MADISON, Wis. – Just two games into its season, it’s evident that this underclassmen-dominant Wisconsin program embraces playing defense. It’s a trait that served them well on Friday, as Wisconsin held Green Bay to 23.5 percent shooting in a 72-34 victory at the Kohl Center.
On a night where the Badgers honored former head coach Bo Ryan, it was fitting the Badgers improved to 2-0 for the fourth time in five years with a defensive slugfest using principles that he loved to preach.
We take a closer look at the game in the BadgerBlitz Stat Pack.
- Wisconsin put three players in double figures for the second straight game: getting a game-high 18 points from Steven Crowl, with15 points each from Johnny Davis and Brad Davison, who went 4-for-4 2-point range.
- After scoring 15 points on 15 shots in the opener, Davis delivered his points on 16 shots against the Phoenix. The sophomore is 11-for-31 from the floor in the first week of the season.
- Ben Carlson (five points) was the highest scorer off the bench, as UW utilized just six reserves until the final four minutes.
- Wisconsin outrebounded Green Bay, 50-32, which included 18 offensive rebounds. The Badgers delivered 32 points in the paint and 25 second-chance points against the Phoenix defense.
- UW shot just 5-for-21 from the 3-point line (Crowl was 2-for-4), but the Badgers converted from the free-throw line (19-for-21). UW finished 37.5 percent overall.
- Wisconsin went with the same starting five: guards Davis, Davison, and Chucky Hepburn, forward Tyler Wahl, and Crowl.
- Junior point guard Jahcobi Neath was inactive Friday with what was classified as a lower-body injury. The Wake Forest transfer scored four points and had two rebounds in 18 minutes of action in Tuesday’s opener.
- Not every game will be offensive fireworks for Wisconsin. UW was cold through the first half of the opening 20 minutes, going 0-for-4 from the perimeter and 1-for-5 on layups and dunk attempts. UW still built an 18-10 lead, however, because the Phoenix missed 10 of their first 14 shots.
- Between the second and third media timeout, the Badgers outscored the Phoenix, 9-0, with seven straight points coming from Crowl. The sophomore helped improve the two shooting stats listed above, notching two buckets in the low post, and hitting UW’s first 3-pointer at the 8:23 mark.
- While UW was running, GB was stalling with seven straight misses to fall into a 23-10 hole. The Phoenix went 6 minutes, 27 seconds between points.
- UW closed the first half on a 27-5 run to lead 39-15 at the break. UW scored 14 of those points off second-chance points, an area where UW had a 17-2 edge over the Phoenix.
- The Badgers started the second half better than the opening one, racing out on an 11-2 run that built a 50-17 lead. Six of those points came in the paint, while Crowl delivered seven of those points.
- Green Bay didn’t make its 10th field goal under 4:41 remained in the game. By that time, UW was 24-for-57.
- Wisconsin improved to 26-1 against Green Bay, having won 11 straight in the series dating back to 2010. The Badgers have won all six meetings against the Phoenix under Gard by an average of 22.7 points.
- The Badgers finish their three-game homestand by hosting Providence in the Big Ten/Big East Gavitt Games Monday. It will be the first TV appearance for the Badgers this season, tipping off at 8 p.m. CT on FS1.
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