Badgers leave Las Vegas

A lot of folks leave Las Vegas empty handed but the Wisconsin Badger men’s basketball team had a most unsightly exit from the National Invitation Tournament semifinals Tuesday night, falling to North Texas 56-54.    The Badgers looked incredibly sharp from the outset, led by sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn who knocked down his first five three point shots of the night as Wisconsin built an impressive 41-29 lead at the half.     The second half got off to a shaky start with a couple of turnovers that gave the Mean Green some life and they started closing the gap.   North Texas pulled to within five before Connor Essegian knocked down a three from the right wing to give Wisconsin a 54-48 lead with just over nine minutes to to play.   Strange but true, the Badgers would not score another point.  They went the final 9:07 of the game never seeing the ball go through the hoop from the floor or the foul line.  North Texas would finally take the lead with just over two minutes to play, led by Tylor Perry’s 16 point effort.    Tyler Wahl got to the foul line with a chance to tie it up but he missed both free throws.   A late loose ball scramble had Max Klesmit ready to drive down an open lane but Head Coach Greg Gard called a time out with just over 5 seconds left.    The inbound play got chaotic with Wahl getting a pass under the hoop. He decided to make one more pass across the lane to Steven Crowl but he couldn’t handle it cleanly and the buzzer sounded without Wisconsin even getting off a shot.   Hepburn finished with a team high 15 points, held scoreless in the second half.  Wahl and Essegian each finished with a dozen.   After a nice run to the NIT Final Four, Wisconsin suffered the costliest scoring drought yet and they’ll finish the season with a record of 20-16.  North Texas (31-9) heads to the championship game Thursday night where they will face Alabama-Birmingham, an 88-86, overtime winner against Utah Valley.