup for Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Huskies (13-13, 4-11 B1G) at the Kohl Center.
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