Wisconsin basketball lost its second game of the season, this time to Baylor in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.
Wisconsin basketball drops to an even 2-2 on the season after losing 70-65 in the Hall of Fame Classic to #22 Baylor. Wisconsin will take on #23 UCLA on Tuesday evening in the consolation game.
Both Badger losses this season have come at the hands of ranked opponents.
Bucky didn’t get off to a great start and trailed 38-26 at the break. Baylor ultimately stretched the advantage to 53-34 with 11:06 left.
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But to its credit, Wisconsin basketball steadily chipped away and got within 57-53 by the under four timeout. So what did we learn from Wisconsin – Baylor game?
1. Badger basketball needs to figure out how to close out games
Wisconsin hung around Xavier a few days ago at the Kohl Center. They even led 66-64 with 2:44 left. But Xavier raced to the finish to win 80-70.
On Monday, Wisconsin was down four at the under four timeout. They then got even closer to 57-55 with 2:20 left. But then Khalil Iverson got whistled for a tough foul on a three point shot. Then he misses a dunk. Davison reaches in and gets fouled.
That led to five straight free throw makes for Baylor and a more comfortable 62-55 lead. Aleem Ford nailed a three but Wisconsin was left chasing the game and fouling. Credit Baylor for making free throws.
But the methodical, patient offense works against you when you need quick baskets. And the Badgers don’t have instant offense from any position to create off the bounce and score in a hurry.
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2. Brad Davison is going to be a primary ball handler this season
A few times during the rally you saw Brad Davison off the dribble get into the lane and shovel a little slip pass to Happ for an easy basket. The freshman has already been tagged in the Josh Gasser role for his defensive intensity and hustle.
Now he’s showing more on the offensive end that makes him a valuable piece at a fluid guard rotation for Wisconsin. He finished 2nd on the Badgers with 13 points on 3/6 shooting with all his makes from three. He also connected on all four of his free throw attempts.
Davison played 26 minutes. At this rate, he may crack the starting rotation by 2018.
3. The Wisconsin bench is contributing more than its starters right now
Davison had 13 off the pine and Aleem Ford added 10 on 4/6 shooting. But the starting unit outside of Ethan Happ (23 points, 13 rebounds).
Yet the starters had an underwhelming day to put it mildly.
- Andy Van Vliet: 13 minutes, 0/1, 2 points, 1 rebound,1 turnover
- Brevin Prtizl: 26 minutes, 2/6, 7 points, 2 rebounds
- Khalil Iverson: 28 minutes, 2/10, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers
- D’Mitrik Trice: 36 minutes, 1/7, 3 points, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 block
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Trice especially has had a rough start to the year. He’s forcing too much. I need more than two assists in 36 minutes.
Wisconsin simply has to get more production from some of its returning players and its starters. Because Happ plus one other guy (apparently Davison) is not enough to win games. The shooting is concerning as you want (need) floor spacing shooters around Happ.