As the Wisconsin Badgers get ready to hit the road for a pair of Big Ten
games this week, they need to figure out what’s wrong defensively.
The Badgers allowed Michigan to shoot better than 60% from the field in the first half on Saturday to pull out a 77-70 win over Wisconsin at the Kohl Center.
Michigan got 23 points from sophomore guard Nik Stauskas, including 15 in the second half and nine in the final minute to help the Wolverines hold off a Badger rally down the stretch.
Wisconsin (16-2, 3-2 Big Ten) dropped behind Iowa (15-3, 4-1) in the Big Ten standings.
The Wolverines are number 1 in the Big Ten in field goal percentage accuracy (48.4%). They shot it 54.7% against the Badgers, the best shooting performance against the Badgers this season.
The Badgers made a late run, scoring 17 points in their final 10 possessions, but it was too little, too late. Had they played with the urgency the first 30 minutes that they showed in the final 10, Wisconsin may have won the game.
Wisconsin now hits the road for two games in Big Ten play this week. They’ll face the Minnesota Gophers on Wednesday night in the Twin Cities, then head to Purdue next Saturday.
AUDIO: Sam Dekker says they can’t dwell on the loss :14
AUDIO: Josh Gasser – it’s a long season, but we have to get better :13