1. Due to the endgame clock issues everyone knew this game was at Wisconsin. But the focus was on the clocks and that if the home team had clocks with different times on them, then it was their own fault. Lost in that was the bigger meaning of Wisconsin losing at home, and doing so for the 2nd straight game. And earlier this season they lost at home to Marquette. Now Wisconsin’s home record is 8-3, while they’re 2-1 on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites. The loss to Marquette snapped a 21 game home winning streak (and 39 of 40), and the three home losses matches their worst output since 2008. They haven’t lost four games at home since 1998.
2. Michigan State now leads the Big Ten at 3-0. Purdue and Michigan are each 2-0, and every other team has at least one loss. They’ve won 14 straight which is a 2nd place tie behind Syracuse’s 15, and their next game is at home against Iowa. This is the longest winning streak since the 1998-99 season in which they won 22 in a row.
3. Jordan Taylor was the only Wisconsin player in double figures. He made 5-6 2s, 2-5 3s and 12-16 FTs, leading to 28 points. For much of the 2nd half the Wisconsin offense revolved around getting him the ball at the top of the key and having everyone else get out of the way. Taylor made both his 3-pointers in the final :24 seconds of overtime, and missed a third with :03 seconds left that would have tied it.
4. Wisconsin generated just 5 assists on 18 made baskets. Much of this was due to letting Taylor work one-on-one with the Michigan State defense, but generating shots through effective ball movement has been a season long problem for the Badgers. Wisconsin only records an assist on 51.9% of their made shots, which is the lowest since at least 2000.
5. The Badgers failed to score a single fast break bucket. Not that they’re known for getting up and down the court. This was a 56 possession game in regulation (overtime added another 10). But failure to get one free bucket in a game which they lost in overtime is crucial.
