Wisconsin basketball lost 88-86 in overtime to the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver Hawkeye Arena after a back-and-forth game for most of the second half. The Badgers led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but were unable to maintain a double-digit road lead. Tony Perkins’ layup with just over a second left made the difference. Wisconsin basketball has lost five of their last six games. Here are three takeaways from today’s setback.
Steven Crowl Finds His Rhythm Again
Greg Gard made it obvious following Ohio State’s victory that Wisconsin basketball needed to get Steven Crowl touches in the paint. It’s been the Badgers’ best offense all season.
Crowl had another strong performance today, following a good game against the Buckeyes. He finished the game with 22 points, half of which came from the line, where he went 11-13.
I’ve been quite hard on Crowl this season since I don’t appreciate his inclination to hide for long stretches. It’s possible he was dealing with an injury, but I don’t like it when upperclassmen, who understand their importance to the offense, fade away in situations like this.
Iowa freshman center Owen Freeman is a terrific Big Ten player, and Crowl played well against him on offense. Steven Crowl is someone Wisconsin basketball needs in the last stretch.
Wisconsin basketball had its chances.
Aside from the early 17-6 surge into the first media break, this was another game in which the Badgers gave up a double-digit lead quickly. Wisconsin deserves credit for rallying after falling behind by as much as nine points in the waning minutes.
Chucky Hepburn finished regulation with a classic fade-away from three that ringed the rim. It was a nice shot and play call coming out of the timeout.
In overtime, AJ Storr and Max Klesmit each had late opportunities to take leads but failed to capitalize. Klesmit, in particular, appeared to be open. He’s been in a rut lately. Like Crowl, he is someone this team will need the rest of the way.
The defensive performance versus Ohio State was a fluke.
After seeing how the Badgers defended against Ohio State on Tuesday, I felt a little better about how they would perform today in front of a hostile crowd. As they say, defense always travels.
Today was anything but that. Wisconsin was terrible at defending jump shots. Iowa is a solid shooting team, and the Badgers allowed them take almost any uncontested 10-15 foot jumper they wanted. Most Division I college basketball players will make those shots. Josh Dix and Tony Perkins, in particular, were a major disappointment for the Badgers in that regard.
There appears to be a disconnect with this squad, and I’m not sure what it is. Today, I noticed that they were moving slowly across displays and were unable to halt when necessary. I also noticed unneeded fouls after being beaten off the dribble.
Greg Gard did not disguise his emotions on the defensive side today. What’s equally worrying is that this team does not appear to be listening to their head coach on that side. Again, I am not sure what it is, but this team is not buying into any defensive strategies. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that this is a one-and-done NCAA Tournament. They are certainly playing like one right now.
