Wisconsin basketball (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten) crumbled down the stretch and fell to unranked Oregon (20-8, 9-8 Big Ten) in overtime on Saturday.
Four days removed from notching a statement win over Illinois, the Badgers again appeared in the driver’s seat with roughly six minutes remaining against the Ducks. Wisconsin held a 14-point edge, 64-50, with exactly 6:15 to play in the contest. Then, the Badgers simply handed the game away. Turnovers and missed shots plagued Greg Gard’s group, and Oregon capitalized.
UW turned the ball over on six occasions within the final four minutes of action and committed 17 turnovers throughout the game. While that inability to take care of the ball is one of the main storylines of the surprising outcome, the Badgers’ missed offensive opportunities in the second half are hard to ignore.
After star wing John Tonje nailed a layup to put Wisconsin up 14, the Ducks orchestrated a 16-2 scoring burst to knot the game at 66 apiece before the final buzzer. That run was dominated by center Nate Bittle, who finished with a game-best 23 points, and punctuated by guard Jackson Shelstad.
Shelstad, who scored just one field goal prior to his final shot attempt of the second half, nailed a deep three-point field goal to tie the contest at 66 with 12 ticks remaining.
The two teams traded blows throughout the five-minute period before Oregon’s Bittle drained a pair of clutch inside scores to lift the Ducks to a 74-71 edge. Tonje would misfire on a look from outside, prompting the Badgers to ignite the late-game foul scenario for any chance of contention.
While Wisconsin did receive another opportunity to score, Oregon ultimately poured in three free throws in the game’s closing seconds to secure arguably its most impressive win of the season in a hostile road environment. When the overtime clock hit zeroes, Oregon held a four-point edge.
Final score: Oregon 77, Wisconsin 73 (OT)
Looking to bounce back on Tuesday at home
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 22, 2025
Wisconsin committed 17 turnovers in the game, shot just 25% from outside and reached the free throw line only six times. All six of those attempts from the charity stripe arrived in the first half. For a team with the highest free throw percentage in the country, that‘s a recipe for disaster.
In the loss, John Tonje dropped 22 points off 9-of-20 from the field and snagged seven boards in 37 minutes. Steven Crowl dominated early and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and six turnovers, while center Nolan Winter dropped 11 points in 25 minutes of play.
John Blackwell simply struglled get it going offensively against Oregon. He missed all six of his three-point attempts and finished with just six points despite playing 40 minutes.
The loss, however, isn’t a terrible one. Oregon held the No. 9 position in the AP Top 25 poll earlier this season and is considered the No. 34 team in the NCAA’s NET rankings.
Wisconsin will now look to regroup on Feb. 25 against Washington at home.
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Oregon Game Recap Stats
