PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Wisconsin’s slide continues.
When will it end?
When will the Badgers again start playing like the team that once was alone in first place in the Big Ten?
No one knows. But what is clear is that the No. 9-ranked Badgers won’t end the slide until they first take better care of the ball and also rediscover their touch from three-point range.
Needing a fast start Saturday at Rutgers, the Badgers instead turned the ball over on their first three-possessions and four of their first five, fell into a nine-point hole and never led in an ugly 78-56 loss at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
BOX SCORE : Rutgers 78, Wisconsin 56
“I thought they were more aggressive than we were, specifically early,” UW coach Greg Gard said. “We allowed them to get some confidence going and then you’re climbing uphill and they dial the pressure up more when you don’t handle it.”
The Badgers (16-8, 8-5 Big Ten) lost their fourth consecutive league game for the first time since the 2017-18 season, when they lost five in a row from Jan. 23-Feb. 4.