On Monday afternoon, I had a conversation with my favorite Badgers homer, Doz. I mean that with love and affection. But we talked about how Wisconsin’s schedule sets up very nicely for them to lose as he put ‘One more game the rest of the way.’ Now, crazy things can happened but there weren’t any ‘scheduled losses’ on the schedule. Michigan nearly went in the loss column. Badgers were ice cold for the first 30 minutes, and a 10-0 run sparked a comeback to snatch away a loss.

Bronson Koenig Deserves All The Superlatives
One of the better games for Badgers point guard who carries the team against Michigan down the stretch. Koenig had big bucket after big bucket during the run and in times when Wisconsin needed a hoop in the worst way. The last two games have been really really strong for the senior guard, and it seems understood with the team that he’s the number one scoring option.

Nigel Hayes defense was a difference
This wasn’t a stellar night on offense for Nigel Hayes, but he did a fantastic job playing defense tonight versus Michigan. Zak Irvin had his issues with him in the latter part of the second half. Hayes did a great job making it difficult for any Wolverines player to get a clean shot. Hayes is the Swiss Army Knife of this squad, he can help in many ways.

Concerning cold spells?
For two of the last three games, Wisconsin had terribly long cold spells with their offense. They never recovered from the Purdue one, and Michigan one teetering on the edge of being a problem. If Wolverines are a better team, this might be a different story. Wisconsin needs to find a way to spark this offense when things go cold. This is why I’m still concerned with their lack of bench. Khalil Iverson or D’Mitrik Trice should be fire starters for this offense, and we haven’t seen it yet.

Players of the Game: Bronson Koenig (Wisconsin), Derrick Walton Jr.

Next Up: Big one for Badgers on Saturday with a visit to Minneapolis to face the rival Golden Gophers. They are much different than last year’s team and will give Wisconsin a game. Minnesota is in near must-win territory after they’ve lost two straight games including a bad one versus Penn State last Saturday.

Charlie.