Wisconsin had problems on defense long before they were exposed in the loss to Penn State
MADISON – As both the points and plaudits piled up, coach Greg Gard understood Wisconsin’s offensive efficiency was sometimes masking the team’s defensive shortcomings.
That was the case in a 16-point victory over Nebraska and, to a lesser extent, in an 11-point victory over Iowa.
Nebraska shot 46.2% from three-point range and 49.1% overall but couldn’t slow UW. Iowa shot 41.2% from three-point range but couldn’t slow UW. The Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes both lost by double digits despite scoring 72 points.
“We’ve been over a point per possession in what we’ve allowed in several of the games we have won,” Gard said. “With the three-point shot and everything, some of that gets covered up because of how we have played offensively.”
Then came Tuesday night at Penn State, when the Nittany Lions became the fourth team this season to shoot better than 50% overall against UW.
The result was an ugly 87-83 loss for the Badgers.
“We’ve got a ways to go,” Gard said of his team’s defense. “I’ve thought that all year. We are not where we need to be and can be and should be.
“We hadn’t been exposed in a while. We got exposed tonight.”
Tennessee, Providence and Arizona did the same. All three teams shot at least 50.0% and UW lost by 10, 13 and 25 points, respectively.
A slow start offensively – 1-for-6 shooting and three turnovers – and giving up 16 points off 13 turnovers overall – contributed to UW’s demise at Penn State.
But the Badgers lost for the first time since getting drilled at Arizona because they couldn’t control guards Ace Baldwin Jr. and Kanye Clary.
“Those are two of the quickest guards you’ll see,” Gard said. “They had us on our heels and they made plays.”
Greg Gard's team gave up points in bunches early and late in the loss at Penn State
Let’s examine UW’s defensive inefficiency in the loss to the Nittany Lions.
Penn State averaged 1.026 points in the opening half (39 points on 38 possessions) and improved to 1.263 points per possession in the second half (48 points on 38 possessions).
In the first half, the Nittany Lions scored on at least three consecutive possessions three times. They had scoring streaks of six consecutive possessions and eight consecutive possessions in the second half.
Two streaks were critical.
Penn State opened the game by scoring on its first four possessions for a 10-2 lead. Baldwin had five points and assisted on a three-pointer and Clary hit two free throws.
“They did a really good job getting downhill on us,” Steven Crowl said. “It is a team effort, whether it is the bigs stopping the ball, the guards getting over the ball screen.
“We have to play more team defense rather than individual defense, thinking we’ve got to play one-on-one. It is a team package.
“Tonight, was not guarding the ball screens, with those guards getting downhill.”
The second streak was startling.
UW scored 10 points on five possessions but went from tied (45-45) to trailing by four (59-55) with 11 minutes 52 seconds left in the game because the Nittany Lions scored 14 points on six possessions. Baldwin had six points and an assist and Clary had four points in the run.
Yes, UW eventually took a 70-68 lead on a three-pointer by Klesmit. But had the Badgers gotten stops on just half of those six possessions they would have been leading.
“We were trading baskets all game,” freshman guard John Blackwell said. “It starts on the defensive end, stopping the ball from getting into the paint.”
Can the Badgers give a better defensive effort Friday night against visiting Indiana?
Next up for UW (13-4, 5-1 Big Ten) is a game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Kohl Center against Indiana (12-6, 4-3).
The Hoosiers are not an offensive juggernaut and don’t have guards like Baldwin and Clary who can consistently disrupt a defensive plan with dribble penetration.
They are 11th in the Big Ten in scoring (73.9 ppg) and ninth in the league in three-point shooting (33.0%), though the three-point shooting in league play is 36.6%.
"It is a team that plays through paint," Gard said after practice Thursday. "Much like we do. Much like Purdue does. It is going to have a different feel. There might not be too teams that are night and day different in terms of contrasting styles and approaches."
Nevertheless, the Badgers must shore up the weak areas in their defense for the Hoosiers and the rest of the season.
According to the basketball analytics website KenPom.com, Wisconsin is No. 6 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency at 120.0 points per 100 possessions. The Badgers are No. 39 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency at 97.1 points per 100 possessions.
“I still think we can be so much better,” Tyler Wahl said after the loss to Penn State, noting allowing teams to score 1.0 points per possession is too much. “It’s probably somewhere in the middle of the pack compared to teams I’ve been on, but we can be so much better with the athletes we have and the basketball minds.
“We could be scary good, and we need to get that pounded into our heads a little bit. I think this loss will help us out.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball offense hid flaws with defense
