MADISON, Wis. – No late-game heroics were needed to clinch a victory for the University of Wisconsin on night one of the college basketball season. After a season full of 40-minute sweats, the Badgers hope the results of game one are a more commonplace occurrence in the months to come.
Junior Chucky Hepburn scored 20 points as Wisconsin dominated the low post in a wire-to-wire 105-76 victory over Arkansas State at the Kohl Center.
Sophomore A.J. Storr added 15 points in his first game for the Badgers (1-0), which had no interest in carrying over last season’s offensive woes.
Wisconsin had 23 “close games” last season, defined by contests decided by five points or less or ending in overtime. On the flip side, the Badgers had only four decided by at least 12 points and two by more than 20, a casualty of averaging just 65.3 points per game.
A year later, head coach Greg Gard has one of the deepest teams in his tenure era, and the most experienced team of any major conference opponent with 92 percent returning scoring. Those traits came through early.
Wisconsin got scoring from 10 players in the first half to put up 56 points before halftime. A year after averaging 65.3 points per game, Wisconsin cracked 50 points in the first half since Nov.27, 2020, and did it without hitting a 3-pointer.
Wisconsin’s first nine points came through post touches and the Badgers kept their paint brushes wet against an undersized Arkansas State lineup. A high focus in the offseason of the Badgers’ returning lineup, UW scored 56 points in the paint, shot 65.0 percent from the field, and averaged 1.364 points per possession.
Freddy Hicks scored a game-high 21 points for the Red Wolves (0-1), who return a lot of experience (337 career starts) but are transitioning to an up-tempo style under former Alabama assistant Bryan Hodgson. The results were a disjointed offense that committed 17 turnovers and shot 4-for-21 from three-point range.
What it means: Wisconsin’s offense made possessions a challenge last season. Everything had a smoother flow, despite the mixing of personnel in game number one. Wisconsin improved to 25-1 all-time in openers at the Kohl Center and 7-1 in season openers under Greg Gard. UW cracked the 100-point mark for the first time since Dec. 2018 (152 games).
Star of the game: After spending most of the first half facilitating (6 pts, 2 assists, 2 steals, no turnovers), Hepburn delivered offensively in the second half with 14 points while distributing another four assists.
Stat of the game: Wisconsin scored 50 points in the first half for the first time since Nov.27, 2020 ... and UW did it without hitting a 3-pointer (0-for-3).
Reason to be Concerned: Connor Essegian was injured with 6:29 remaining in the first half when he took the full force of a low-post foul. Appearing to injure his lower back, Essegian stayed on the court for several minutes before walking off on his own power. He rode an exercise bike for the remainder of the first half but did not return.
Don’t overlook: Wisconsin got 27 points from its bench through the first 28 minutes of the game, most of the damage coming from freshmen John Blackwell (7) and Nolan Winter (6) and junior Isaac Lindsey (6). The Badgers finished with 39 bench points. The most points UW got from their reserves in a game last season was 24 vs. Dayton.
What’s next: The competition will receive a considerable uptick Friday when the Badgers host No.9 Tennessee. A game that completes a home-and-home series that began with a 68-48 win in Knoxville in 2019, the Volunteers (1-0) are picked as the preseason favorite to win the SEC and showcased their strength in an 89-88 exhibition victory at Michigan State last week. Fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi is a two-time First Team All-SEC selection. Guard Dalton Knecht – a 20.2 ppg scorer a year ago – led the Vols with 17 points in Monday’s opener. Wisconsin has won three straight meetings in the series and leads the all-time series, 3-2.
