Two things were clear in Badger basketball's devastating 90-60 loss to Nebraska Wednesday: the team has lost its defensive identity and their offensive struggles have stemmed from a reluctance to attack the rim.
No defensive identity
“We don’t have a defensive identity, haven’t had one all year,” was the first thing head coach Greg Gard said in the postgame press conference after a brutal 30-point loss Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Badgers’ defense had no answer for Nebraska, who manipulated the Badgers in every way possible.
The Badgers have struggled all season on the defensive end and were thoroughly embarrassed by Nebraska. In a balanced attack, four different Cornhuskers scored 14 or more points.
Forward Rienk Mast led Nebraska with 17 points, going 8-for-15 from the field. His 6-foot-10 frame punished Wisconsin’s interior defenders, exposing a weakness that has troubled the Badgers all season. Guard Braden Fager scored 15 points off the bench, hitting three 3-pointers, while Berke Buyuktencel and Pryce Sandfort each added 14 points.
After establishing themselves as an offensive-focused team the past three years, the Badgers have gotten lackadaisical on the defensive end. As the season moves forward, Wisconsin has no choice but to emphasize defensive discipline. Gard prides himself on defensive schemes, and this season’s team may be giving him his toughest challenge yet.
Offensive struggles
The Badgers looked fluid for the first ten minutes of the game and kept pace with a hot Nebraska team.
But after Wisconsin stopped being able to utilize their inside game, where they found success early by attacking the rim, troubles began.
“I thought we were good. We got the ball at the rim, hit some rollers,” Gard said of Wisconsin’s early offense.
Wisconsin was forced to shoot from beyond the arc, where they were inefficient. They shot an excruciating 21.9% from beyond the arc. Their 4-for-19 first half showing put them in a hole they were unable to climb out of.
The Badgers needed to utilize their inside game. With 7-foot forward Nolan Winter, 6-foot-10 forward Austin Rapp and 6-foot-10 forward Aleksas Bieliauskas, Wisconsin has the bodies to compete in the paint. Thus far this season, however, they have not found the right offensive cohesion to get the most out of their big men.
Even though they only accumulated five turnovers during this game, it did not mask the poor offensive efficiency the Badgers showed.
Nebraska figured out the Badgers’ offensive structure quickly and were able to capitalize off knowing their pick-and-roll heavy offense. Wisconsin did not adjust accordingly and paid the price.
