The fifth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers once again ended their season in the first round of the NCAA tournament with an upset loss to the 12th-ranked High Point Panthers, 83-82.
It was an ugly ending for the Badgers, who led by eight points with 7 minutes left and by four with 1:02 left. But Wisconsin, which led the NCAA this season in a second-half comeback, failed to complete the most important game of the season. They struggled in the final seconds, winning on a Nick Boyd turnover on a fast-break layup by High Point to take an 83-82 lead with 11 seconds left.
advertise
With the loss, Wisconsin will have another season without making it to the second weekend, ending what looked like a promising season under head coach Greg Gard.
Here are three takeaways from Wisconsin’s heartbreaking loss to High Point.
pace
Coming into the game, the buzz surrounding High Point was entirely the Panthers’ high-tempo offense, which averaged 90 points per game. But Wisconsin is a team that also looks to thrive in transition, is also a team that rarely turns the ball over and feels like a good game on paper.
Well, that pace completely surprised the Badgers, who looked unprepared for High Point’s style. The Badgers gave up 16 points on the fast break but also struggled defensively in the half court as they looked to tie the game. They didn’t seem to have the energy to match High Point’s intensity, which was relentless throughout the game.
advertise
But it wasn’t just the defensive side of the ball that Wisconsin suffered. It felt like the Badgers were constantly trying to keep up with High Point offensively, which caused their offense to pick up the pace. While the Badgers shot 47.7 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three, they struggled at times with turnovers and really couldn’t get quality shots down the stretch.
But the biggest problem came with the defense, where Wisconsin didn’t seem ready for High Point’s pace.
rebound
While High Point looks to hit a rhythm, the Badgers are expected to have a significant size advantage, especially with the return of Nolan Winter.
advertise
High Point only had one player over 6-foot-8, but they somehow found a way to outrebound Wisconsin 40-37 and kill them on the offensive glass. The Panthers grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, including five as star Terry Anderson used his body against Wisconsin’s big men.
It didn’t matter how the Badgers performed on Thursday. They’re not planning to go out, which was an issue last week against Washington. Despite having a clear size advantage, the big men didn’t have enough energy and underperformed. The amount of offensive rebounds eroded some of Wisconsin’s advantage in transition.
Rebounding is expected to be a potential issue for the Badgers in future games. But Thursday’s game against High Point killed them in an unexpected way.
three point shot
The Badgers look doomed this season. They shot 39.1% from three-point range against High Point on Thursday. Normally when they shoot the ball that well, especially in a high-possession game, they end up winning.
advertise
But Wisconsin took 65 shots Thursday and made just 23 three-pointers, a rate of just 35.4 percent. That’s well below their season ranking of 52.6 percent, which ranked sixth nationally. While the Badgers have a size advantage, they don’t really use it to their advantage.
Wisconsin shot just over 52% from two-point range but only grabbed six offensive rebounds and scored 16 points on 29 layups. By their standards, it wasn’t their most efficient performance.
On the other hand, their overall defense, especially three-point defense, is really difficult. Wisconsin got High Point into the groove, hitting 15 3-pointers, including four from point guard Rob Martin. It was just one game where the numbers went against them and it cost them the entire season.
