Badgers Disappear In Second Half

I don't have ESPNU so I didn't get to watch last night's UW-Marquette game, but here's what I could figure out from looking at the numbers:

-The Badgers got cold in the second half. After going 13-for-27 from the field in the first half, UW was 9-for-21 in the second half, including 3-for-12 from three-point land.

-It was not a "Bo Ryan" game, which means the Badgers lost the battle on fouls and turnovers. UW turned over the ball 16 times (Marquette had 12 turnovers), and committed 26 fouls to Marquette's 16. When the Badgers did get to the free throw line, they were 7-for-13.

-Marcus Landry did not show up. These are the type of games where you need your senior leaders to be big playmakers. Last year it was Brian Butch who would sometimes take over in big games, and two years ago it was Alando Tucker. Last night, Landry was just 2-for-5, in 28 minutes.

-Jason Bohannon is still not out of his early season funk. Bohannon was 2-for-7 from beyond the arc, and committed 4 turnovers.

-Badgers couldn't find a defensive answer to Jerel McNeal. McNeal scored most of his team-high 26 points in the second half. It's funny how much attention is given to Marquette's two "stars," Dominic James and Wesley Matthews (overrated), when in actuality the most valuable player on the roster is McNeal.

The Badgers have four more games (all home) until the Big Ten season opens on December 31 at Michigan. The next three games should be wins - Idaho State, UW-Green Bay, and Coppin State. Then No. 8 Texas comes to town, and the Longhorns will be looking for revenge for last year's loss in Austin. Texas just beat No. 12 UCLA, and their lone loss was by a single point against Notre Dame.