Wisconsin's Greg Gard didn't like shot-selection, aggressiveness in Northwestern loss
Wisconsin lost to Northwestern on Sunday, 54-52, marking the first time since 1995-96 the Badgers have been swept by the Wildcats. Chucky Hepburn scored 17 in the loss, but took 15 shots to get there. Connor Essegian added 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting from 3.
But the offense was a bit of a mess late. Northwestern didn’t hit a shot from the floor over the final 3 minutes and still managed to walk out of the Kohl Center with a victory.
Hepburn took 5 of the Badgers’ final 6 shots. He hit 2 of them. After the game, he and coach Greg Gard offered contrasting thoughts on the late-game offense. Hepburn thought his shot selection was OK and said his teammates have faith in him to produce late, according to Rohan Chakravarthi of Bucky’s 5th Quarter. Gard, on the other hand, thought Hepburn settled.
“He’s made winning plays for us through his year and a half so far, so you trust his judgment to get the best shot that he can get. But, I thought at that point we’re in a position where you go draw contact, and if not contact, you’re at the rim,” Gard said, per Chakravarthi. “So, we’ll show those things tomorrow and help him get better with it.
Gard also didn’t seem too pleased with the aggressiveness of forward Tyler Wahl.
“He’s got to find a way. One rebound. I think he can help us more than that and he has to finish in the paint,” Gard said, per Badger Blitz’s Raul Vazquez. “He should be finding a way.”
Wahl finished with 5 points on 2-of-5 shooting in 30 minutes.
Greg Gard on Tyler Wahl:
"He’s got to find a way. One rebound.. I think he can help us more than that and he has to finish in the paint… He should be finding a way."Wahl's line:
2-for-5 for five points, one rebound and four assists#Badgers— Raul Vazquez (@VazquezRivals) February 6, 2023
The loss dropped Wisconsin (13-9, 5-7 Big Ten) to 11th in the conference. The Badgers travel to Penn State on Wednesday.