The Badgers dropped a disappointing loss on Saturday.
The Wisconsin Badgers suffered a disappointing loss at the hands of the Oregon Ducks on Saturday, blowing a 16-point lead in the second half and falling in overtime to snap their five-game winning streak.
Wisconsin entered the game at 8.5-point favorites and things seemed to be in their favor after a 24-4 first-half run. But, the Badgers became uncharacteristic, as they failed to be aggressive in the second half, getting to the free throw line zero times and turning the ball over 11 times in the period.
Ultimately, they lost just their second game at home this season, dropping to 21-6 on the year and 11-5 in conference play, good for fourth in the Big Ten behind Michigan State, Michigan, and Purdue.
The Badgers had been one of the hottest teams over the past two months, even surging to a projected No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But, where do they stand after the disappointing loss to Oregon?
With the loss, Wisconsin probably slides to a projected No. 3 seed in the latest bracket predictions, even after wins over Illinois and Purdue in the past week.
The loss to Oregon serves as Wisconsin’s worst loss of the season, which had previously been to Michigan at home from an NET rankings perspective.
But, all hope is not lost for the Badgers. Looking across the board, the Texas A&M Aggies and the Iowa State Cyclones both lost on Saturday. Both teams are projected to be around a No. 2 or No. 3 seed.
In ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket, the Badgers are a No. 3 seed alongside Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Kentucky. Tennessee, Iowa State, and Houston. The No. 2 seeds in that group are Houston, Michigan State, Tennessee, and Iowa State.
Well, Iowa State and Texas A&M just lost. Kentucky dropped a 96-83 game to Alabama. And former No. 3-seeded Arizona just lost by 1 to BYU, dropping the third of their past four games. Additionally, while Texas Tech just blew out West Virginia, they had an ugly loss to TCU, which ranges similarly to Wisconsin’s loss to Oregon when factoring in the home/road status.
While the Badgers did suffer a loss that could drop them a line, the point is that there are still opportunities to grow. Wisconsin still has a favorable schedule over their final five games, starting with a game at home against worst-place Washington, but there is no margin for error from here on out.
They will play against Michigan State on the road next weekend, but they don’t necessarily need to win that game in order to maintain their status as a top-three seed.
Nonetheless, keeping at least a No. 3 seed would be huge for Wisconsin, as it increases the opportunity of playing a first and second-round matchup in Milwaukee, where a hometown crowd would provide an advantage.
To do so, a 4-1 start is the bare minimum, while a 5-0 end could solidify a No. 2 seed with the road win over Michigan State.
The Badgers shouldn’t fall too far, if much at all, after the loss, given their win over Illinois earlier in the week. But, the urgency has to be there after Wisconsin’s worst game in months, as teams will look to attack them in similar ways that Oregon did with pressure.