The Michigan women’s basketball team's 73-61 loss at Crisler Arena to Wisconsin yesterday was not pleasant to watch.

The players didn’t play terrible. In fact, sophomore Carmen Reynolds was a solid three-for-three from beyond the arc and kept it exciting on the offensive end.

And the crowd was even treated to an impressive performance by senior Kalyn McPherson.The five-foot, seven-inch guard normally doesn’t play more than a minute a game. Yesterday, she racked up 12 minutes.

But other than McPherson, the same old Michigan saga continued, another mediocre game with a new player that rises to the occasion. But there was something done differently in this game, that made it much more unbearable to watch than any other defeat.

Borseth's decision to drag the game out as long as possible and not accept the team's third straight loss.

Wisconsin shot 25 free throws — 23 of them came in the second half — with most coming in the last minute of the game. The Badgers sank 13 free throws in the final minute and a half.

Watching a team battle for the comeback at the end of the game is great — all sports fans will agree to that. The most fun thing in sports is watching those final seconds of the clock wind down with a warm and tingly sensation in your heart but a tense and pressured feeling in your throat.

So was it reasonable that Borseth kept telling his players to foul during the last minute? Even when they go down by double digits?

With just one minute left freshman Dayeesha Hollins finished a layup, drew the foul and cashed a free throw in on for a three-point play.

But the Badgers responded. Again, and again. Even after junior guard Veronica Hicks tossed a desperation 3-pointer and missed seemingly putting the game out of reach. Michigan kept fouling every time the Badgers inbounded the ball.

The points on the scoreboard continued to mount, 67-57, 68-57, 71-57 until the clock was under 10 seconds. Even more painful was that the fans had to watch the points go up one by one by one, since Michigan continued to foul as the game went out of reach.

And yes, one foul that was called on Hicks was disputable, and Hicks looked upset after the play. But even if it wasn’t called some Michigan player was going to commit it farther down the court because Borseth continued telling them to foul from the sideline.

Yes, Borseth is building a program that will be a Big Ten contender within the next five years. The players that he recruited are finally maturing in his three years, so the program is finally shaping up to be his own.

But that’s no excuse to subject the fans to torture when the game is clearly over.

The coaching was unconventional and didn't seem to be consistent with what Borseth has done all season. It is okay that he fouled the first time and the second time. But by the fifth foul, when the Wolverines were trailing by ten with fewer than 20 seconds remaining, it seemed like too much.

There is an older gentlemen who sits in front of press row with his wife every game. With about one minute remaining his wife mentioned leaving early but the man said let’s just finish the game out. After three more fouls, their seats were empty.

Clearly, they knew something Borseth didn't.