Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers’ Fatal Flaws Exposed Once Again

The Wisconsin Basketball team is coming off a tough loss to Iowa after two issues that have plagued them all season were taken advantage of.

It’s been a roller coaster season for the Wisconsin Basketball team to say the least. There have been some brutal losses, but they’ve also put together a decent resume up to this point with wins over three top-25 teams, two of which came on the road.

However, in the Badgers’ most recent game against Iowa which included them having a 12 point lead with just 7:13 remaining in the second half, the Hawkeyes would finish the game on an incredible 23-5 run that was fueled by two of Wisconsin’s fatal flaws this season: 3 point shooting on the road and a lack of free throw attempts.

Now, unfortunately these aren’t the only two flaws that this team has but they are persistent ones that once again led to their demise.

Poor Shooting on the Road

This is already a streaky Wisconsin Basketball team that to their credit, can get hot shooting the ball at times, but more often than not we see them go ice-cold. And that is especially true when it comes to shooting behind the arc away from the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin’s overall 3 point percentage of 33.6 percent ranks 149th nationally but at home, they have been much better. This season the Badgers are hitting 38.9 percent of their shots from deep at the Kohl and that has certainly been a contributor to their 9-1 record there. But in enemy territory, that percentage falls off a cliff to 26.2 percent and it’s no coincidence that Wisconsin is only 3-8 away from home.

And against Iowa, we saw much of the same. Although they would briefly get hot at the start of the second half, ultimately when it mattered most, they went cold from 3 and hit just 28.6 percent of those shots. That inability to knock down shots played a major role in the Hawks comeback.

A Lack of Free Throw Attempts

Another problematic area for the Badgers this season has been their inability to get to the free throw line on a consistent basis. Now, part of this can be attributed to their slow style of play which limits their possessions and opportunities to draw fouls. With that said, in the limited possessions that they do have, it’s not like they’re exactly generating many free throw attempts either.

This season Wisconsin is averaging a measly 14.9 free throw attempts per game and against Iowa, they would muster just 11. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes had a whopping 32 attempts and say what you will about some of the questionable calls, in the end Wisconsin has to be better about forcing the issue in the paint. Especially when shots from the outside aren’t falling, which they weren’t.

For much of the season these two areas have caused major problems for the Badgers and at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Monday night, Iowa was able to capitalize on these deficiencies.

With upcoming meetings against Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, and Michigan, as a fringe NCAA Tournament team, the Badgers need to improve their 3 point shooting away from the Kohl and find ways to get to the line more if they hope to be playing meaningful basketball in March.