It was only fitting that the Gophers' comeback hopes ended in a 63-60 loss Tuesday against Wisconsin with a turnover costing Ben Johnson's team a chance to tie the game.
A season-high 20 turnovers in the game for the Gophers was the main culprit in ruining their hopes for the program's first win in Madison since 2019. The Badgers scored 21 points off turnovers.
As well as the Gophers played to nearly erase their 15-point deficit in the second half, Johnson was frustrated with his players making too many mistakes to win a Big Ten game on the road.
"It's no disrespect to Wisconsin but they're not a team that presses," Johnson said. "They don't pressure and they don't deny. So, we'll watch it and go, wow that was a lot of self-induced, self-inflicted turnovers at key points. Against a top-25 team on the road you can't do that."
Here are four takeaways from the loss at Wisconsin to open Big Ten play in 2023:
Careless turnovers
On the Gophers' final possession of the game, Ta'Lon Cooper dribbled the ball up the right side of the floor trying to make a play off a screen from Joshua Ola-Joseph.
Only problem was that Wisconsin's Chucky Hepburn saw it coming and jumped the ball screen for a steal that sealed the game in the waning seconds.