Photo by: David Stluka
Lucas: Close games have UW experienced for 'Madness' of March
March 07, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Mike Lucas
'Be good at the little things and luck will find your way'
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Ninety minutes before Sunday's opening tipoff against Minnesota in the regular season finale, Wisconsin associate head coach Joe Krabbenhoft offered his perspective on what has made the difference in so many suspenseful endings, so many two possession games.
The Badgers have had plenty of experience in drama and down-to-the-wire finishes, including a school-record six overtimes. They've dealt with both exhilaration and disappointment. Krabbenhoft didn't have to be reminded that they had gone 10-7 in games decided by five points or fewer.
Before the UW players took the elevated floor in Williams Arena for the pre-game warmup, he tried to put his finger on what have been some of the determining factors in so many of these close encounters. Especially since coming up short so often can lead to so much heartbreak.
"The spotlight gets put on the end-of-game situations and being good in those moments – making sure you do the little things in those moments for sure,'' related Krabbenhoft, who's completing his seventh season on Greg Gard's staff. "There's something to be said about not dismissing that.
"But we lose sight of the whole 40 minutes, though, when you do that. You can't put it all on the final two minutes. Or the last possession, whatever it may be. And you can't discredit the importance of that, either. In crunch time, are you able to rely on your training, rely on your habits?
"Crunch time is stress. It's tougher. The only way to grow and learn through it is to probably make some mistakes in those moments – and we've made some. We've also made some good decisions. Over the course of time, over 40 minutes, you try to be consistent with those things.
"When crunch time comes, it's out of habit that you're going to do the right thing.''
A short time later, Krabbenhoft stressed, "We've won more close games than we've lost. There's some confidence in that and we have to try and keep that confidence. These guys have shown the ability to do it. They just have to be more consistent with it. We'll see the growth out of the lessons learned.
"When? Let's hope we'll see some tonight over these next 40 minutes.''
&&&
On Sunday night, the Badgers made enough plays – and their free throws – down the stretch to hold off Minnesota, 71-67, notching their 11th win in games decided by five or fewer. They will now be put to the test/task of doing it again, potentially, in the Big Ten tournament at Chicago's United Center.
Wisconsin and Ohio State will square off Wednesday night (5:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network) in the opening matchup of the five-day event. The winner will advance to play Thursday against Iowa. In their only previous meeting (Feb. 2), the Badgers survived a furious rally and outlasted the Buckeyes, 65-60, in Columbus.
Less than a minute into the second half, the UW led by 18 points, 45-27. Ohio State kept chipping away and cut the deficit to 6 with 3:08 left, 4 with 1:20 remaining and 2 in the final 30 seconds. But the Badgers got stops on defense and Chucky Hepburn made 3-of-4 free throws to seal the victory.
It was no different Sunday against the Gophers. Vital stops and crucial FTs made the difference. Trailing 36-29 at halftime, the Badgers got stops on four of the first five possessions and went on a 7-1 run to set the tone for the second half though they didn't take their first lead until the 6:33 mark.
From there, Minnesota fought back for a 62-62 tie with 2:37 remaining. Both teams had empty possessions before Hepburn's stepback-3 made it 65-62 with 47 seconds left. The Gophers got within 67-66 before the Badgers closed out the win at the free throw line, finishing 14-17 from the stripe.
"Making free throw is one of those little things,'' Krabbenhoft said of one of the major ingredients that goes into the recipe for winning close games. "It's focus. It's concentration. It's preparation. You have to lay in bed and dream about making those …
"There were big moments in the final two minutes. But I thought the course of the game could have gotten away from us as Minnesota really played well (in the first half especially) and executed and finished in the paint. I thought at times there was a little lack of focus on our end defensively.
"I thought through the course of the game, we did not flinch. It went back and forth and we couldn't sustain any significant stops. But we didn't panic. We didn't change anything that we had been prepared to do. We just kept with it and did it better on both ends of the floor.
"Every timeout, it was referenced, 'We've been here before' … the coaches were saying it … 'We've been here before … we're not going to panic.' Did we make some mistakes? Yes. Do we have to continue to get better at the little things down the stretch? Absolutely.
"But stressful environments will cause you to do some out-of-the body things at times.
"For the most part, we executed and stepped up to the line and made some big free throws.''
Coming into the game, Tyler Wahl was shooting 51 percent (29-of-57) from the free throw line in the Big Ten. But he made 4-of-5 at Michigan, and he was 5-of-5 against the Gophers. Steven Crowl, a 47 percent free throw shooter in league games, was 3-of-4. Wahl and Crowl each had 21 points.
"Coach Gard really didn't say much at halftime,'' Crowl pointed out. "He said that it was up to us. So we had to go out there and it was on us players to come together. I do think it goes back to getting stops. We were scoring enough. We weren't worried about scoring.
"We were worried about stopping the other team.
"That was the biggest thing down the stretch … Get a stop … Get a stop.''
On experiencing so many close games, Crowl referenced the positive about "just being in that environment and being used to it – even on the road. You kind of get good at it a little bit – just being in that situation so many times. Last year, we'd win the game. This year, we didn't win them as much.''
Last season, the Badgers went 12-2 in games decided by 5 or less. But they also had two proven closers in Brad Davison and Johnny Davis. "Brad was making plays at times,'' Krabbenhoft said, "and when he wasn't, he was making sure the guys were in the right spots to make plays.''
Davison was an extension of Gard on the floor. Especially during crunch time. Krabbenhoft cited Davis and "his ability to find the bottom of the net and get up to 11 or 12 feet to grab a rebound and his quickness to a loose ball which reminded me of Michael Flowers. Those are game-winning plays.''
In this context, UW assistant coach Sharif Chambliss rattled off his to-do list, "Attention to detail … boxing out … making sure we take care of the ball … so we're not in the hole in the first place. I'm sure there are a few possessions from the first half in the last game (Purdue), we'd like to have back.
"Sometimes, you just have to get the ball to go in the hole.
"And we've struggled with that a little bit this year.''
A year ago, there also seemed to be an element of luck in some of those close calls. "It's hard to quantify that, hard to talk about that, nobody wants to,'' Krabbenhoft said. "But call it what it is. Sometimes the ball goes through the net, and sometimes the ball doesn't.
"That's why you control what you can, and you can't control luck.
"Be good at the little things and luck will find your way.''
Amplifying on that theme, he said, "You're just trying to do one little thing, one fundamental better than the other team. Over 40 minutes, it usually comes down to that – checking the boxes on the little things. If you add them up at the end of the game, if you can just be one better …''
One better than the other guys can be enough. One blockout here or there and the Badgers would have had two more wins over Kansas and Rutgers. Little things. The lack of execution was costly in the final minutes of two losses to Northwestern and defeats at the hands of Nebraska and Michigan.
"You have to have poise and really stay focused,'' said UW assistant coach Dean Oliver. "Usually teams beat themselves in those moments. The team that makes the least mistakes usually wins. It's about having poise and staying calm and making good decisions and executing.
"It's really about staying focused all the way until the end.''
Missing a blockout or free throw "are pure concentration and not always effort,'' he added.
With so many games hinging on late possessions, Oliver kidded that he has a lot more gray hair and so does everyone on the coaching staff. "It's about learning from previous mistakes and gaining experience,'' Oliver said. "And we have a ton of experience in close games this year.
"It can be a blessing in disguise if you learn from them. I thought we did a better job of executing in this close game (at Minnesota). The guys were saying, 'We've been here.' And they were feeding into finishing strong and proving that we can win tight games.''
The kicker? "It's March,'' Oliver said, "and you prepare for tight games.'' Hence the Madness.
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Ninety minutes before Sunday's opening tipoff against Minnesota in the regular season finale, Wisconsin associate head coach Joe Krabbenhoft offered his perspective on what has made the difference in so many suspenseful endings, so many two possession games.
The Badgers have had plenty of experience in drama and down-to-the-wire finishes, including a school-record six overtimes. They've dealt with both exhilaration and disappointment. Krabbenhoft didn't have to be reminded that they had gone 10-7 in games decided by five points or fewer.
Before the UW players took the elevated floor in Williams Arena for the pre-game warmup, he tried to put his finger on what have been some of the determining factors in so many of these close encounters. Especially since coming up short so often can lead to so much heartbreak.
"The spotlight gets put on the end-of-game situations and being good in those moments – making sure you do the little things in those moments for sure,'' related Krabbenhoft, who's completing his seventh season on Greg Gard's staff. "There's something to be said about not dismissing that.
"But we lose sight of the whole 40 minutes, though, when you do that. You can't put it all on the final two minutes. Or the last possession, whatever it may be. And you can't discredit the importance of that, either. In crunch time, are you able to rely on your training, rely on your habits?
"Crunch time is stress. It's tougher. The only way to grow and learn through it is to probably make some mistakes in those moments – and we've made some. We've also made some good decisions. Over the course of time, over 40 minutes, you try to be consistent with those things.
"When crunch time comes, it's out of habit that you're going to do the right thing.''
A short time later, Krabbenhoft stressed, "We've won more close games than we've lost. There's some confidence in that and we have to try and keep that confidence. These guys have shown the ability to do it. They just have to be more consistent with it. We'll see the growth out of the lessons learned.
"When? Let's hope we'll see some tonight over these next 40 minutes.''
&&&
On Sunday night, the Badgers made enough plays – and their free throws – down the stretch to hold off Minnesota, 71-67, notching their 11th win in games decided by five or fewer. They will now be put to the test/task of doing it again, potentially, in the Big Ten tournament at Chicago's United Center.
Wisconsin and Ohio State will square off Wednesday night (5:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network) in the opening matchup of the five-day event. The winner will advance to play Thursday against Iowa. In their only previous meeting (Feb. 2), the Badgers survived a furious rally and outlasted the Buckeyes, 65-60, in Columbus.
Less than a minute into the second half, the UW led by 18 points, 45-27. Ohio State kept chipping away and cut the deficit to 6 with 3:08 left, 4 with 1:20 remaining and 2 in the final 30 seconds. But the Badgers got stops on defense and Chucky Hepburn made 3-of-4 free throws to seal the victory.
It was no different Sunday against the Gophers. Vital stops and crucial FTs made the difference. Trailing 36-29 at halftime, the Badgers got stops on four of the first five possessions and went on a 7-1 run to set the tone for the second half though they didn't take their first lead until the 6:33 mark.
From there, Minnesota fought back for a 62-62 tie with 2:37 remaining. Both teams had empty possessions before Hepburn's stepback-3 made it 65-62 with 47 seconds left. The Gophers got within 67-66 before the Badgers closed out the win at the free throw line, finishing 14-17 from the stripe.
"Making free throw is one of those little things,'' Krabbenhoft said of one of the major ingredients that goes into the recipe for winning close games. "It's focus. It's concentration. It's preparation. You have to lay in bed and dream about making those …
"There were big moments in the final two minutes. But I thought the course of the game could have gotten away from us as Minnesota really played well (in the first half especially) and executed and finished in the paint. I thought at times there was a little lack of focus on our end defensively.
"I thought through the course of the game, we did not flinch. It went back and forth and we couldn't sustain any significant stops. But we didn't panic. We didn't change anything that we had been prepared to do. We just kept with it and did it better on both ends of the floor.
"Every timeout, it was referenced, 'We've been here before' … the coaches were saying it … 'We've been here before … we're not going to panic.' Did we make some mistakes? Yes. Do we have to continue to get better at the little things down the stretch? Absolutely.
"But stressful environments will cause you to do some out-of-the body things at times.
"For the most part, we executed and stepped up to the line and made some big free throws.''
Coming into the game, Tyler Wahl was shooting 51 percent (29-of-57) from the free throw line in the Big Ten. But he made 4-of-5 at Michigan, and he was 5-of-5 against the Gophers. Steven Crowl, a 47 percent free throw shooter in league games, was 3-of-4. Wahl and Crowl each had 21 points.
"Coach Gard really didn't say much at halftime,'' Crowl pointed out. "He said that it was up to us. So we had to go out there and it was on us players to come together. I do think it goes back to getting stops. We were scoring enough. We weren't worried about scoring.
"We were worried about stopping the other team.
"That was the biggest thing down the stretch … Get a stop … Get a stop.''
On experiencing so many close games, Crowl referenced the positive about "just being in that environment and being used to it – even on the road. You kind of get good at it a little bit – just being in that situation so many times. Last year, we'd win the game. This year, we didn't win them as much.''
Last season, the Badgers went 12-2 in games decided by 5 or less. But they also had two proven closers in Brad Davison and Johnny Davis. "Brad was making plays at times,'' Krabbenhoft said, "and when he wasn't, he was making sure the guys were in the right spots to make plays.''
Davison was an extension of Gard on the floor. Especially during crunch time. Krabbenhoft cited Davis and "his ability to find the bottom of the net and get up to 11 or 12 feet to grab a rebound and his quickness to a loose ball which reminded me of Michael Flowers. Those are game-winning plays.''
In this context, UW assistant coach Sharif Chambliss rattled off his to-do list, "Attention to detail … boxing out … making sure we take care of the ball … so we're not in the hole in the first place. I'm sure there are a few possessions from the first half in the last game (Purdue), we'd like to have back.
"Sometimes, you just have to get the ball to go in the hole.
"And we've struggled with that a little bit this year.''
A year ago, there also seemed to be an element of luck in some of those close calls. "It's hard to quantify that, hard to talk about that, nobody wants to,'' Krabbenhoft said. "But call it what it is. Sometimes the ball goes through the net, and sometimes the ball doesn't.
"That's why you control what you can, and you can't control luck.
"Be good at the little things and luck will find your way.''
Amplifying on that theme, he said, "You're just trying to do one little thing, one fundamental better than the other team. Over 40 minutes, it usually comes down to that – checking the boxes on the little things. If you add them up at the end of the game, if you can just be one better …''
One better than the other guys can be enough. One blockout here or there and the Badgers would have had two more wins over Kansas and Rutgers. Little things. The lack of execution was costly in the final minutes of two losses to Northwestern and defeats at the hands of Nebraska and Michigan.
"You have to have poise and really stay focused,'' said UW assistant coach Dean Oliver. "Usually teams beat themselves in those moments. The team that makes the least mistakes usually wins. It's about having poise and staying calm and making good decisions and executing.
"It's really about staying focused all the way until the end.''
Missing a blockout or free throw "are pure concentration and not always effort,'' he added.
With so many games hinging on late possessions, Oliver kidded that he has a lot more gray hair and so does everyone on the coaching staff. "It's about learning from previous mistakes and gaining experience,'' Oliver said. "And we have a ton of experience in close games this year.
"It can be a blessing in disguise if you learn from them. I thought we did a better job of executing in this close game (at Minnesota). The guys were saying, 'We've been here.' And they were feeding into finishing strong and proving that we can win tight games.''
The kicker? "It's March,'' Oliver said, "and you prepare for tight games.'' Hence the Madness.
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