The Badgers showed up defensively in a big way en route to a blowout on Sunday.
The No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers had all the momentum on Saturday against the Oregon Ducks. Until they didn’t.
In an ugly second-half collapse, the Badgers dropped a 77-73 game to the Ducks at home, snapping a five-game winning streak in one of their more disappointing finishes of the season.
Wisconsin had its bright spots in the first half, going on a 24-4 run midway through the period to take a 17-point lead. But, as the second half went on, the Badgers struggled to break Oregon’s ball pressure, as they got tentative and didn’t take advantage of their opportunities.
The defining moments were the last eight minutes, as the Badgers failed to muster any consistency on the offensive side of the ball, turning the ball over 17 times in the game and four in the last two minutes.
Offensively, the Badgers struggled from deep, hitting just 25 percent of their threes, while scoring only 73 points on 76 possessions.
Defensively, Wisconsin was good enough, allowing just 77 points on 76 possessions, but gave up some costly threes to allow Oregon to tie things up at the end of regulation.
Following the game, Badgers insider Rohan Chakravarthi shared his instant reaction to the Badgers’ 77-73 loss to the Oregon Ducks, pointing out the major takeaways from the game.
With the win, Wisconsin goes to 21-6 on the season, and now faces questions about their seeding both in the NCAA Tournament and the Big Ten standings.
Next week, the Badgers will look to reset at home against the Washington Huskies on Tuesday before a tough road contest against the Michigan State Spartans over the weekend, which will likely have serious Big Ten implications.