Wisconsin came out with an added level of energy for Saturday's senior day contest but wasn't able to send their six seniors out with a victory, squandering a double-digit lead in the first half and falling to Penn State by 11 points.
The Badgers leapt out to a 13-3 lead in the opening minutes and dominated early action before Penn State switched to a zone defense deep in the first half. The Nittany Lions would trim the Wisconsin lead to five points at halftime after the Badgers went scoreless in the final four minutes. Penn State carried their momentum -- and that zone defense -- into the second half, going on a 16-7 run to open the period and take a lead. Wisconsin shot 3-for-10 from the field to start the second while allowing Penn State to knock down six of its 11 attempts. Wisconsin led for only 25 seconds in the final 16 minutes.
The Badgers never seemed comfortable on the offensive end, while Penn State picked the Badgers' defense apart. Wisconsin's defeat comes with an extra layer of disappointment, as it would have clinched a double bye in next week's Big 10 Tournament with a victory. Instead, they'll limp into postseason play having lost three of their final five regular-season bouts.
Here are my biggest takeaways from the shocking defeat:
Three-pointers still aren't falling
Wisconsin shot 26.5 percent from three-point range in its last four games. It looked as though they'd snap the cold spell early Saturday, drilling six of thier first seven attempts from distance and generating consistent open looks. Then, the air conditioning turned on. Wisconsin would miss 16 of its next 17 three-point attempts, killing its offensive momentum and allowing Penn State to crawl back from their double-digit deficit and claim a second-half lead.
The Badgers finished with a 10-for-31 (32.3 percent) mark from beyond the arc, further decreasing their season average, which stood at 36 percent prior to this cold snap. On the opposite end, Penn State had no difficulties knocking down threes, hitting on 11 of their 19 attempts (57.9 percent). What's particularly disappointing about Wisconsin's performance on the perimeter is that the Nittany Lions entered Saturday's game allowing opponents to shoot over 35 percent from three on the season -- the second worst percentage of any team in the Big 10.
For as many three-pointers as the Badgers get up nightly, they'll need to be more efficient to make a run in the Big 10 tournament, or in the NCAA Tournament.
Badgers had no answer for Dunn, Konan Niederhauser
Ace Baldwin, a 2023-24 Third-Team All-Big Ten player and the Nittany Lions' leading scorer and assister, likely topped the Badgers scouting report Saturday. Yet, it was Yanic Konan Niederhausen and DeMarco Dunn who led the way for Penn State.
Konan Niederhausen benefitted from PSU's frequent zone defense, roaming the painted area and swallowing the Badgers' attempts at the rim. The center swatted five shots and altered many more. His impact extended to the offensive side, punishing Wisconsin for overhelping on the pick and roll or taking advantage of mismatches down low. He totaled 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
Dunn led all scorers with 25 points. He got to wherever he wanted to go in this one, getting to the rim at will off the dribble or as a cutter while also knocking down his looks from beyond the arc. He shot 10-for-12 from the field and 4-for-5 from three, and 15 of his points came in the second half.
Injuries, foul trouble too much to overcome
Wisconsin came into Saturday's came shortstaffed due to the absence of Klesmit. Their depth was tested even further when Kamari McGee and Jack Janicki picked up their third personal fouls within the first five minutes of the second half. This resulted in our first look at Camren Hunter for an extended period, and the Central Arkansas transfer went 0-for-3 from the field, committed a five second violation on an inbounds past and had a personal foul in his five minutes of play.
To make matters worse, Nolan Winter came up favoring his right arm after slamming home a putback dunk with 16:40 left to play. Winter was immediately subbed out and went back to the locker room. He returned to the hardwood four minutes later, wearing a long sleeve undershirt but was taken off the floor after a few possessions and didn't play in the final 11 minutes.
A report by Pete Thamel of ESPN from earlier Saturday indicated Klesmit would likely be cleared for the Big 10 tournament, but the Badgers will need to get healthy and stay available if they want a chance at competing for a conference championship next weekend.