Recap: Wisconsin Badgers suffer historic loss to Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska laid the trap and the University of Wisconsin walked right into it.

With the Huskers jamming the paint to prevent easy post touches and dribble drives, daring the Badgers to shoot from the perimeter, Wisconsin delivered a cold-shooting performance that allowed the 23rd-ranked Huskers to turn their conference opener into a laugher.

Five Huskers scored at least 12 points and the hosts shot 52.1 percent to cruise past Wisconsin, 90-60, at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday night.

Nick Boyd had 20 points to lead the Badgers (7-3), who have looked like a different team away from the Kohl Center this season. UW is 6-0 at home this season and has scored 92.3 points on 47.6 percent shooting and 37.0 percent from three.

In four neutral and road games, the Badgers are averaging 74.3 points on 39.2 percent shooting and 27.1 percent for three. More eye opening, Wisconsin has trailed by at least 30 points in two of the games.

The 30-point margin of victory is the worst loss for Wisconsin since March 2002 and the worst loss in a conference game since losing by 32 two months prior.

The game started off encouraging for Wisconsin. The Badgers led 13-9 at the first media timeout by attacking the paint, hitting rim rollers, and setting up the outside shot. It nosed dive quickly.

From the 14:27 mark to the 6:59 mark, Wisconsin attempted 13 consecutive three-point attempts. UW only made two of them, as Nebraska (10-0) willingly pounded the rim.

The leading three-point team in the conference made its threes (11-for-30), but the Huskers ran away from Wisconsin by outscoring the Badgers by 20 in the paint (44-24). Nebraska scored on three consecutive shots at the rim that gave them the lead for good midway through the first half.

Wisconsin junior John Blackwell - the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week - was hounded all night by the Huskers and finished with a season-low seven points on 1-for-11 shooting. Junior center Nolan Winter was the only other UW player to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points.

What it means: Wisconsin hasn't been able to travel its offensive flow and efficiency on the road, a big problem considering the Badgers will play KenPom top-10 teams Michigan (1), Purdue (5), and Illinois (9) on the road in the months to come. In two of the three games away from home, the Badgers have trailed by at least 30 in the second half.

Star of the game: Rienk Mast led Nebraska with 18 points, getting 11 points and eight rebounds in the first half as the Huskers asserted their dominance.

Stat of the game: In the 24 games since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the Huskers have averaged 61.0 points per game against the Badgers. They surpassed that average with 15:19 remaining in the game.

Reason to be Concerned: Talent is not the issue with Wisconsin, but the Badgers' defensive breakdowns - especially in their two losses to ranked opponents - are glaring.

Don’t overlook: The Huskers scored their most points and had their biggest margin of victory over the Badgers in the series history.

What’s next: Wisconsin will finish December playing its final three nonconference games, starting with a neutral-site game against Villanova in Milwaukee next Friday, December 19. The Wildcats (7-2) have won seven games against mid-major schools and lost to the only power-conference teams on their schedule, but those losses were to No.8 BYU in Las Vegas and at No.2 Michigan. The Wildcats have five players averaging double figures, with forward Duke Brennan averaging a double-double.

The two schools have split the two previous meetings and haven't met since UW knocked off the top-seeded Wildcats, 65-62, in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

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