Almost everything that could've gone wrong for Northwestern did go wrong on Wednesday night. The Wildcats were boatraced in Madison, Wisconsin, losing to the Badgers in their Big Ten opener, 85-73.

A week after Chris Collins proclaimed that his team needed to fix its defense, the 'Cats struggled at that end of the floor once again. Wisconsin scored 55 points in the first half and led by as many as 27, then used its sizeable cushion to hold Northwestern off down the stretch.

The issues that plagued Northwestern against Virginia, South Carolina and Oklahoma State reappeared against Wisconsin. The 'Cats gave up 13 offensive rebounds and gave the ball away 12 times, which the Badgers capitalized on with 22 points off turnovers.

Wisconsin's John Blackwell scored 26 points — 23 in the first half — and had 11 rebounds to lead the way for the Badgers. Nick Boyd chipped in 20 points, while Andrew Rohde dished out nine assists.

The Wildcats' stars largely struggled to generate offense for much of the game. Nick Martinelli put up 14 points and eight boards, but was held to just eight field goal attempts. Arrinten Page finished with 21 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals, mostly coming in the second half with the game out of reach.

Despite the loss, the 'Cats still found solid contributions from other parts of their lineup. Freshman Tre Singleton posted eight points and 10 rebounds while playing solid defense. Jordan Clayton had nine points, four assists and ended up with a team-high plus-minus of +9 in the 12-point loss.

Northwestern had no answer for Wisconsin's speed to start. After trailing by one early, the Badgers went on a 16-2 run to surge ahead, 21-8. The 'Cats finally managed to find some offense midway through the first half, but John Blackwell hit three triples to maintain a healthy Wisconsin lead.

Blackwell's sharpshooting continued to gash the Wildcats. The junior guard knocked down five threes en route to 23 first-half points, which gave Wisconsin a 55-32 advantage at the half. The Badgers were efficient, tallying 15 assists on 17 first-half made shots and scoring 18 points off seven Northwestern turnovers. 

NU found more offensive success in the second half, closing the deficit to 16 with 10 minutes to go. However, the Wildcats' momentum stalled, and they couldn't find enough scoring until it was too late. A late 7-0 run brought Northwestern within 13, but the 'Cats still ultimately fell to Wisconsin, 85-73.

Northwestern will return home on Saturday to host Ohio State.

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