Pass, shoot and score. Drive, layup and bucket. Shot fake, dish and three. Ohio State (10-1 Big Ten, 18-4 overall), which is currently No. 7 in the nation and tied for No. 1 in the Big Ten, looked nearly robotic Thursday against the struggling Badgers (2-9, 6-15) in Columbus, Ohio. No matter what Ohio State looked to do on either ends of the floor, the Badgers just stood by and let the Buckeyes play their game. Instead of going out and attacking, the Badgers were passive all night, allowing Ohio State to dominate in every facet of the game and ultimately win by a whopping margin of 87-61.
Now that this season has reached the back stretch of Big Ten conference play, one would think a team with a 2-8 conference record would play looser, more energized and with a nothing-to-lose mentality. The Badgers, who at this point really do have nothing to lose, still refuse to embrace this philosophy. It is true that high-energy play often leads to mistakes on the floor, but the alternative passive brand of basketball the Badgers put on the floor against OSU led to an even worse outcome: a substantial defeat in which the Buckeyes did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, all night long.
(9:17 Q2; 22-14 OSU): After a 3-pointer by Ohio State, the Badgers inbounded the ball and started passively moving it around the backcourt with a clear lack of urgency. Senior guards Nicole Bauman and Tessa Cichy played catch, not paying any attention to the time running off the clock. Before they knew it, the Badgers had just turned the ball over on a simple backcourt violation. The Badgers struggled all night to move the ball against Ohio State’s press, and their inability to adjust or show urgency led to a lackadaisical turnover. The Badgers turned the ball over an egregious 17 times compared to Ohio State’s eight—a significant factor in the outcome.
(2:01 Q2; 46-29 OSU): After a missed OSU 3-pointer from the corner, the rebound stayed right under the basket, almost waiting for a Badger to grab the defensive rebound. Still, junior forward Avyanna Young passively watched the ball and showed no attempt to box out, letting the ball fall into a Buckeye’s hands for an easy put back. Throughout the course of the game, the Badgers were out-rebounded 40-32, and gave up an astounding 16 offensive boards leading to a flurry of Ohio State points.
(5:01 Q3; 59-36 OSU): Ohio State’s senior guard Ameryst Alston stepped back from the baseline and hit her third 3-pointer in the last 2:30. All night, when the opposing players started heating up, the Badgers could not find a way to adjust. Instead, they let Ohio State’s shooters all open floor they wanted, allowing them to keep firing away without hesitation. Alston ended the night with a game-high 21 points.
(0:19 Q3; 65-40 OSU): Bauman and senior forward Michala Johnson ran a pretty pick and roll from the left elbow, allowing Johnson to get in the lane and get an easy layup. To the average observer or the casual fan, this may have just looked like a well-designed play between two veteran players. However, these couple seconds of beautiful basketball, sandwiched between minutes of being dominated, were a true microcosm of the Badgers’ Big Ten season. At times, the Badgers look like a well-oiled, smooth, talented team. Between Bauman, Johnson and others, these Badgers show flashes of brilliance—contained brilliance—but brilliance nonetheless. Still, the Badgers have never been able to sustain this potential, and consequently have their shining moments crowded and engulfed by an overshadowing darkness of mistakes and inconsistency.
(8:28 Q4; 71-40 OSU): Icing on the cake. OSU’s best player, sophomore guard Kelsey Mitchell, ran around the Badgers defense, and nailed a dagger 3-pointer. At that point, every bit of momentum seemed to be ripped from the Badgers, and even their few moments of great passing and shooting couldn’t bring them back.
Against Ohio State, the Badgers were simply dumbfounded by the Buckeyes’ talent and desire. The Buckeyes asserted their will all night, and Wisconsin stood by and watched it happen. Aside from a few fleeting moments of individual and team excellence, UW’s passive effort led to turnovers, a massive rebounding defeat and lackluster defense, all culminating in the a seventh-consecutive loss.
