MADISON, Wis. – It was the final tune-up for the University of Wisconsin as it prepares for its 2022-23 season opener, which tips off one week from tomorrow. While head coach Greg Gard and his squad have plenty to work on, the exhibition schedule gives the Badgers plenty to be encouraged by.

Playing 10 players double-figured minutes, the Badgers had little trouble distancing themselves from visiting UW-Eau Claire in a 76-45 exhibition victory Sunday at the Kohl Center.

Junior Steven Crowl led all scorers with 14 points. The Badgers were 12-1 last season when their 7-0 forward reached double figures. Senior Tyler Wahl added an efficient stat line of 10 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block.

The Badgers haven’t lost an exhibition game since 1992, a streak that was extended to 49 consecutive games.

Joining forwards Crowl and Wahl and established point guard Chucky Hepburn in the starting lineup, the Badgers elected to start guards Jordan Davis and Max Klesmit, with guard Jahcobi Neath the first one off the bench. The group was efficient early.

Crowl scored on an alley-oop layup from Hepburn 12 seconds after winning the opening tip, and the Badgers forced a shot-clock violation on the first defensive possession. UW forced seven turnovers on the Blugolds’ first 10 possessions, scoring nine points off turnovers to build a 14-3 lead.

Wisconsin led 38-22 at halftime, getting scoring production from nine of the 12 players who played. The Badgers built the lead despite getting only one point from Hepburn and going 1-for-9 from three-point range. The former finished 1-for-9 and the latter ended at 5-for-20.

Carter Huschka scored nine points to lead the Blugolds, which struggled against the Badgers’ size and defense in committing 22 turnovers. UW scored 27 points off the miscues.

Wisconsin faced some adversity in the second half when the Blugolds cut the lead to 50-39, but the Badgers executed a 15-0 run over a 5-minute, 8-second stretch to blow the game open. Six players scored on the run for UW, which also tightened up defensively by holding UW-Eau Claire to 0-for-7 from the court and forcing three turnovers.

What it means: Wisconsin improved to 18-0 all-time against the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and 60-4 in exhibition play. More importantly, the Badgers got a number of inexperienced players playing heavy minutes and a handful of others their first taste of the fans being in the Kohl Center.

Star of the game: While Wahl’s stat line was the most impressive, Davis’s first half was encouraging considering the sophomore struggled to form an offensive rhythm in minimal minutes off the bench last season (1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds while shooting 32.5 percent (28.6 percent from three)). He struggled in the Red-White Scrimmage earlier this month (missing a game-high eight shots) but was better early against the Blugolds with seven points in the first half. He was a perfect 3-for-3 in the first half with a three-pointer but went scoreless in the second half.

Stat of the game: UW returns 52.3 percent of minutes played last season and 44.1 percent of its scoring, losing its top two scorers from last season in Johnny Davis and Brad Davison who accounted for 46.6 percent alone. Scoring will likely be spotty early, but the Badgers didn’t hurt themselves in the exhibition. After leading the NCAA last year committing an average of just 8.7 turnovers per game, UW had only five among the 15 players who saw the floor.

Reason to be Concerned: Gard joked that you don’t want to play H-O-R-S-E against a team from the WIAC, as his players found out why. UW-Eau Claire averaged 8.2 three-pointers per game last season, went 6-for-17 from three-point range in the opening half (2-for-10 from two-point range), and 10-for-33 for the game.

Don’t overlook: True freshman Connor Essegian leading the bench with 10 points. Production from the reserves was spotty at best last season, but the guard from Indiana could provide a boost, as long as he grasps the defensive principles.

What’s next: Wisconsin will officially open the 2022-23 season on Monday, November 7 against South Dakota at the Kohl Center (7:30 p.m./Big Ten Network). Led by first-year head coach Eric Peterson, the Coyotes were picked to finish third in the Summit League, earning one first-place vote. The Coyotes had a trio of guards named to the preseason all-league second team, including 2021 Newcomer of the Year A.J. Plitzuweit, who returns after missing the 2021-22 campaign with an injury. He was joined by 2022 All-Summit League second-team honorees Mason Archambault and Kruz Perrott-Hunt. USD’s three total selections were the most by any league team.

UW leads the all-time series, 1-0, beating the Coyotes, 76-61, during the 2010-11 season. The Badgers are 10-5 all-time against teams currently in the Summit League.

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