Wisconsin’s offensive struggles in the latter portion of the season was a concern going into Friday’s NCAA Tournament opener against Oregon and those concerns turned out to be valid.
The Badgers shot just 20 percent from three-point range (6 of 30) and 33.3 percent overall (20 of 60), falling to the Ducks 72-54, seeing their season come to an end.
The loss was an embarrassment for the Badgers, who were tied with the Ducks, 25-25 at halftime.
Ethan Happ finished with 12 points and eight rebounds but turned it over five times.
Khalil Iverson, who has played well down the stretch, was the most effective Badger player in the loss, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.
Brad Davison missed all seven of his three-point attempts. D’Mitrik Trice made just 2 of 10 from distance while Brevin Pritzl went 0 for 3 and Kobe King and Aleem Ford missed both of their attempts.
The Ducks (24-12) ran their win streak to nine games. Point guard Payton Pritchard finished with 19 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
The Badgers have struggled to score down the stretch and it was just a matter of time before the poor shooting would catch up with them.
The Badgers saw their season come to an end at 23-11. They lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013 when they were eliminated by 12th seeded Ole Miss 57-45, in Kansas City.