Wisconsin fell to Maryland on Wednesday night by a score of 68-76. It was only the second time this season the Badgers failed to reach 70 points, a figure they are 17-2 when eclipsing. One of the issues last night, and too many others, was the inconsistent offensive play of guard Max Klesmit. Head coach Greg Gard might finally have to make a decision about whether to keep the senior in his starting lineup.
Last night, Klesmit was 1-for-8 from the field and 1-for-6 from beyond the arc. It was his sixth game shooting 20% or worse from the field this season and his ninth under 30%. On the year, he is shooting just 33% and only 28% from three, a far cry from 44% and 40% from last season. Klesmit has been very good on defense and passing on offense, but his shooting slump has now become a liability.
How should Gard handle Max Klesmit's poor play in the last few games?
Kamari McGee has played well off the bench and has been brought up as a potential Klesmit replacement in the starting lineup. He's shooting 51% from the floor and blistering 54% from deep. On the other hand, Wisconsin is still a 16-5 team with this current lineup, and any major changes could ruin a good thing.
Ultimately, regardless of a lineup change or not, it's probably time to start getting McGee more minutes in favor of the struggling Klesmit. Max still has a huge role in this team and should absolutely still be getting good playing time, but maybe Gard needs to reduce his time a bit until his offensive game returns.
Whatever the outcome, the Badgers need to get this ship righted soon, as they'll face back-to-back-to-back top 25 teams this month in a brutal stretch. Three straight losses could be devastating for a team trying to keep momentum into the Big Ten tournament. How Gard handles this dilemma could mean the difference between a one-seed or a 10-seed.