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Wisconsin Badgers: Three Thoughts on the Loss against Maryland

By Daniel Tran

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The Wisconsin Badgers fell to a tough Maryland Terrapins team tonight at the Xfinity Center. Here are a couple thoughts regarding their effort.

1. Protect the paint, please.

The Wisconsin Badgers have the eighth-best defense in the nation and the best defense in the Big 10 Conference in terms of points allowed (55.4 and 58.3 per game, respectively). Their solid, straight-up approach to defense without having to force many turnovers is predicated on their ability to keep teams out of the paint and taking contested mid-range jumpers. The Badgers did not accomplish that tonight.

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Melo Trimble and Dezmine Wells had an absolute field day, and it all started with their ability to get to the rim and make tough baskets. Freshman sensation Melo Trimble finished the game with 16 points on 50 percent shooting, while Wells scored a game-high 26 points on 52.9 percent shooting.

Late in the game with Wisconsin down by three with 33 seconds left, Trimble broke down the Badger defense down and got a layup despite a foul to seal the game and put it out of Wisconsin’s reach. That play would be a microcosm of Wisconsins inability to the Terrapin’s dribble penetration.

2. Anyone else want to show up for the game?

Everyone knew the Wisconsin Badgers could depend on Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, and Nigel Hayes to perform against Maryland. The big question was if anyone else would step up and help them win this game on the road. No one did.

Aside from Kaminsky, Dekker, and Hayes, no one scored more than six points to help the Badger cause. In fact, two of the eight players that Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan played put up a fat zero against Maryland.

It did not help that senior guard Traevon Jackson and his 9.4 points per game is sitting on the bench and will probably not be back until the conference tournament. Jackson fractured his foot against Rutgers in January.

The good news is the Badgers were good enough to keep the game close even with poor production from the rest of the team. However, fans caught a glimpse of what can happen in the tournament if their main core receives no help.

3. Two is company. Three is a crowd, a bad one.

The Wisconsin Badgers are dangerous when they are working off Frank Kaminsky in the post and looking for easy baskets on the inside. The three-pointer is not usually their main weapon, but they did not get that memo tonight.

Wisconsin went 1 for 11 from beyond the three-point arc in the first half and dug themselves into an eleven-point hole. They were able to battle back in the second half going towards the rim more, but the damage had already been done.

The Badgers finished the game going 6 for 22 on their long-range shots, converting at a blistering 27.3 percent pace. Going forward, look for Wisconsin to go back inside to start the game and work off that success before bombing from the outside.

Next: Kansas mobbed after K-State storms the court

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