Journal Sentinel reporter analyzes Wisconsin Badgers’ loss at Oregon
Journal Sentinel beat writer John Steppe shares some quick thoughts following Wisconsin’s 85-71 loss to Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena.
- Wisconsin’s loss to Oregon raises concerns about the team’s consistency ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
- The Badgers have lost their last two road games by double-digit margins against unranked opponents.
- Wisconsin still is considered a lock for a bid in the NCAA Tournament despite recent reasons for concern.
EUGENE, OR – Wisconsin coach Greg Gard did not ignore the uncomfortable reality facing his Badgers after an uninspiring loss to Oregon roughly three weeks ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
“When you keep playing like that, you won’t play long,” Gard said outside the visiting team locker room at Matthew Knight Arena, echoing his message to the team after the 85-71 loss on Feb. 25.
The Badgers’ loss to the Ducks – a team that is (and has been) well outside tournament contention – offered some red flags for a team with aspirations of winning March Madness games.
Gard’s group has lost its last two games away from the Kohl Center, and both have been by double-digit margins against unranked teams. The Badgers are not dealing with one or two isolated issues either.
Wisconsin fell into an early double-digit deficit against Ohio State – as it has in several of its Big Ten games – and the defense could not muster enough stops to give the Badgers a realistic chance to claw back.
Then against Oregon, Wisconsin’s offense was out of sorts in seemingly every way. The Badgers did not generate anything in the interior as Oregon often packed the paint, and their lackluster ball movement limited their quality of 3-point looks. It was UW’s second loss this season when leading at halftime. (The Jan. 25 loss vs. USC was the other.)
The obvious common thread between Wisconsin’s two recent losses was its defensive inconsistency. Oregon – ranking 119th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency this season – looked superb in the second half against Wisconsin’s defense. The Ducks shot 70.8% after halftime.
The Badgers rank 63rd in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. Thirteen of last year’s Sweet 16 teams finished in the top 50 in the metric, and the three exceptions – Purdue, BYU and Kentucky – had top-10 offenses. UW’s offense is 20th in adjusted offensive efficiency.
Wisconsin can take some solace in the way it has bounced back from some of its unsavory losses in Big Ten play. After losing to then-No. 6 Purdue, the Badgers rattled off five consecutive wins (including against then-No. 1 Michigan). After losing in controversial fashion to Indiana, the Badgers knocked off then-No. 7 Illinois and then-No. 10 Michigan State.
“Adversity just keeps building character,” guard Nick Boyd said. “It’s a negative. But at the same time, when you’re winning and stuff like that, sometimes we let a couple things go over your head. So just a reality check these last couple games on the road.”
Wisconsin will look for another rebound against Washington on Feb. 28. The Huskies are 6-11 in Big Ten play, but the Ducks that just beat the Badgers were previously 3-13 in Big Ten play.
“That was the beautiful thing about dropping one at Ohio State,” Boyd said. “We had an opportunity to play a great Iowa team. And I think it’s another high-level team in Washington. … So we got no time to really dwell.”
Wisconsin’s three victories over top-10 teams removed any doubt about whether the Badgers will make the 68-team tournament. The Badgers are No. 34 in the NCAA’s NET rankings and have five Quad 1 wins.
But Gard’s warning about Wisconsin possibly not playing for long may strike a nerve for the Badgers amid their current Sweet 16 drought. UW has not advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2017, and UW has won only one March Madness game in the last three seasons.
“I only won one NCAA Tournament game,” Wisconsin guard John Blackwell said. “So obviously for myself and this team, guys that have been here … we want to put more under our belt.”
Wisconsin has its homework due in short time, though, before any goals are within reach just north on Interstate 5 in Portland, out east in Philadelphia or any tournament site in between.
“I think we’ll be better,” Blackwell said. “I know we’ll be better.”
