MADISON, Wis. – There is always a long list of unknowns going into a season that coaches – no matter how many practices they get – won’t get the answer to until teams suit up and play. Due to the transient nature of college athletics with the transfer portal, Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard will have to wait longer than usual to figure out what his team will be. And he knows it.

“I’m learning, just like you guys are,” Gard said following Wisconsin’s 78-62 exhibition victory over UW-River Falls at the Kohl Center. “We’ve got to learn fast with a lot of new guys. It definitely feels different.”

There weren’t many answers to questions like who is ready to contribute when the games start counting for real on Monday or who is ready to respond to adversity, especially when Gard and the coaching staff put together different combinations to evaluate the results. It’ll be a bumpy process that only will be smoothed out with more competition.

“That’s why we do these exhibitions is to mesh the old guys with the guys who have been here and done it,” said graduate senior Steven Crowl, who finished with 14 points. “I think everyone is doing a great job trying to build that chemistry. It might take a little longer because we’ve got a lot of new guys, but we’ll get there eventually.”

Here are my takeaways from Wisconsin’s lone exhibition game against the Falcons.

Exhibition games have little bearing on the outcome of an upcoming season. Under Gard, the games do provide a window into the thinking of Gard’s starting lineup. In five of the last six seasons, the starting lineup Gard used in the final (or only) exhibition game was the five who started the season.

While it was no surprise to see graduate seniors Max Klesmit and Crowl in the starting lineup, the pairing of rising sophomore guard John Blackwell, graduate transfer John Tonje, and lengthy forward Nolan Winter showed a glimpse into Gard’s thinking that the five best players - regardless of position – will see the court more often than not.

“It’s a lineup that has a lot of scoring punch to it,” Gard said. “I’ve seen enough of them in practice with how they shoot it. I like that group together.”

It’s not like the Badgers don’t have true point guards on the roster. Kamari McGee spent the previous two seasons as Chucky Hepburn’s backup and was labeled by his coach as the team’s most consistent option. UW signed three-star Daniel Freitag the previous fall, but Hepburn’s sudden departure to Louisville saw the Badgers target Camren Hunter for added depth.

McGee checked in at the first media timeout, Freitag followed after the second media break, and Hunter first checked in with 8:18 remaining. Freitag struggled (four turnovers and a minus-13 plus/minus) and Hunter attempted only one shot, but McGee was stellar with five points, four rebounds, six assists to no turnovers, a steal, and a block in 22 minutes.

“He makes the teams that he’s on better,” Gard said of McGee. “I told him when I decided who I was going to start to make sure you have that same energy and bounce. Between him and Klesmit, they do a good job vocally leading the team. They are the heartbeat of it … He made simple plays.”

While McGee appears locked into the sixth spot, the rest of the rotation is wide open beyond that.

Wisconsin got open shots throughout the night on all three levels but making them was a different story. The Badgers made their first shot, missed six of the next seven, and then made five of the next seven. UW shot a respectable 48.3 percent and led by 11 because of the number of three-point shots they attempted.

Of the Badgers’ 29 shots in the first half, 18 were three-pointers (62.1 percent). To compare, there were 11 games last season where UW shot fewer than 18 three-pointers.

“Coaches have harped on us a good amount of we’re shooting the ball this year,” said graduate Carter Gilmore, whose three-pointer with 12:39 remaining sparked a decisive 13-0 run. “We’re not passing up open looks. We’ve done that in years past, myself especially. The coaches are emphasizing a good amount if you’re open shoot it and just make the right play.”

When the three-point well was empty to start the second half, the Badgers saw their lead rapidly shrink. Crowl started the scoring with a paint jumper but UW's next seven attempts were from the perimeter. UW only made one of them, allowing River Falls to cut the lead to one possession with 14:28 remaining.

UW finished with 32 three-point attempts, which tied last year's season-high that came in overtime against Purdue. Having studied the analytical approach, and simple math that three points is more than two, Gard said the Badgers will be a team that shoots from the perimeter more often and, hopefully, gets those looks after touching the post.

“Do we need to throw it inside more at certain times? Yes, but we’re going to shoot threes because that’s where the game is,” Gard said.

Wisconsin did good things on defense, at times, but Gard didn’t hide the fact that the Badgers were leaky in many areas and have a long way to go to be a sound defensive unit. River Falls shot 46.4 percent from the floor in the first half and 43.9 percent overall.

UW saw veteran guys diving on the floor for loose balls and stopping dribble penetration (Gard signaled out Gilmore and McGee, and redshirt freshman Jack Janicki) but also saw newcomers – like Tonje – struggle with switching screens and being a step late.

Gilmore said improvement with offensive play calls and following defensive rules was better than during Saturday’s closed scrimmage against Northern Iowa but a lot more steps need to be taken to iron out all the rough edges.

“Chemistry comes with time and being dedicated,” Tonje said. “It’s very important to take the time to get to know each other on and off the court. It does take time. We’ve been doing well. Everyone in the locker room is great guys. The coaches got the right guys in the locker room, and we’re getting closer every single day. We’re going to learn as a team and keep improving.”

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