When the three isn't falling, Wisconsin basketball struggles to find other ways to score

MADISON, Wis. - There's no hiding how Wisconsin's offense wants to function.

The Badgers are playing at the fastest tempo in at least the last 25 years and looking to shoot from the perimeter. Head coach Greg Gard likes to joke that the analytics tell him that a three is worth more than a two. Combine that with the Badgers making it a priority to recruit players from high school and out of the portal who can shoot from the perimeter, and it's not a surprise that it's a three-point shot 51 percent of the time UW shoots the ball.

A sign of how the game has changed: UW shot a three 34.2 percent of the time 10 years ago, 41 percent five years ago, and 35.5 percent three years ago.

UW isn't shooting the three at a great percentage (34.2%, 168th nationally), but the volume is there, with 10.8 made per game (tied for 21st) heading into Wednesday's home game against Minnesota.

When the threes aren't falling, however, like in Sunday's 73-71 loss to USC, the Badgers have been no better than an average offense.

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UW is 2-5 when making fewer than 10 threes in a game, with its only victories coming against a 6-13 Northern Illinois team and a 9-13 Milwaukee squad. The record is the same when UW shoots less than 30 percent from three. UW is averaging 84.3 points per game but 73.4 in those seven games.

The lack of threes accounts for the drop, but a deeper dive shows UW hasn't found ways to create offense. UW has scored no more than 30 points in the lane in four of the losses and hasn't attempted more than 20 free throw attempts in three.

UW fell into both categories Sunday with 26 points in the paint and going 16-for-20 from the line. The Badgers got to the rim but shot 10-for-20 around the basket, a product of the Trojans utilizing length instead of height.

When UW was going 4-for-19 on threes in the second half, the Badgers were shooting just 5-for-16 on two-point attempts and 3-for-10 on layups. On one possession alone, Wisconsin missed four three-pointers and two layups, getting no points off its five offensive rebounds.

USC blocked four Wisconsin shots, and Nolan Winter admitted after the game that the Badgers started to shoot around defenders instead of using shot fakes or simply "go through them."

"I think we should have attacked more," said guard John Blackwell. "We got in the bonus, so we got to keep the pressure on them."

Gard reiterated again after the game that Wisconsin is built to shoot threes, but attempting 37 of them in a 63-possession game is close to pushing it on an afternoon where shots aren't falling. Granted, a lot of threes were wide open, but Gard has said that players have to find other ways to create momentum when their shot isn't falling, like getting downhill to the rim or to the foul line.

After taking a 12-point lead with 12 minutes left, the Badgers only made one shot at the rim on just two attempts over the next eight possessions. Missed threes and three turnovers by Blackwell allowed USC to take a two-point lead with 4:54 to go.

"You have to be able to overcome rough-shooting afternoons," Gard said, "and find other ways to get it done when it's there for you to take."

Seeing one shot go in usually leads to something good. Point guard Nick Boyd followed that belief by scoring 29 points, going 9-for-12 on twos to overcome his 1-for-5 on threes. His teammates did not, combining for 42 points on 13-of-50 shooting (8-for-32 on twos), with Blackwell (3-for-13), Winter (5-for-13), and guard Andrew Rohde (2-for-10) all struggling.

"We beat ourselves up," Blackwell said. "They're a talented, good team. They play some great defense, but I think we played much better defense on paper and scored against them. We just beat ourselves up, little stuff around the rim. It starts with me finishing around the rim."

UW's inability to play around the rim nearly cost the Badgers two weeks ago at Williams Arena.

Wisconsin attempted only 22 two-point shots against Minnesota, its lowest against a power-conference opponent this season and went 8-for-13 on layups. UW survived that night because the Badgers hit 14 three-pointers and went 10-for-18 from the perimeter in the second half, punctuated by Blackwell's three-point buzzer beater in a 78-75 win.

UW will remain dependent on the three-point shot, but how the Badgers supplement their perimeter game will factor in whether they can make a run in the postseason.

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