Wisconsin basketball 'got what it deserved' in 77-73 loss to Oregon
The Wisconsin Badgers basketball team lost to the Oregon Ducks 77-73 at the Kohl Center; here are a few of my takeaways from the game.
The No. 11 Wisconsin men’s basketball team (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten) saw its five-game winning streak come to an end Saturday, falling 77-73 to Oregon at the Kohl Center and dropping to 13-2 at home.
This was a humbling moment for a team that had been firing on all cylinders as of late and put themselves in the mix for a Big Ten regular season title.
Wisconsin built a 17-point lead in the first half and appeared to be in control, but a second-half collapse—marked by tentative play and costly turnovers—allowed the Ducks to storm back and steal one in Madison.
"Credit goes to Oregon for forcing us to play uncharacteristically, especially those last eight minutes or so," Greg Gard said.
Here's what stood out from the Badgers' home loss to Oregon.
Lack of aggression cost Wisconsin
For much of the season, Wisconsin has prided itself on playing with poise, controlling the tempo, and executing down the stretch in big moments.
None of that was on display in the second half.
The Badgers committed 17 turnovers, with 11 coming after halftime—including five in the final 2:38 of regulation. Those miscues proved costly for a veteran team that typically finds success in tight games.
"The stats bear it out," Gard said. "When you don't shoot any free throws, and you have 17 turnovers—11 of those in the second half—you're not going to win many games.
"When you turn the ball over like that, it's a lack of aggression, it's a tentativeness. I thought we didn't play on our toes and keep the throttle down like we did in the first half. That's a credit to Oregon, not being able to attack the pressure, and trying to take it up slowly.”
That tentativeness showed up in more than just the turnovers.
Wisconsin entered the game having made more free throws (447) than their opponents had attempted (444), but you wouldn’t have known it on Saturday against the Ducks. The Badgers didn’t get to the charity stripe once in the second half and finished with just six total—a rarity for a team that usually cashes in at the free-throw line when it matters most.
Instead, the Badgers settled, hesitated, and let Oregon dictate the game late.
"When you play tentative, and you're not in the aggressive mindset like we have been for a long time, then you have the tendency to throw the ball where you shouldn't throw it, fumble the ball, and those start to add up," Gard explained.
"We got what we deserved, and we need to learn from it and move on."
Defense wasn't the problem
Wisconsin came into this one with a 30-1 record dating back to last season when holding opponents under 70 points. At the end of regulation, the Badgers had Oregon sitting at 66. That should've been enough, given how this team's offense has performed all year.
If this game taught us anything, it’s that Wisconsin’s biggest weakness is still facing teams that extend their defense beyond the three-point line and apply more on-ball pressure. It’s been an issue all season, and once again, it was a significant problem down the stretch against Oregon.
John Tonje had a game full of ebbs and flows. He went scoreless for the first 11-plus minutes, then caught fire—pouring in 16 points to close the half and looking every bit like an All-American. The problem? It didn’t carry over. He finished with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting, including 2-of-10 from deep, while adding seven rebounds and two assists.
Coach Gard acknowledged that Tonje was put in a tough spot but also pointed to areas where he needs to improve.
"Tonje had a lot. I mean, 20 shots is pretty inefficient," Gard said. "We tried to run some stuff and free him up, but Bamba was pretty well locked into him. Everybody can second guess it, but, John had 20 shots. The key with John is he needs to get to the free throw line more.
"We had him taking tougher shots, and had fours and fives that were turning down shots. That puts the pressure back on John to take a tougher shot, when the rest of us are not as aggressive as we need to be."
The Badgers didn’t give Tonje much support in the scoring column. Steven Crowl added 12 points and six rebounds, but the team failed to get him the ball in the low post after a strong start offensively, while Nolan Winter chipped in 11 points and three boards. Max Klesmit contributed eight points and four rebounds but, like the rest of the team, struggled to find any rhythm late when Wisconsin needed it most.
"They had 77 points on 76 possessions," said Gard. "It wasn't the defense, but the offensive execution that completely dried up."
Wisconsin had plenty of chances to put this one away, but between missed opportunities, sloppy turnovers, and Oregon capitalizing on mistakes, they let it slip. Over the course of a long season, you’re bound to drop a game you shouldn’t. The Badgers finally had theirs.
The challenge now? Making sure this stumble doesn’t spiral.
What’s next
Wisconsin won’t have much time to dwell on this one, as the Badgers return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. CT against Washington at the Kohl Center. The game will be televised on Peacock.
"Well, we'll get back to practice, watch the film, and prep for Washington," Gard said. "You can't sit here and feel sorry for yourself.
"It doesn't sit well with anybody. We beat ourselves for the most part, and we haven't done that nearly all year. So, we've got to bounce back, and, fortunately, this isn't like football, where you have to sit seven days and wait for your next game. We play again on Tuesday night. We'll get it out of our system and improve the areas that we need to improve."
The good news for Wisconsin? This loss doesn’t erase what they’ve built over the last few weeks. They’ve played their way into the mix for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament and proven they can compete with the best teams in the country. But if this game made anything clear, it’s that the margin for error shrinks in late February and beyond.
With a quick turnaround, the Badgers have a chance to respond and show they’ve learned from it. The key now is making sure this game is a wake-up call—not the start of a late-season slide.
We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.
You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.
If this can serve to notify the players, of what they are capable of in the most unappealing way, I hope it is productive. Five guys on the floor with no one willing to shoot and continually waiting for Tonje to produce, does not work. Blackwell needed to be more aggressive, feed the bigs in the post as we did in the first half. You know other teams will be watching this film and trying to duplicate what the Ducks pulled off. We need to grow up significantly from this experience to make a run... clearly we have not peaked, let's see if we can at the right time.
Everything you said...and my two-cents worth, being careless and sloppy with ball-handling. I'm glad there was no recording device in my tv room during the second half. Just...freekin yikes.