It would be a mistake to panic about Wisconsin’s defense after Tuesday night’s game against Nebraska. First of all, every game has its own flow, and the way this game was played, Wisconsin knew it would get high-quality shots on a consistent basis. Many games are rugged, but this one was a lot more free-flowing. There were fewer than 30 total fouls. Only 23 free throws were attempted in the whole contest. Neither team committed a lot of turnovers (21 total for the game).
How fluid was this game? Those stats tell part of the story, but the ultimate indication of a flowing, relaxed basketball game is how quickly it is played. This game clocked in at under 1 hour and 50 minutes in duration, beginning a few minutes after 8 p.m. in the Kohl Center and ending at 9:51.
Observe the time stamp here, at 51 past the hour:
Final: #Badgers 82-68 over NEB.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) January 22, 2020
The other key point to make, in addition to the emphasis on some games being more fluid than others, is that in a long season, not every game can — or will — be played with the exact same level of intensity. Coaches do try to get teams to play with relative consistency, and when teams are erratic over a three- or four-week span, it is definitely a concern. However, there will be individual nights when the pilot light — if not out — will burn more dimly than others. That is a simple fact of competition and human limitation. Look at the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston on Monday. They were spent. They had nothing. It is hardly an indication of future trouble, but for one night, they had absolutely zero in the fuel tank. It happens.
So, with this in mind, one shouldn’t be alarmed about Wisconsin’s defense.
Yet, we can also make the simple point that a comparatively relaxing game against Nebraska can’t enable the Badgers to slip into bad habits. If Wisconsin’s 18-of-34 3-point shooting isn’t likely to carry over into future games, this defensive performance probably won’t carry over as well… but Greg Gard has to make sure of that.
If this game gave Wisconsin more of a margin for error, more safe space in which it could evolve on offense, this game also carried the risk that against a less threatening opponent, the defense would relax. That is precisely what happened in the first half before the Badgers cleaned up their defense in the second half.
No, one shouldn’t be too worried, but let’s indeed keep an eye on the defense this Friday in West Lafayette against Purdue. We wouldn’t want bad habits on defense to cancel out emergent good habits on offense.