At the Buzzer: Wisconsin 91, Michigan 88

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Rapid reaction to Michigan’s 91-88 loss to Wisconsin.

The Moment

The No. 2 Michigan men’s basketball team is one that prides itself on its defense. Although the Wolverines have put up a plethora of high-octane games on offense, they blew teams out because of their defense. Sunday afternoon, there was nothing Michigan could do to stop Wisconsin’s offense during the first five minutes of the second half.

The Wolverines’ offense went cold toward the end of the second half and allowed the Badgers to mount a 20-7 run to end the first half. Then, in the first five minutes of the second half, Wisconsin made seven straight 3-pointers and broke the game open offensively.

The shooting from range during that five-minute period not only defined the Badgers’ successes in their upset win over Michigan in Ann Arbor, but was the main reason Wisconsin will go home with an elusive victory.

The Takeaway

In Sunday afternoon’s game, both teams played to their strengths. The Badgers have shot a high volume of 3-pointers all season long and didn’t hold back against the Wolverines. Wisconsin shot 33 total shots from beyond the arc and made its first seven 3-pointers to start the second half.

Wisconsin matched its season-high with 15 made 3-pointers on the night.

Michigan, although forced to play smaller rotations to defend the three, dominated in the paint. The Wolverines won the points in the paint margin 38-26 and proved defensively why they’ve had success in that category.

Ultimately, threes are worth more than twos, and Wisconsin’s ability to dominate that category and stay ahead of Michigan’s pace in the paint is what led it to win.

The Star

Michigan really started to slip offensively with about eight minutes left in the first half. Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. tried to keep things together and was the only Wolverine to score after the eight-minute mark in the first half — but junior guard Elliot Cadeau was the true source of the offensive spark Michigan needed in the second half.

Cadeau didn’t have a single point in the first half but finished the game with 19. When Wisconsin was red-hot from the field, especially from deep, Cadeau knocked home six shots in a seven-minute span.

The versatility Cadeau brought on offense, making shots from range but also driving into the lane and laying it high off the glass, helped Michigan stay close when the Badgers couldn’t miss. But in the end, Cadeau’s efforts fell short.

The Stat

If you’re a fan of 3-point shooting, Sunday afternoon’s game was a real treat.

Wisconsin started the second half with seven consecutive makes from beyond the arc and went 15-for-33 on the day for 45.5%. The Badgers finally cooled off and finished the game 3-for-7 shooting after making those first seven of the second half.

Although Michigan didn’t take as many shots from range, the Wolverines started strong but finished poorly. They made just one of their final 11 3-point attempts to finish the game 8-for-24, good for 33.3%.

Michigan had chances but eventually couldn’t stay on pace with one of the nation’s highest-volume 3-point shooting teams.