3 Takeaways from Marquette Basketball losing to Wisconsin

Justin Lewis threw down a dunk with 17:44 left in the game to put Marquette Basketball up by a bucket. It seemed like Marquette was poised to pull off another stunning upset over No. 23 Wisconsin.

Steve Crowl tied the game on the next possession. Chucky Hepburn buried a three, and then longtime Badger Brad Davison hit an easy transition layup.

Finally, emerging Badgers’ star Johnny Davis took over, and next thing you know, the Badgers ran the Marquette Golden Eagles out of the gym with an 89-76 victory at the Kohl Center.

Davis scored a game-high 25 points for the Badgers. The Marquette Golden Eagles’ high scorer was Lewis with 14.

The game was back-and-forth in the first half. The  Badgers scored 55 points in the second half and shot an eye-popping 70% from the field.  Wisconsin upped its points per possession as well since the Marquette Golden Eagles’ defense just could not get many stops.

The few times Marquette could get a stop or force a Badger turnover, the Golden Eagles would give the ball back with a turnover of their own, an offensive foul, or a missed shot.

Marquette head coach Shaka Smart thought that not being effective on defense demoralized the team.

"“We just didn’t impose ourselves on the defensive end, and I think that was demoralizing for our guys on offense”"