Wisconsin Basketball Guard Max Klesmit Comes Alive Against Maryland, Claims 74-70 Win

After suffering a difficult overtime loss to the Hawkeyes, Wisconsin basketball bounced back with a win over the Maryland Terrapins. While Wisconsin certainly did not play their best basketball, one player in particular was able to lock-down the win for the Badgers after excellent late-game shooting. Max Klesmit nailed six free throws and a clutch off-balance shot from deep range that put the nail in the coffin.

If there is one thing Klesmit has proven through his two seasons with the Badgers, it is that the young man has the ability to score and facilitate an offense. However, Klesmit is also human just like every other player, and has had his own share of shooting struggles as of late for the Badgers. Klesmit sunk 15 points in the past three games before coming alive for 16 points last night against the Terrapins.

Coming into the game against Maryland, Klesmit went 5-of-27 from the field and truly struggled to land any type of shot. During his shooting struggles, Wisconsin basketball has also struggled to get anything going on offense consistently.

Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Shines the Brightest When Playing as a Cohesive Unit 

During the recent skid for the Badgers, one of the biggest issues for the team as a whole has been playing as individual parts. Against Rutgers, both Klesmit and AJ Storr put up bad shots in an effort to make something happen for the Wisconsin basketball team. However, what Wisconsin needed to do was revert back to simple basketball and avoid making fundamental mistakes.

While Wisconsin basketball got the win over Maryland a night ago, there were also some glaring mistakes that continued. One particular play occurred at the top of the three-point line when Steven Crowl made a bad pass behind himself, which after a struggle for the basketball, resulted in an easy look for the Terrapins. Turnovers and sloppy, low IQ plays like the one Crowl made have plagued the Badgers over the past month.

Klesmit, Storr, and Wahl might have shown the ability to take-over games offensively, but Wisconsin basketball has not been able to do so on a consistent basis. If Wisconsin can find a way to limit their mistakes and take the shots the defense gives them, they could find their stride once again.

Could Max Klesmit Lead Wisconsin Basketball Down the Final Regular Season Stretch? 

After two 20-plus point performances in January, Klesmit has struggled to find the bottom of the net in February. Klesmit has averaged just 9.4 points per game after his hottest month shooting of the season, which is expected to happen. However, Wisconsin basketball will truly need their guard to continue his hot shooting streak from January into the final games of the regular season if they hope to win the Big Ten Conference.