MADISON, Wis. – What a distinction a basket or two would have made for the College of Wisconsin within the final two months.

Nineteen mixed factors have been the margin of defeat within the Badgers’ 5 Huge Ten losses in 2023, 4 of these video games by 4 factors or much less and the final three by one possession, which incorporates Thursday’s 63-61 defeat to No.5 Purdue.

If Steven Crowl didn’t miss a putback off an offensive rebound with 8:39 remaining or Max Klesmit’s working layup by site visitors discovered the underside of the online with 28 seconds left, the Badgers may need celebrated a court-storming win.

However as a substitute of including a key victory to its fleeting NCAA Event resume, the Badgers are once more left questioning why profitable shut video games is now not a specialty.

“We’re a reasonably good 16-13 staff,” head coach Greg Gard. “We’re all higher than our document exhibits, however we haven’t gotten the outcomes, so apparently we’re not.”

My takeaways from the Kohl Heart.

Up three with time working out, Wisconsin was unable to get the important foul name within the closing seconds of regulation of what ultimately turned a shocking extra time loss at Michigan Sunday. Days later, Purdue confirmed Wisconsin how it’s presupposed to be achieved.

The Boilermakers had fouls to work with after solely being whistled for six up till the ultimate two possessions. With Purdue main by three and Wisconsin having the ball, the Boilermakers hacked away and put Chucky Hepburn on the road with 9 seconds remaining and Klesmit on the road with six seconds. The pair made the 4 free throws, preserving the strain on Purdue to make its freebees (which it did by going 5-for-6 within the final 21 seconds), however the Badgers by no means had a high quality try and both tie or take the lead on their ultimate three possessions.

“It’s fairly irritating as a result of we’ve been taking part in properly sufficient to win and we simply haven’t been in a position to get it achieved,” senior Tyler Wahl mentioned.

From a defensive, effort, and tempo standpoint, Wisconsin was the place it wanted to be to win, however these three issues don’t assist put the ball within the web. UW didn’t make a area aim within the ultimate 3:30, getting outscored 7-4 the remainder of the way in which after Hepburn missed two baseline jumpers and Wahl missed a protracted try with the shot clock about to run out.

“Chucky’s was a very good one, he’s hit that shot earlier than,” Gard mentioned. “Tyler needed to shoot it a pair instances. Max, we bought precisely the place we needed to with 20 seconds to go … That’s the road we’re strolling. We’ve bought to have the ability to make performs.”

Gard bought plenty of criticism for the shortcoming so as to add an skilled ahead towards the switch portal within the offense so as to add a scoring punch, fortify depth, and take strain off of Crowl and Wahl. Nonetheless, the transfer to carry Neenah native Klesmit again dwelling is actually paying off.

No one performed more durable Thursday than the junior, who scored from the within, the skin, and did all the things he might within the second half to attempt to give Wisconsin the uplifting victory it wanted.

Apart from the working layup within the lane that wouldn’t fall and his desperation heave to attempt to win the sport, all the things Klesmit touched was important within the ultimate 20 minutes. After scoring solely two factors within the first half, Klesmit was in assault mode within the second half and scored 17 factors on 6-for-9 capturing.

He scored eight factors on Wisconsin’s 11-1 run early within the second half that put the Badgers up by 4. The junior was simply getting began with important performs: his driving layup tied the rating at 50, his three-pointer on the following possession put UW up, 53-52, with 7:08 remaining and one other layup put UW up, 57-56, with 3:30 left.

He was the one guard that appeared keen to assault the scrum in the course of the lane, as Purdue restricted the Badgers to solely 23 rebounds and 18 factors within the paint.

Averaging 6.8 factors within the 17 video games previous to his head harm, Klesmit is averaging 11.0 factors over his final 10 video games.

UW has fouled Zach Edey 3 times by the primary media timeout; he made solely one of many first six free throws. That was the one actual weak point he displayed in one other dominant efficiency that included 17 factors (7-for-9), 19 rebounds, three assists, no fouls known as, and 7 fouls drawn.

Assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft mentioned this week that Edey was the most important mismatch within the historical past of the Huge Ten. Joking or not, he is perhaps proper. The Badgers did their greatest to double him at each contact of the ball, with Crowl being the principle defender and both Wahl or one other guard crashing right down to push him off his spot and make him cross. Edey’s court docket imaginative and prescient led to open perimeter appears.

Even when Edey didn’t get the ball he drew a crowd, which led Purdue’s different expertise to get open appears on the rim for straightforward photographs.

“You attempt to hold the ball out of his palms as a lot as you’ll be able to, however they transfer in round and alter the angle of the entry, so attempting to maintain ball strain on passers,” Gard mentioned of the defensive sport plan for Edey. “We bought some deflections. At instances we didn’t have our palms up they usually zipped it excessive of us. I feel we did a good job on him for probably the most half. Clearly, he’s most likely nationwide participant of the 12 months. He ought to be.”

As large of an affect he was on offense, Edey thwarted each Crowl and Wahl all sport, because the pair of UW forwards went 3-for-16 on photographs that included 2-for-12 on two-point area aim makes an attempt.

“It’s laborious to get again downs and locations the place he’s environment friendly from (with Edey on Wahl),” Gard mentioned. “That’s a tricky man to have to attain excessive of.”

Wisconsin’s bench doesn’t strike worry in many individuals’s eyes relating to scoring prowess, particularly within the final month since Connor Essegian was moved into the beginning lineup. Nonetheless, UW’s reserves have had shining moments, like Markus Ilver in opposition to Dayton, Kamari McGee in opposition to Michigan, and Jordan Davis in opposition to Rutgers.

The Badgers can add Isaac Lindsey in opposition to the Boilermakers to that listing.

Totally on the scout staff this season, Lindsey scored a 3rd of his season’s factors in 5 minutes, stepping in aptly for Essegian and delivering eight factors on an ideal 3-for-3 capturing to assist the lowest-scoring bench within the Huge Ten ship some pop and thrice lower into Purdue’s lead.

“He wasn’t afraid of the second to knock down photographs,” Gard mentioned. “It’s one other instance of a man staying prepared, ready for his likelihood, and making good of his alternatives.”

Unusually, Lindsey didn’t see the ground within the second half; 20 minutes the place UW went 12-for-32 from the sphere and 5-for-13 from three-point vary.

Whereas the Gophers are having a traditionally dangerous season, they might present an enormous pitfall for the Badgers in the event that they pulled off the upset on Sunday evening in Minneapolis. Assured to complete final within the league, Minnesota would deal UW a crushing blow to its resume with a Quad 3 loss (the Gophers rank 240th within the NET rankings. If U-M drops one spot, it might be a Quad-4 loss), and drop the Badgers into the First 4 video games on Wednesday. UW would nearly actually must go on a deep run in Chicago to pad its resume for an opportunity at an at-large bid.

“I wish to see them be rewarded as a result of they’re doing so many good issues, so many issues they usually’ve given us each single factor they’ve,” Gard mentioned.” They simply proceed to battle and have adopted our plan very well. It’s clearly not good, however no staff is. I similar to to see them rewarded and recover from the hump right here.”

UW can end wherever from tenth (first-round bye) to twelfth within the league’s seeding, relying on what occurs with Nebraska’s dwelling sport in opposition to Iowa, Penn State’s highway sport at Maryland, and the ending order above them. Right here’s a take a look at the doubtless outcomes.

Win vs Minnesota, Nebraska win, Penn State win: UW is 12 seed vs. Ohio State

Win vs Minnesota, Nebraska loss, Penn State win: UW is 11 seed vs. Minnesota

Win vs Minnesota, Nebraska win, Penn State loss: UW is probably going 11 seed vs. Minnesota

Win vs Minnesota, Nebraska loss, Penn State loss: UW is 10 seed vs. both Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, or Northwestern.

Loss vs Minnesota: UW is 12 seed vs. Ohio State

9 – Factors off turnovers for Purdue within the first half off six Wisconsin miscues. Purdue scored solely two factors off two miscues within the second half.

1 – Free throws for Wisconsin within the first 59 minutes, 51 seconds.

0 – Offensive rebounds within the first half for Wisconsin

38.2 – Two-point area aim share for the Badgers (13-for-34)

6 – The largest lead for both staff (Purdue led 27-21 with 17:17 remaining).

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this text in The Badgers’ Den

*Try our movies, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and take heed to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you take heed to podcasts)

*Comply with us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45, @pete_brey12, @seamus_rohrer

*Like us on Fb