It was not the team performance Bo Ryan was looking for today against Georgetown, as the team lost 71-61. After a sluggish first half, the Badgers were unable to maintain a hot start in the second half to keep up with John Thompson III’s Hoyas. Georgetown was on fire from three, and the Badgers were outplayed physically throughout.
There’s a lot to digest from the team’s poor showing at Madison Square Garden. The team only shot 32.8% (20-61) from the field, including 26.3% (5-19) from three. Wisconsin did shoot 16-20 (80%) from the free throw line as well as outrebound Georgetown 38-37 with 17 offensive rebounds. The Badgers’ bench only scored 2 points compared to Georgetown’s 31.
Without further ado, here are the player grades and evaluations.
Player Grades
Nigel Hayes
Hayes was the only Badgers player to play well for most of the game, scoring 22 points on 7-16 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers. He arguably kept the Badgers in the game, and they would’ve been down by way more points without him. Defensively, Hayes played fine, but Georgetown’s own 6’9″ forward Isaac Copeland had 15 points, mainly stemming from 3-4 from three. Grade: A-
Ethan Happ
Happ recovered in the second half to put together a double-double, scoring 12 points and 11 rebounds (5 offensive). He was active on the offensive glass, but went 3-8 from the floor with some questionable shots. He did limit his fouls playing better defensively, as well as shoot 6-6 from the free throw line. Grade: B
Zak Showalter
When he was in the game (fouled out with 6 minutes left), Showalter played great defense on D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, scoring 7 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Obviously, fouling out limited his play and grade, but he was getting to the rim effectively and playing better compared to the rest of the team. Grade: C+
Jordan Hill
Hill played big minutes at the end of the game once Showalter fouled out. He played fine for the Badgers, but he still hasn’t made any sort of impact to get anyone excited. Grade: C
Khalil Iverson
Iverson had a lot of freshman moments, turning the ball over three times and looking lost on offense continuously. Still, his defensive play and rebounding for a freshman was impressive, but his offense is still a major work in progress. Grade: C-
Vitto Brown
Brown fouled out as well, and took a lot of questionable shots. He was able to score 9 points and 5 rebounds, but his shot selection and inability to play defense without fouling did not help the Badgers today. Grade: C-
Bronson Koenig
Man, Koenig really struggled today, going 2-12 from the floor (1-6 from three), turning the ball over twice, and not moving his feet well on defense. If Koenig can’t play well, this team is going to struggle to win all season as his shooting is that important. Grade: D-
Charlie Thomas
Thomas didn’t see much of the floor in the second half, as he had an abysmal first half. The freshman forward looked extremely lost on offense and was not hustling much today. Fortunately for Thomas, you would have to watch the film to see his poor play, as nothing really showed up in the box score. Grade: F
Note: Alex Illikainen and T.J. Schlundt played brief minutes, but nothing substantial to evaluate.
Photo from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Athletic Department.