For the third straight game, Wisconsin has failed to score 50 points, this time falling a single point shy of the mark in a 58-49 loss to No. 11 Ohio State Tuesday night. Although the Badgers (5-3 Big Ten, 14-7 overall) made a staggering 11 shots from 3-point range, they only managed to hit eight shots from inside the arc, resulting in virtually no inside presence the entire night.
Perhaps more importantly, UW failed to reach the free throw line even once, finishing the game without a free throw attempt for the first time under head coach Bo Ryan. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes (6-2, 16-4) finished 9-for-12 at the line, with those nine free throws equaling the final margin.
Saddled with the task of guarding Ohio State junior forward Deshaun Thomas, redshirt senior forward Ryan Evans was simply outmatched. In addition to allowing Thomas to put up a game-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, the Phoenix, Ariz., native was dazed and confused on the offensive end, finishing 1-of-10 from the field for just two points while committing three turnovers in the process. Evans is now just 7-for-32 over his last three games.
Both Evans and fellow seniorforward Jared Berggren continued to struggle in their attempts at maintaining an interior presence. Though both were able to get fairly easily get post touches, neither was able to finish, with the two combining for just four points in the paint Tuesday night.
The lack of a post presence is what prevented Wisconsin from cementing what was a 4-point lead at the 12:55 mark of the second half. However, it was poor shot selection and careless turnovers that ultimately allowed Ohio State to go on a game-changing 15-0 run as Wisconsin went on a 7:13 scoreless drought that all but erased any thoughts of a second straight Badger victory at Value City Arena.
In the end, Wisconsin managed just eight points over the final 12:55 of the game, spanning 19 total possessions. In those 19 possessions, UW attempted six 3-point shots (making two), four, two-point jumpers (without a make) and four interior shots (making one) while committing five turnovers.
Though he finished with a team-high 12 points, sophomore guard Traevon Jackson was responsible for three of those turnovers, the most pivotal coming as the Badgers looked to cut what had been an 11-point OSU lead down to a single possession in the final minutes. The resulting fast break led to a layup from Buckeye sophomore guard Shannon Scott, with Jackson compounding the mistake by fouling Scott on the attempt and allowing the Buckeyes to emerge from the sequence leading by eight with just 3:37 remaining.
The Badgers have to cut down on the mental errors that have plagued them throughout the season. From crucial turnovers to poor shot selection and missed free throws, Wisconsin has, at times, deviated greatly from the formula that has made it so successful for the past decade under Ryan. But at the same time, UW has been able to dictate the pace of each and every game it has played thus far in Big Ten play. Despite Thomas’s hot shooting and 13 points from junior guard Aaron Craft, the Buckeyes still fell short of the 60-point mark.
With the Badgers able to keep games in the 50s, they virtually guarantee themselves a chance to win coming down the stretch no matter the opponent or venue. If UW is able to keep that string rolling Sunday in Champaign, Ill., it will be in a good position to return to the win column and further solidify itself as a team destined for the NCAA Tournament come mid-March.
