Wisconsin and Michigan State in a Quarterfinal matchup. After splitting the series this season, this game was a highly anticipated grudge match. In the end, Wisconsin couldn’t overcome the dreaded shooting and were eliminated in the first round losing 69-63. It is the first time in Big Ten tournament history that the top two seeds lost on the same day with Illinois losing this morning. Here’s my thoughts on the game.
Ice Cold
Wisconsin had its worst offensive half of this season. Not a very opportune time for that to happen, however they only trailed by two at the break. The second half was certainly better but simply not enough. Big Ten Player of the year Johnny Davis went 3/19 from the field. As a team, the Badgers went 22/59 and 7/23 from the three point line.
#Badgers story filed. Interviews now. UW 7-24 from deep, 22-60 overall and 12-21 from FT line. Davis hit 3 of 19 shots.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) March 12, 2022
I always feared that a cold shooting game would come back to haunt them. Unfortunately that was tonight. Not only did they struggle from the field, but they shot 12/21 from the free throw line. A team that is so good at the line, I never imagined that would cost them a game.
Officiating
I never want to bring the officials into my articles or any of my work. But, tonight it was simply impossible not to mention it. I will be quick I promise. Were the officials the reason Wisconsin lost? No. They did however have some really big calls that were momentum changers. A missed travel on a dunk, inconsistent calls on physical play which resulted in foul trouble. I mean Brad Davison got blatantly shoved and there was no call. Brad not getting a fair whistle because of his reputation is absurd. Johnny Davis shot the ball 19 times and only shot six free throws. Again, I will reiterate, this is not the reason Michigan State won. They played great.
Dribbling is optional pic.twitter.com/j1fdN3wb42
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) March 12, 2022
It isn’t just Wisconsin either. Go search “Big Ten refs” on Twitter and look at the results. The Big Ten has a serious officiating issue and it’s not just salty fans complaining. I’m excited to see how they officiate the rest of the tournament. I imagine this won’t be the last time we hear about them.
Pick and Roll Defense
The Badgers have struggled all year in defending the pick and roll. Whether it be the ball handler scoring or the big man rolling. For some reason they have struggled to stop it. Marcus Bingham had his way rolling to the rim all night on his way to a career high. When Wisconsin needed a stop the most, Tyson Walker picked them apart on back-to-back pick and rolls.
Not the first huge shot Tyson Walker has hit in the last couple of weeks.#B1Gtourney x @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/N4gq3gAM3B
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 12, 2022
Moving On
Like I’ve mentioned before, there is no time to sulk in college basketball. This obviously wasn’t the result Wisconsin hoped for, but they still will get a good seed in the NCAA tournament. There will certainly be some time off for the Badgers, I hope they are eager to get back on the court and avenge these back-to-back losses.
As far as the tournament goes, Wisconsin coming into tonight was a projected two seed. I think now a number three seed seems more reasonable. I’m excited to see the bracket on Sunday and continue this awesome season.
Final Thought
Shoutout to Brad Davison who played his heart out. He kept the Badgers in the game with timely shots to bail them out. Along with that, Chucky Hepburn hit some monster shots down the stretch to keep Bucky in it. Let’s rally and try to make a run in the Big Dance. On Wisconsin!
🥵 @braddavi34 always delivers when @BadgerMBB needs it 👏 pic.twitter.com/Hh5dAKvqBN
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 12, 2022
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