Wisconsin Badgers knew the start of their season would be tough. They had matchups against St. Mary’s, Marquette, Richmond and potentially Auburn if they beat Richmond before the Thanksgiving turkey was served. They never saw Auburn, and that is probably a good thing, instead, they played New Mexico. Badgers lost tonight to the Lobos, 59-50. Wisconsin now has losses to a WCC, MWC and an A-10 team this season. That’s not how you build a resume in November. Wisconsin found themselves unable to shoot the ball yet again. This Badgers team needs a regroup in a major way.

Player of the Game: Carlton Bragg Jr. – One of the more random things about New Mexico is they have an island of misfit toys of college basketball filling out their roster. Bragg is no different. He bounced around to a few schools before arriving with the Lobos. Bragg Jr. was excellent in this one. He scored 12 points and pulled down five rebounds. Bragg Jr. carried an offensive rating of 122.1, the best for New Mexico.

Honorable Mention: Nathan Reuvers – Once again, it was Nate Reuvers and everyone else. Reuvers scored 16 points to lead all scorers, but he dealt with foul trouble throughout the game. No one picked up the slack when he had to exit for foul trouble throughout the game. Reuvers is carrying Wisconsin right now, but he needs some support.

Where does Wisconsin go from here? – It is a good question because their schedule does them zero favors moving forward. They get a week off before heading to Raleigh to play NC State in what should be a contentious matchup after last year then home against Indiana. Those are not easy games, but with what happened in November, they’re somewhat must-wins.

Can Wisconsin be fixed? – Yes, I think so. It’s early, right? Like there is still time to find something that works for the team. This is not exactly a panic button push for Wisconsin, but they’re going to have to shake things up a bit in their next game. If Greg Gard comes out with the same lineups, it will be curtains for Wisconsin.

Next up: As noted, Wisconsin gets about a week off before they head to NC State for a showdown with the Wolfpack. NC State is projected to win by five points per KenPom. NC State is 5-1 on the year, but they have a big holiday tournament starting on Thursday where they’ll be playing Memphis.

Charlie.