MADISON, Wis. – From this point forward, games will count for real for the University of Wisconsin. If Wednesday’s exhibition dominance is a sign of things to come, the Badgers will have plenty of
Yes, there will be tougher, taller, longer, and more experienced opponents coming up quickly on the Badgers’ schedule, but Wisconsin’s 87-44 victory over UW-Stevens Point Wednesday night showed glimpses of brilliance and an overall solid foundation on which to build.
St. John’s transfer A.J. Storr began in the starting lineup and was the team’s leading scorer at 14 points.
The Badgers played 10 guys within the first eight minutes but managed to maintain a rhythm largely due to their length and the group’s overall experience. The Badgers utilized a full-court press at times following a made basket, and the group’s length, switch, and rotation made life difficult for the Pointers. Stevens Point shot 33.9 percent from the field, including missing 11 straight shots over 7 minutes, 20 seconds, in the first half, and only attempted two free throws against UW’s stingy defense.
Offensively, UW scored 24 of its 39 first-half points in the paint, including 15 of its first 17. Overall, the Badgers scored as many points in the paint (44) as the Pointers scored. Wisconsin was able to push the ball in transition (22 fast-break points) and while the three-point shot didn’t drop (9-for-24), it was an efficient 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the first half (14-for-21 overall).
The Badgers last season finished 13th in the Big Ten in free-throw attempts in league games and 12th in league games in made percentage, a trait the staff believes it will rectify this season.
What it means: Wisconsin has won 50 straight exhibition games (dating back to 1992), improving to 61-4 all-time in exhibition play and 19-0 all-time vs. the WIAC. That record is part of the reason why the Badgers gave up an exhibition game in lieu of a closed-door scrimmage back in 2011. Regardless, Wisconsin suffered few offensive lulls (a major problem last season) and looked sharp defensively.
Star of the game: Connor Essegian started the final 18 games of last season, replacing the since-transferred Jordan Davis. Before the promotion, Essegian was a weapon off the bench averaging 10.5 ppg while shooting 45.3 percent from 3-point range in 16 games. If Storr does indeed start, Essegian showed Wednesday he can be that weapon again, as he led the bench scorers with 11 points on 3-for-9 from three-point range.
Stat of the game: Wisconsin shot 56.1 percent from the floor, including 60.7 percent in the second half, and averaged 1.261 points per possession.
Reason to be Concerned: It was announced just over four hours before tip-off that four-star freshman Gus Yalden will take a temporary leave of absence to address a personal family matter. He’ll remain in school and continue to receive student-athlete services and support from the team and staff, but will not participate in team-related activities.
The 6-9 forward and former four-star recruit was expected to compete for minutes in Wisconsin’s frontcourt this season but missed a week of practices following a scooter incident. That absence has caused him to appear outside of Gard’s normal eight-to-nine-man rotation.
Don’t overlook: Over the past 15 seasons, UW has started unranked seven times. In five of those seven instances, UW finished the year ranked (won Big Ten titles in 2019- 20 & 2021-22) and made the NCAA tournament. UW begins this season just outside of the AP Top 25 poll, with the most votes (53) among unranked teams.
What’s next: Wisconsin doesn’t have to wait long to officially open the 126th season of Badgers basketball, hosting Arkansas State Monday night to start the season (7 p.m./Big Ten Network+). The Red Wolves return six letter winners, three starters, from last season’s 13-20 team and will be under the guidance of first-year head coach Bryan Hodgson, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Alabama. The two schools have never met.
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