Wisconsin basketball fell 74-63 to the TCU Horned Frogs in the Rady Children’s Invitational championship game on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
After a decisive first-round win over Providence<\/a>, the Badgers struggled mightily against the lower-ranked Horned Frogs. Wisconsin shot just 34% from the field and 25% from 3, and turned the ball over a whopping 17 times. TCU took advantage of that last statistic, scoring 21 of its 74 points off Badger turnovers.<\/p>\n Star guards John Blackwell (30 points, six rebounds) and Nick Boyd (15 points) were the Badgers’ only consistent offensive threats. Next to them, no player eclipsed seven points, with starters Austin Rapp, Nolan Winter and Andrew Rohde combining for just 12 points on 4-of-15 from the field. TCU, on the other hand, got a balanced effort, with all five starters finishing in double figures. Forward David Punch and Iowa transfer Brock Harding led the way with 17 and 16 points, respectively.<\/p>\n Wisconsin’s performance fell in line with that from its blowout loss to BYU<\/a> last Friday. While the team has shown top-end ability, like in its 104-point output against Providence<\/a>, it is also proving to be far from a finished product.<\/p>\n The Badgers return to the Kohl Center on Wednesday afternoon to open their Big Ten season against the Northwestern Wildcats<\/a>. Greg Gard and his staff will be looking for more from the team’s starting lineup, especially the frontcourt rotation.<\/p>\n Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n Contact\/Follow\u00a0@TheBadgersWire<\/a>\u00a0on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion<\/p>\n