Wisconsin Basketball Slips Up, Falls 72-59 to Providence

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball team (1-2) had a tough showing on Tuesday night, falling 72-59 to the Providence Friars (3-0) at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.

The Badgers entered the matchup looking to steal a win from a solid Providence side on the road, following an exhausting loss to the No. 7 ranked Tennessee Volunteers last Friday.

Out of the gates, Wisconsin found zero luck on the offensive end of the floor. Gard’s boys were finding the right looks inside the paint, but hardly anything from within six feet found the back of the net. Carrying over from their previous game, the Badgers also couldn’t spark any heat from beyond the three-point arc, shooting only 25% for the second straight game. Meanwhile, the Friars were phenomenal from the field, shooting 58.5% and 44.4% from three. Forward Devin Carter led Providence with 21 points, shooting 6/8 and 6/9 from the free-throw line.

Onto some brighter notes, Wisconsin went 100% from the charity stripe after going 14/23 against the Volunteers. The Badgers also trailed by 25 at one point in the game but chipped away to cut their deficit to 13 by the final buzzer.

Newest Additions to Wisconsin Basketball Shine Bright… Again!

Sophomore transfer A.J. Storr proved his worth once again, leading Wisconsin with 22 points against the Friars. Unlucky near the rim, he only shot 7/17 from the field, but it was still enough to give the Badgers some life throughout the difficult matchup. He is a threat every time he’s given the ball, given his proven range, driving abilities, and slick mid-range jumper.

John Blackwell might just be the biggest surprise of this year’s roster. The true freshman put up 11 points in 26 minutes off the bench, and recorded five rebounds, only one less than the team leader. Blackwell’s fighting spirit is on display every minute he is on the court and he will continue to see valuable, crunch-time minutes under head coach Greg Gard. It feels like free points for the Badgers anytime they can get the 6’4″ guard open from the mid-range.

This Isn’t Football — There’s a LOT of Time to Shape Up

Any basketball fan knows that slip-ups can happen on any given night, against any given opponent. If the Badgers hit a couple more shots from behind the arc, it’s a completely different game. Sure, there’s a lot to improve on — but it’s hard to expect much from Wisconsin in their first road game in a rowdy atmosphere.

On top of that, sharp-shooter Connor Esssegian definitely isn’t 100%, and this is star-player A.J. Storr’s third full game with the rest of the team.

Tuesday night’s Badgers aren’t a fair presentation of what this Wisconsin basketball team could turn out to be this season.

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