Badger’s takeaways from No. 11 Wisconsin’s 67-64 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten opener

MADISON, Wis. – Michigan 7-footers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf worked to find a nickname for their tandem, a partnership that could potentially create matchup nightmares throughout the Big Ten schedule.

Here’s one you can train: Badger Bashers.

Goldin and Wolf controlled the low post, overcoming Wisconsin’s defensive errors and moving Wisconsin into the middle Steven Crowl an insignificant factor in the 67-64 win at the Kohl Center.

It was a disappointing setback for the Badgers (8-1, 0-1 Big Ten), who shut down Michigan’s guards but struggled to consistently make free throws against the Wolverines’ top-10 defense. Things don’t get any easier for the Badgers considering No. 5 Marquette has a defense that’s rated five spots higher than the Wolverines.

“I think we’ll respond great,” the guard said John Blackwell said. “We have a great group of vets who have been through this. You won’t win every game. We’ll be fine. We will build on this loss, take it in stride and move forward.”

Here are my takeaways from the Kohl Center.

In a battle of teams with 7-foot aprons, it was no contest.

Wolf is described as a 7-foot point guard based on his approach to basketball. Goldin is full of muscle in the low post. Together, they pounded Wisconsin relentlessly in the second half when Crowl ran into foul trouble and caused a mismatch problem.

Wolf was active early with nine points, six rebounds and five blocks. Goldin struggled to go 2 of 7 around the rim. Both players took advantage of UW’s interior space, with Wolf going 4 of 6 with five assists and Goldin going 7 of 9, mostly with dunks at the rim. The duo scored 28 of Michigan’s 41 second-half points and 44 of 67 points as Crowl and Winter found themselves caught guarding the pick-and-roll or failing to provide enough resistance to the player rolling toward the basket.

That became apparent late when Goldin got behind the Wisconsin defense and scored easy baskets at the rim to allow Michigan to answer UW’s offense and take control in the final three minutes.

“We weren’t physical enough,” said Sturmer Nolan Winters said. “We weren’t focused on the ball screen in what we were doing. We’re both the big ones. We know it. We know we have to get better and Steven knows he doesn’t have any foul problems anymore. We need him out there and the presence he brings us. It’s poor communication.

“They are two great 7-foot players who come out of ball screens. They know what they’re doing, but we need to do a much better job of dealing with it.”

Crowl and Winter hoped Tuesday would be their big coming out party. The end of the first half was promising. With John Tonje Crowl and Winter were on the bench due to foul trouble for the final 6:02 and helped the Badgers to a 13-6 run in the half, primarily by creating and finding space.

Blackwell drew a double team on the low block and split a bounce pass to Crowl for an easy completion on the glass. Kamari McGee The double team was also successfully explored, pulling Goldin away from the basket to stop dribble penetration before making a pass to Winter. With guard Tre Donaldson switching late, Winter had an easy dunk at the rim. With Blackwell leading the break on the next possession, the sophomore attacked the right block, drew the double team and passed to Winter for another slam.

That allowed Wisconsin to take a six-point lead into the locker room despite the Badgers shooting 32.3 percent in the first half. Much of that action was cut short in the second half, as the Badgers went 4 of 14 from the rim and the UW duo was just 1 of 4 from the floor.

The defensive mistakes don’t all fall on the strikers. Wisconsin’s guards struggled at times to guard roles and win individual matchups. The Badgers held Michigan from three-point range for 6:25, but the 18-9 run early in the second half came as Michigan attacked and converted, erasing UW’s six-point halftime lead became.

“They’re both veterans and have been at this for a while,” Winter said as Michigan shot 61.5 percent in the second half. “Their games complement each other really well. The ball screens caused some problems for our defense. They did a really good job and are both really talented. Find each other and get closure.”

Tonje led Wisconsin with 18 points for the seventh time (12 in the second half), but the senior didn’t play in control like he had in many games this season. Blackwell was a different story with 16 points and nine rebounds, including his work on the offensive glass

Blackwell grabbed four offensive rebounds in the first seven games of the season and matched that number against Michigan, including two in a stretch that showed he is on his way to becoming the future of the Wisconsin program.

On consecutive possessions in the second half, Blackwell beat guard Roddy Gayle Jr. on three-point attempts, recovered the loose ball and finished at the rim. When he hit a step-back jumper on the next trip, Blackwell’s 6-0 run gave UW a 47-44 lead.

UW finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second-chance points, a big boost for a team that ranked 291st nationally in offensive rebounds (9.0 per game).

“His ability to catch offensive rebounders and finish there,” head coach said Greg Gard said. “He played a lot of minutes. We needed him on the floor. He did a lot of good things in the second half.”

Blackwell didn’t play perfectly, as his season-high five turnovers suggests. UW was well below the 17.3 turnovers Michigan forced in a game, but UW’s 10 turnovers led to 13 Michigan points.

Gard remembered it clearly Max Klesmit drove into the lane and made a turnaround jumper on a play in the paint, giving the Badgers a 64-61 lead with 2:37 left. He probably remembers it because it was the last point UW scored or because it was Klesmit’s only field goal of the second half.

Klesmit shot 3-for-14 from the floor and 1-for-9 from three, numbers that, while not pretty, are better than his second-half stats of 1-9 and 0-6.

The senior missed three consecutive possessions that would have tied the game or given Wisconsin the lead. He missed one badly and barely pulled iron on another.

“Honestly, I think they’re good shooters,” Blackwell said. “Max, Kamari, JT, keep shooting the ball. They look great. They will fall sooner. I liked the way we looked. We just need to get back in the gym and do more reps.”

Wisconsin shot a season-worst 18.8 percent (6-for-27) on three-pointers, a lack of perimeter success that prevented the Badgers from spreading the court. Michigan’s failure to spread out prevented the Badgers from attacking gaps and getting to the free throw line, where they scored 14 of 19 (their third-fewest points of the season).

Gard assumed Wisconsin forced at least one possession down the stretch, but that Klesmit had open looks. Klesmit’s three-point miss with 22 seconds left was originally supposed to be a possession with the Badgers going by two, but Blackwell drew two defenders and kicked the ball to the senior.

“Max has taken these shots before,” Gard said. “He’s in a crisis right now. We have to help him get out of there.”

Gard also lamented Winter’s missed free throw, which left UW trailing by three with three seconds left. With a plan to make the first and miss the second, Gard said UW practiced the exact scenario and ran the drill on Monday.

But the bigger concern is Klesmit, who shoots the worst overall (32.6 percent) and from three-point range (25.4). In the last four games, Klesmit is 9-for-39 from the floor (23.1 percent) and 5-for-28 from beyond the arc (17.9).

“You have to keep shooting,” Gard said. “Work on it. You must not hesitate or be gun-shy. You have to keep working on things in training, taking extra shots, you just have to work your way out.”

21.2 – Michigan’s shooting percentage in the first half. The Wolverines finished at 39.0 percent after going 16-26 in the second half.

7:42 – Number of minutes the Wolverines went without a field goal at the end of the first half

3:02 – The longest field goal drought for Michigan came in the second half

19 – Quick break points for Michigan, which outscored the Badgers by 15 points in transition

5 – Shot attempts by Crowl, only three of which were from two-point range.

3 – Michigan’s winning streak in the series was its longest against the Badgers since 2000.

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