The University of Wisconsin basketball team’s struggles in Big Ten play continued as they fell 76-68 to the Maryland Terrapins in a hard-fought matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The loss marks another setback for a Wisconsin squad that has struggled to find consistency in conference play, raising concerns about their postseason hopes.
Wisconsin was able to start well from the field with a 3-pointer from senior Max Klesmit to set the tone early. Wisconsin and Maryland would go shot for shot throughout the entire first half, with Wisconsin pulling out to a six-point lead with 4:37 left in the half. Unfortunately for the Badgers, that would be the high point of the match, as it was essentially all downhill from there.
Maryland quickly rallied back, ending the half with the lead 32-31. Wisconsin would continue to hang with Maryland, even getting back out to a six-point lead with 16:24 left in the game. But, Maryland continued to rally thanks to a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double by freshman Derik Queen and the hole eventually became too deep to overcome.
Uncharacteristically, Wisconsin struggled from beyond the 3-point line, shooting just 9-for-27, including Klesmit shooting 1-for-6, bringing his season total to 35-for-121 (28.9%).
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Despite the loss, though, Missouri graduate transfer John Tonje excelled yet again, netting 20 plus points for a third straight game, shooting 8-for-16 from the field and 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Looking back on the season, Wisconsin has been a streaky team. They started out hot going 8-0, including a dominant 15-point win over No. 9 Arizona, then they dropped three in a row to Big Ten rivals Michigan and Illinois and in-state rival Marquette.
Since snapping the losing streak, Wisconsin has now gone 8-2, including a two point loss to UCLA and Wednesday’s loss, both on the road. The Badgers now sit fifth in the Big Ten, dropping one spot to their Wednesday opponent. Wisconsin enters undoubtedly their toughest stretch of games to close out the season, including No. 10 Purdue, No. 18 Illinois, No. 16 Oregon and No. 7 Michigan State.
In addition to the tough games, Wisconsin has to fight to claim one of the highly coveted double-byes in the Big Ten tournament, so those ranked opponents will feel all the more difficult come February.
Though dropping this game, Wisconsin is still on a great pace but needs to bounce back against Northwestern on Feb. 1. Northwestern rallies behind junior forward Nick Martinelli, so neutralizing him will be key for a bounce-back win this Saturday.