The Badgers have dropped two of their last three games, and while the two losses have come against good, tournament teams, Wisconsin's shooting woes have begun to pile up. So is it time to be concerned?
This year the Badger offense has exceeded all expectations and has put up historic numbers. Head coach Greg Gard has completely changed the identity of Wisconsin this season, changing from a slow paced, methodical offense, into a high-powered, three-point shooting juggernaut. And it's worked...so far. But when happens when the three ball stops falling? Badger fans are beginning to find out.
Badgers' three-point shooting has gone ice-cold
Over the course of the last three games, Wisconsin is a pitiful 22-for-90, or 24% from deep. Prior to those three contests, they were nearly 37% from beyond the arc, top 50 in the country. So it's no surprise that the Badgers lost two of those games, but the slump has a very real possibility of extending into March, which would be devastating for Wisconsin's postseason aspirations.
Certainly it could be argued that the Badgers have over-performed for a majority of the season. After all, they were projected to finish 12th in the preseason polls. But which Wisconsin will show up in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments? John Tonje, the Badgers' leading scorer, has shot just 16% from the three-point line over the last three games. He had been over 40% before the cold streak. His counterparts haven't been much better, with the Badgers' second-leading scorer John Blackwell shooting just 21% over that stretch.
Obviously, there are a lot of other variables at play in the losses, and shooting can be streaky at times, but it's clear the Badgers are headed down a slippery slope. There's no need to hit the panic button yet, but another sub-30% shooting performance from deep against Minnesota on Wednesday could move the needle closer.