Ethan Happ finished with 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting for No. 15 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
The rest of the Badger team? They were 8-for-42 from the floor and 3-for-25 from three, putting together one of the most abysmal offensive performances in the history of college basketball in a 61-54 overtime win over Rutgers at Madison Square Garden. Rutgers typically doesn’t play their home games in the Garden, and given the amount of Wisconsin alums in New York City, the environment was less a road game than a neutral site.
The win kept the Badgers all alone in first place in the Big Ten for the moment; they’re currently a game ahead No. 22 Maryland in the loss column, and the Terps play at Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.
But back to the game, the Badgers didn’t break the 30 point mark until 30 minutes had elapsed, and with less than five minutes remaining, they were down 41-32. At one point, Badgers not named Happ were 4-for-36 from the floor, good for 11.1 percent. A 13-4 run down the stretch was the only reason they were able to get the game into overtime.
The good news for Wisconsin?
The last time they struggled like this against Rutgers - in 2015 they lost at Rutgers in the first game they played without Traevon Jackson that season - they went on to end Kentucky’s undefeated season in the Final Four and come within a couple possessions of winning a national title.
So at least there’s that.
Otherwise, this is probably a game-tape that the Badgers are going to want to burn.