The Wisconsin Badgers lost in a frustrating contest to the UCLA Bruins 85-83 in Los Angeles on Tuesday. It was a game the Badgers felt slipped away, and the flow of the game struggled to stay under the control of Wisconsin. That flow was constantly interrupted by the referees, and while this may seem to play in favor of the Badgers, who are over 85% at the free-throw line, the Bruins shot more free throws and found themselves working the whistle game to their advantage.
Wisconsin fans first noticed the refs seemed to want to influence the game at the end of the first half when Jack Janicki was called for an intentional foul. In one sense of the word, it was an intentional foul because head coach Greg Gard called for a foul since they had some to give. However, that's not what an intentional foul is in basketball. It led to a four-point swing.
Can we talk about how bad the intentional foul call was at the end of the half. Someone needs to share with the zebras that just because a team has fouls to give and is trying to foul does not, by rule, make it intentional. That was a 6th grade gym class call.
— Badgermaniac (@THEbadgermaniac) January 22, 2025
Greg Gard fully acknowledged the momentum the four-point possession gave UCLA at the end of the first half but was not happy with the intentional foul called.
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) January 22, 2025
"I'll see what the league has to say about the call. I mean, they knew what we were doing. We had fouls to give."
Greg Gard said he will send the intentional foul at the end of the first half to the conference.
That wasn't the only bad call that was noticed by Badger fans. There was frustration with what felt like some clear home cooking.
That was a winnable game for Wisconsin, but the officiating was objectively atrocious
— Scary Alvarez (@barryisthedon) January 22, 2025
It was a pacifier for whiny baby "We Have to Travel A Lot" Cronin
Great game nothing to be ashamed of. Refs are the reason there’s an L on the record
— Lion Trees (@LionTreez) January 22, 2025
Second half ref show
— Andrew (@Drewgib13) January 22, 2025
Every thing is a foul against us
— Badger Barstool (@badgerbarstool) January 22, 2025
Wtf are these calls!? Mack knocks Klesmitt TF away and no call but Tonje drives and dude flops and that's a charge?!
— Jeremy Wojtecki (@jwojPAC) January 22, 2025
While the refs were bad, and the calls did seem to favor UCLA more often than not, this game was winnable in spite of that for Wisconsin, and it slipped away. Many of the same Wisconsin fans who complained about the refs will admit that there are things the Badgers needed to clean up, and it wasn't a perfect game. Winning on the road in the Big Ten is tough, and Wisconsin showcased how it can throw a team out of sync in this game.
Can't go on the road, turn the ball over double digits, and let two guys averaging a combined 13 PPG score 45 points. Yeah, the officiating sucked, but Badgers just need to play better.
— Badgermaniac (@THEbadgermaniac) January 22, 2025
The Wisconsin Badgers return to action back at home on Sunday, January 26th at noon in the Kohl Center. That game will air on the Big Ten Network.