Wisconsin basketball’s recent hot streak came to a close Sunday as the Badgers lost to USC Trojans 73-71.
After trailing for much of the first half, Wisconsin gained a 12-point lead eight minutes into the second half and looked to be en route to their sixth straight win. But inconsistent shooting down the stretch was Wisconsin’s demise.
Nick Boyd led the way with 29 points, including eight from the free-throw line.
USC (15-5, 4-5 Big Ten) came out firing in front of the Badger faithful, leading by 10 just over halfway through the first half. Guard Chad Baker-Mazara dominated, hitting five 3s and collecting a game-high 29 points.
Like in previous games, the Badgers rallied from the early deficit, ending the first half on a 9-2 run. Just when the fans saw the game slipping away, Wisconsin took its first lead since the 16:04 mark, going 41-39 into the break.
Boyd stayed hot, leading another 9-0 run to begin the final period. Austin Rapp (6 pts) and Braeden Carrington (6 pts) both hit 3s, extending the scoring spurt to 17-2 over a nearly six-minute span. But as hot as the Badgers were to start the second, they fell ice cold to end it, going one for their next eight. Shooting woes, along with two key turnovers from John Blackwell, let USC back in the game.
With momentum on their side, USC continued to out-hustle and out-score Wisconsin. Head coach Greg Gard and his squad had no defensive answer for Baker-Mazara, as the 25-year-old transfer exploded for 16 second-half points. Nor did the Badgers have any response on the offensive end, finishing the game 1-for-9 from deep and just 24% overall from 3.
No Badger hit more than two 33-pointers. Each of those who did convert from deep missed at least four other attempts. Andrew Rohde (2-for-7) and Blackwell (1-for-7) struggled the most from range. The team’s ‘live by the three, die by the three’ philosophy hurt the Badgers this time.
The Badgers held USC to 25% from 3 and out rebounded the Trojans 42-41 due to a season-high 18 offensive rebounds, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Too often the Badgers allowed costly offensive rebounds, leading to second-chance points.
Gard’s questionable decision to refuse calling time out as the Wisconsin lead trickled away instead of calling for a reset, meant the offense continued to struggle, as they did much of the second half.
Wisconsin shot a season low 34.3% from the field and had its fifth-least efficient game from deep. Their final total — 71 points — was also their fifth lowest of the season, continuing a problematic trend: all six losses of Wisconsin’s losses have come in their six lowest scoring affairs.
With Minnesota coming to town Wednesday, the Badgers must quickly get back on track against a competitive rival. The Golden Gophers have lost five in a row, including a 76-57 loss to undefeated Nebraska on Saturday. Still, the Badgers struggled in their first matchup with Minnesota, edging out a 78-75 buzzer-beater victory. Tip is set for 8 p.m. at the Kohl Center.
