The Badgers played their third game in a row without Tyler Wahl (13.2 PPG) on Saturday as he continues to nurse an ankle injury, losing to Indiana in Bloomington 63-45. Wisconsin is now 0-3 without Wahl, their leading scorer, and Saturday’s 45-point performance was the lowest amount that’ve produced in a contest this season.
The Badgers struggled to a 32% field goal percentage in the contest, with only freshman Connor Essegian (14 points) scoring in double-digits. In addition to leading the team in scoring, Essegian also led the team in rebounds, producing a new career-high 11 boards.
Both Steven Crowl and Chucky Hepburn had tough games in Bloomington, scoring five and eight points respectively. With those two combining to average 25.9 points per game coming into this weekend’s matchup, their production Saturday left much to be desired.
On the opposite side, Indiana came into Saturday’s matchup riding a three-game losing streak. The Hoosiers were able to dominate the Badgers down low, outscoring their opponent 42-22 in the paint. Both Trayce Jackson-Davis (18 points and 12 rebounds) and Jordan Geronimo (12 points and 11 rebounds) finished double-doubles in the victory.
With the loss, Wisconsin’s record now stands at 11-5 and 3-3 in Big Ten contests. The Badgers will look to get off the schneid in their next contest on Tuesday (Jan. 17) when they return to the Kohl Center to take on Penn State (12-5) at 7:30pm.
Indiana improved to an 11-6 overall record with the victory and are now 2-4 in conference games this year. The Hoosiers will travel to Champaign to face off with the 12-5 Fighting Illini on Thursday (Jan. 19).
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