Where's Wisconsin's defense?

Last night, Wisconsin survived a scare against Idaho State, 60-58. The Badgers allowed a point per possession to a mediocre offense, and Wisconsin now ranks 102nd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. In 4 of the last 5 seasons, Wisconsin has finished with a top 13 or better defense, so the subpar showing thus far is certainly surprising. The main problem is pretty simple on its face - opponents are just making more shots, especially from downtown (37.2%). Indeed, this same issue nearly downed the Badgers last night, as the usually-bricklaying Bengals shot 60% from two and 33% from three.

As we surmised in our Wisconsin preview, the loss of 7-footers Greg Steimsma and Brian Butch has drastically affected the Badger defense. I do expect that Bo Ryan will improve this defense as we go along, but it seems unlikely that Wisconsin will again be one of the nation's elite defensive teams this year.

Back to last night, Jason Bohannon led the way with 18 points on 11 shots, and Marcus Landry had a nice overall game (14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal). Box score.

Purdue took a short road trip and easily dispatched Ball State, 68-39. As has been the story all season, Purdue's defense was outstanding, forcing 21 turnovers and allowing an eFG% of just 29.3%. At the other end, Purdue scored a point per possession by being adequate but not great in each of the Four Factors. Robbie Hummel had a nice game with 15 points (11 shots), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Box score.

Iowa began their tour of in-state rivals by blowing out Northern Iowa, 65-46. As usual, it was the Hawkeyes' hot shooting that carried the day (59.4 eFG%), although Iowa also did a nice job limiting turnovers (10.2 TO%). Most impressive is that Iowa played this game without suspended leading scorer Anthony Tucker. BTG favorite Jake Kelly stepped into the starting lineup and scored 19 points on 15 shots, along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and no turnovers.

If Iowa can consistently combine high eFG% with low TO%, they could end up being a surprise at-large selection. Hawkeye fans have to be thrilled with the program's quick progress under Todd Lickliter. Box score.

Here's tonight's slate of games, including a potentially tough matchup for the young Hoosiers (all times CT):

6pm - Army at Penn State - ESPNU
7pm - TCU at Indiana - ESPN2 (why?)
7pm - Chicago State at Illinois - bigtennetwork.com
8pm - South Dakota State at Minnesota - Big Ten Network