The Wisconsin Badgers have lost their second game of the season after visiting the Marquette Golden Eagles in a heated rivalry game.
The Badgers unfortunately proved to be the weaker team, committing 15 turnovers and allowing Marquette to score easy baskets early on. Wisconsin kept a close game heading into halftime, but struggled to do the same throughout all of the second-half of play. Guard Kam Jones in particular was someone Wisconsin struggled to defend and the guard managed to drop 32-points.
It was one of those games where the Wisconsin Badgers felt helpless against a Marquette team that seemingly did everything right. When the Golden Eagles needed a steal, Jones was there and when they needed a bucket he was there as well. Forward David Joplin was another crucial piece in the win as his defense was stellar all game long.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, would gain momentum at times but never quite found a way to shift the tides of the game. The Badgers worked hard but turned the ball over 16 times and no matter how well they played defensively or shot the basketball, that is hard stat to comeback from. Wisconsin is beginning to look human as the meat of the schedule has begun, but that does not mean that the team did not finish the game without positives to note.
Wisconsin Badgers Lose 88-74 Against Red-Hot Marquette Golden Eagles
For the Wisconsin Badgers, the name of the game was to establish an outside presence and while that happened, the Badgers also struggled in other areas.
Starting off with what went right for Wisconsin fans must look at the first-half of play when Wisconsin entered the half leading by two. The Badgers were getting the ball to John Tonje, who was driving to the basket, and also allowed Max Klesmit to roam free outside of the three-point line. Another important player to note would be John Blackwell, who is quietly improving his offense and has been attacking the rim like Tonje has lately.
When Wisconsin attacked the basket while utilizing screens and off-ball motion, the team had plenty of success against a tough Marquette defense. However, once the defense tightened up the Badgers seemingly did not have another plan on offense and the turnovers began to stack up during this time. If the Wisconsin Badgers can hold onto the basketball when entering the paint, then likely the team walks away with a win over the Golden Eagles.
What really went wrong for Wisconsin started and ended on the offensive side of the basketball despite the struggles the defense had. Wisconsin allowed Kam Jones to warm up and once Jones was in the zone he was truly a player that the defense could not stop. Once the Badgers began to foul on defense and in the paint, the fouls appeared to be filled with frustration.
Moving forward, the Wisconsin Badgers will need to find a way to both limit mistakes and move past the mistakes that occur. The Badgers did an excellent job at this earlier in the season against weaker teams such as App State and UCF who both led by wide margins.
If Wisconsin can return to the level of hype and excitement within the team that was seen during the Greenbrier Tip-Off, then the Badgers should have a fantastic team moving forward.
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