Wisconsin dropped its second consecutive game on Tuesday, falling to No. 18 Iowa in a heartbreaking 68-62 decision. Here are our top three takeaways from the game for the Badgers.
Wisconsin doomed by a late-game meltdown
The Badgers couldn’t have encountered much more adversity in this one.
They were already dealt a blow before the game even began with the announcement that their No. 2 scorer and arguably the team’s best player, Kobe King, did not travel with the team for personal reasons and appears to be mulling over his future with the program. When the ball actually rolled, Wisconsin started out ice-cold from the field and quickly started to get on the wrong end of the referee’s whistle. It was only due to their excellent defense that the Badgers were able to remain in the game.
Remarkably, Bucky had somehow managed to scrape together a 12-point lead by around the seven-minute mark in the second half thanks to a stretch of hot shooting to complement its solid play on the other end. What came next was an implosion of epic proportions.
Iowa proceeded to close the game on a 23-5 run that brought them victory as a result of some opportunistic shooting, a stifling 3/4 court press that shut down Wisconsin’s offense, and some help from the officials. They had not led since the first minutes of the game, but the Hawkeyes managed to take the lead again with just over a minute left in the game.
Regardless, the Badgers had a possession to go down and try to tie the game with about 30 seconds remaining. However, Brad Davison was dealt a devastating flagrant foul that effectively sealed the deal for Iowa. It was the story of the game for Wisconsin, who committed a season-high 28 fouls to Iowa’s 15. The Hawkeyes’ 25-32 clip from the free-throw line was the difference in this one.
For a program that has suffered plenty of late-game collapses over the last few years, this one may take the cake.