Just when it seemed as if the Wisconsin men's basketball was hitting its stride, the No. 15/17 Badgers (8-5 Big Ten, 19-7 overall) simply didn't show up to play in Thursday night's 69-55 loss to No. 7/8 Michigan State (10-3, 21-5).
As they have done all season, the Spartans ran their opponent up and down the floor all night long. After holding opposing offenses to less than five points per game on the fast break, the Badgers could not stop MSU from doing what it does best, allowing the Spartans to notch 15 points in transition (all in the first half) and 16 off 10 uncharacteristic Badger turnovers.
Many will look to Wisconsin's struggles shooting the ball (34 percent from the field and 5-24 from three-point range), but it was on the glass where UW found itself unable to compete. The Badgers allowed eight offensive rebounds, leading to 13 second chance points and a whopping 34 points in the paint for the Spartans. Michigan State didn't need many of those second chances as they shot a staggering 52.2 percent from the field against a Badger defense that had been holding its opponents to just over 36 percent for the year.
What has to frustrate the UW coaching staff is that the Badgers were simply outhustled in East Lansing. Michigan State got seemingly every loose ball out there, capitalizing at every opportunity. For a team used to taking advantage of hustle plays in its own right, this is perhaps the most troubling aspect of the losing effort.
A step slow on defense, the Badgers allowed eight-separate "and one" opportunities, each one thrusting the dagger further into the chest of a UW team that was playing from behind virtually all night.
Spartan sophomore guard Keith Appling and senior forward Draymond Green both took advantage of the poor defensive effort by the Badgers. Both Green and Appling finished with a game-high 20 points, with Green adding a game-high 10 rebounds. The only silver lining for the Badgers was the play of junior forward Ryan Evans who followed up his first career double-double with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds in the losing effort.
While this loss all but eliminates Wisconsin's hopes of a Big Ten title, the final five games of the regular season remain crucial as the Badgers try to position themselves for a high seed heading into the NCAA Tournament. By taking care of business down the stretch and in the Big Ten Tournament, the Badgers have a shot to get anywhere between a three and five seed, something that can make a huge difference in terms of making a run into the latter weekends of March.
That run begins Sunday afternoon as the Badgers host Penn State. Though the Nittany Lions gave UW all they could handle in State College back on January 31, they have yet to win a game away from the Bryce-Jordan Center and are 0-11 all-time at the Kohl Center.
Still, PSU guard Tim Frazier poses a threat every time he sets foot on the floor. The junior from Houston has been tearing apart Big Ten defenses to the tune of 18.5 points (second in the Big Ten) and 5.0 rebounds per game. When the Badgers last faced Penn State, Frazier was on top of his game, scoring a game-high 21 points while adding seven assists to just two turnovers. While Wisconsin got home with the victory, Frazier is definitely a threat to return the favor on Sunday afternoon.
But after Thursday night's tough loss, Sunday has become all the more important for UW. The Badgers face two straight road games after their date with PSU and need to regain some of the momentum that has certainly been lost after the events that unfolded in Michigan. Wisconsin is just 3-3 at home thus far in Big Ten play and has to start taking advantage of the Kohl Center crowd with just three home games remaining.
Yet throughout Bo Ryan's career at Wisconsin, the Badgers have made it a point to never fall into a prolonged slide. Sunday provides them with an opportunity to avoid doing just that and it is an opportunity that they must take advantage of in order to make a return trip to the Sweet 16 come March.
