This post was updated Jan. 6 at 11:26 p.m.

The Badgers knocked the Bruins out of the Big Ten tournament a season ago.

Maybe the memories of that defeat should have ignited a revenge effort.

Maybe Saturday’s double-digit loss to the Hawkeyes should have meant a quicker start Tuesday.

But neither of those “maybes” proved true.

After the Badgers took a double-digit lead at 13:42 remaining in the first half, the Bruins only trimmed the deficit to single digits for three minutes and 33 seconds throughout the rest of the game. 

In spite of coach Mick Cronin’s shiny new additions since his team’s March loss – and 10 months to rebound – UCLA men’s basketball (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten) was again outclassed, losing to Wisconsin (10-5, 2-2) 80-72 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. 

“Our offensive struggles to start the game put us in an insurmountable hole,” Cronin said. “Our offensive struggles were so bad that it had our heads messed up on the other end (of the court).”

On a court bearing two Culver’s logos – of the iconic Wisconsin-based fast food chain – the Bruins, fittingly clad in blue with white trim, served host to the Badgers’ 3-point party. 

UCLA had yet to record a basket from beyond the arc by halftime. Wisconsin, meanwhile, had sunk eight of its 16 attempts – a disparity reminiscent of that playoff loss in Indianapolis.

“We got to do better on the rotations,” sophomore guard Trent Perry said. “We just got to do better talking, we knew the game plan coming in. We just didn’t execute it right away.”

Senior guard Skyy Clark’s absence following a hamstring injury Saturday did not help either – leaving the Bruins without their leading 3-point shooter and best defender, Cronin said.

Pouring salt in the wound, Perry – who got the start Tuesday in Clark’s place – left the game after hitting his chin on the court in the first half. And redshirt sophomore guard/forward Brandon Williams – who Cronin called the team’s second-best defender – left with the stomach flu before halftime.

“We have still not learned how to give ourselves a chance in a big game like this on the road,” Cronin said. “Seventy-two (points) should be enough.”

Unlike Saturday’s loss to Iowa, UCLA’s Tuesday deficit was not as easy to attribute to turnovers. The Bruins had five at halftime. Against the Hawkeyes, they had nine at intermission.

UCLA finished with two more turnovers than Wisconsin and three more rebounds – neither large enough to explain how the Bruins were playing from behind the whole night.

“We’ve got to dig deep within ourselves,” Perry said. “Cronin has been telling us since day one what to do. Sometimes, it’s just not clicking for all of us as a collective unit. So we just got to take this as a learning lesson.”

The Bruins’ 3-point woes ballooned to 14 straight misses before their first make, finishing 1-for-17.

Meanwhile, the Badgers had four players reach double figures – even with the Bruins outshooting their opponent 28-for-61 to 25-for-55 – with guard Nick Boyd recording 20 points.  

Spurred by a 13-0 run and an 11-0 run early in the bout, Wisconsin had as large as a 20-point lead in the opening 20 minutes. UCLA only mustered two runs as large as 6-0 – the first ending with the team still down 14 and the second down 11. 

“When you spot a team 20 points and then try to play the game, it’s very hard,” said junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. “You can’t do that on the road. You can’t do that anywhere in basketball. … I can score 20, 30 (points), and if we’re not playing defense, it really doesn’t matter.”

Dailey finished as UCLA’s points leader with 18 points on 9-for-17 shooting – but that also included an 0-for-5  performance from deep.

UCLA’s leading scorer, senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, finished with 16 points – limited after earning his fourth foul with 13:37 left in the second half. 

Perry’s second-half appearance – with the former McDonald’s All-American donning a large bandage over his chin – seemed representative of the Bruins’ state.

“It was a patchwork crew that we were fighting back with,” Cronin said.

The Bruin faithful can only hope a patented Cronin lambasting is in order. 

After a loss to Michigan a year ago Wednesday, the coach’s viral postgame remarks – criticizing his team’s attitude and character – punctuated a season where the Bruins went from 2-2 in conference play to the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament. 

For now, the only silver lining seems to be that Tuesday’s affair was kept on Peacock – quarantined from national TV behind a paid service better known for its Bravo catalog.