The No. 9 University of Arizona men’s basketball team suffered a devastating 103-88 loss against the University of Wisconsin Madison on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The Wildcats marked their first loss of the season to the Badgers as their current record stands 2-1.
Arizona took on Wisconsin for the first time this season since last December’s matchup where the Wildcats came out victorious 98-73. Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 22 points and six rebounds and Trey Townsend followed closely, finishing with 17 points with four rebounds.
First half
Wisconsin opened the first half with a 7-0 scoring run. Shortly after, Bradley scored a 3-pointer to get within 1 point of the 9-8 lead. Wisconsin responded to the Wildcats as John Tonje made a 3-pointer of his own to extend the Badgers lead by 10 points. Wisconsin led by as many as 18 points in the first half, marking the largest lead of the game.
Bradley kept the score close, logging 16 points for the Wildcats in the first half and hitting 5-of-7 of his free throws. Tonje, a graduate guard, led the first half with 22 points for Wisconsin, shooting a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line. Arizona went into halftime trailing Wisconsin 55-44.
Arizona dominated the board with 23 rebounds compared to Wisconsin’s 16. The Wildcats shot just 4-for-13 from the 3-point line, while the Badgers hit 6-for-13, shooting 46.2 percent.
Second Half
Tonje scored a 3-pointer just two minutes into the second half, increasing the lead between the Badgers and Wildcats with his game-high 41 points. Almost six minutes into the second half, KJ Lewis scored a layup, tying the score at 65. Henri Veesaar narrowed the gap between Arizona and Wisconsin by 2 points, but the Badgers responded with a 5-point scoring run to stay ahead. With under five minutes remaining in the game, Tonje extended the Badger’s lead to 15 points. Shortly after, Nolan Winter made a dunk, solidifying the 103-88 final score.
During the second half, Townsend took a hit to the knee and was taken out of the game. Soon after, he returned to the court where he contributed to the team’s overall score and advantages on the board. Arizona’s shots failed to fall, resulting in a widening score gap between the two teams. Lewis continuously drove to the hoop and got to the line, contributing 15 points and four rebounds.
Multiple players fouled out of the game including Caleb Love, Tobe Awaka and Steven Crowl, a Wisconsin forward. Love and Awaka’s absences caused major disruptions on the court as Wisconsin took advantage of the decrease in scoring. Arizona battled until the buzzer but ultimately fell short to Wisconsin.
“We got to adjust. We’re the team on the road […]. That’s basketball, and you know, you don’t play the victim and you don’t just double down on fouling harder and then getting frustrated when they call it. You got to play cleaner basketball and we didn’t adjust to how tight the game was being called and Wisconsin was able to take advantage of that all day,” head coach Tommy Lloyd said after the game.
Looking ahead
The Wildcats will remain home to compete against No. 6 Duke University on Friday, Nov. 22 at 8:30 p.m. in McKale Center. The Wildcats last saw the Blue Devils on Nov. 10, 2023, resulting in a 78-73 Arizona victory.
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