Wisconsin (2-0) vs. Green Bay (0-2)

Game: Tuesday, Nov. 15 inside the Kohl Center

Time: 8:00 P.M. CT

Watch: BTN

Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio

Prediction: Wisconsin 79, Green Bay 49

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Wisconsin - 29.5

Wisconsin will host the Green Bay Phoenix on Tuesday, returning to the Kohl Center after a weekend trip to Milwaukee. Wisconsin, at 2-0, will try to grab its third victory before it travels to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis. Green Bay, having lost its first two contests, will look to get in the win column in Madison.

The Badgers will play their second game in five days before getting a week to prepare for the Battle 4 Atlantis. Coming off a gritty win against Stanford, Wisconsin is showing they can play a few different ways at the start of the season.

Against South Dakota in the opener, it was bombs away from deep. Wisconsin shot the three ball exceptionally well, and rode the three-point buckets of seven players to cruise to an 85-point performance in the win. It was much less flashy this past weekend at American Family Field. Wisconsin won a defensive battle, 60-50. The Badgers were much less effective scoring from long range, but they played sound defense on a big Stanford team and were able to grind out the win.

Tyler Wahl was the workhorse for Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He delivered a 17-point performance, showing his prowess on defense by capitalizing on a few steals and making buckets in transition. He also hit one of the two threes he took, which bodes well for his expanding offensive game. Wahl currently leads the Badgers in points, rebounds and steals. He's looking like he'll be the Badgers top option all season long, the guy they'll try to get going when the team is struggling on offense.

Chucky Hepburn didn't have the greatest day shooting the ball against the Cardinal, but he displayed his playmaking ability in addition to his touch from the mid range. Whenever it seemed like Stanford was creeping back in the game, Wahl went to work in the post or Hepburn hit a mid range jumper. Don't be deceived by Hepburn's above average defense and playmaking skills. He's a scorer as well, one that can take matters into his own hands and win in isolation.

Connor Essegian has been Wisconsin's main sixth man off the bench thus far with 37 minutes through two games. In addition to the long-range element he brings, the freshman showed an improving basketball IQ in Milwaukee, making several sharp cuts to the rim and getting himself open. It won't always look pretty this early; Essegian was the victim of a massive block on the perimeter against Stanford that sent him tumbling to the court and led to an easy bucket. Regardless, the freshman has been fun to watch, and he should see more clean looks against a lighter defense Tuesday.

Green Bay has struggled early in 2022, but they have some players that can do damage. Davin Zeigler, the junior guard, leads the Phoenix with 13.5 points-per-game. He shot efficiently in Green Bay's opener against Indiana State but was off his game against Georgetown, only going 3-9 from the field. Look for a bounce-back performance from Zeigler.

An area to keep an eye on is how the Phoenix shoot from downtown. Wisconsin has done an incredible job limiting opponents' long-range games, holding South Dakota and Stanford collectively to 3-of-31 from beyond the arc. Green Bay is shooting a lowly 33% from deep this season, a number that figures to improve as the season wears on. Will that improvement come against Wisconsin? It doesn't look likely.

Another interesting note — how much time will Kamari McGee get against his old program? The transfer point guard hasn't played much; he only got two minutes against Stanford. I'd wager that Greg Guard unleashes him a bit Tuesday, letting him serve up a little revenge.

Wisconsin has only lost to Green Bay once, back in 2009. They've won their other 11 meetings, including a 72-34 beatdown at the Kohl Center just over a year ago.

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