When Wisconsin and Virginia basketball face off against each other, it’s like the meme where two Spidermans are pointing at each other. They are very similar in the way they’re coached and play basketball. When these two teams meet, it’s usually defense that’s the name of the game. It happened again on Monday night with Virginia’s defense holding Wisconsin to a grand total of 37 points as the Badgers drop their fourth game of the year, 49-37. The tough November schedule for the Badgers hasn’t been kind to them as they finish 0-4 against top 25 teams.

Virginia’s defense frustrates Wisconsin
Rough night from the field and three-point arc for Wisconsin. Virginia imposed their will early on in the second half, and that was all they needed to push away from the Badgers. They made a grand total of 15 field goals in this game and shot at a 31 percent clip for the game. That’s very bad. On a positive note, it’s likely this will be the low point for Wisconsin’s offense. Greg Gard will take this as a learning experience and see what Wisconsin can do differently.

Turnovers were uncharacteristically high
Wisconsin is known for buzzcuts and not turning the ball over. They ended up with 14 for the game. We do not typically see that out of Wisconsin. This is where we saw some of the youth come into play as freshman made up 50 percent of the turnovers. Besides Brad Davison, Virginia defense looked completely foreign to guys like Nate Reuvers and Aleem Ford. They both struggled and made up the lionshare of the turnovers.

2015 class continues to be an issue for Wisconsin
What we’re starting to see with the Badgers is something Marquette went through when Buzz Williams left. The former coach left the cupboard a bit bare. It’s not that Bo Ryan left Greg Gard with nothing, but the 2015 Badger class did not score a point as pointed out by Benjamin Worgull.Other than Khalil Iverson, Wisconsin received limited production from the other players like Charlie Thomas, Andy Van Vliet. If that continues, it could be a long year for Wisconsin.

Next up
In the dumbest thing in sports, Wisconsin will be opening their Big 10 season on Saturday afternoon against Ohio State. They’ll get the first look at new coach Chris Holtmann’s squad. Buckeyes are 5-2 on the year with losses to Gonzaga and Butler. Dare I say it, but this is close to a must-win in early December as they come.

Charlie.