Five observations from Wisconsin's win vs. Eastern Illinois
MADISON -- Despite Eastern Illinois bringing the game to within one possession with under nine minutes remaining, the Wisconsin Badgers eventually pulled away with a 65-52 win on Friday night inside the Kohl Center.
BadgerBlitz.com breaks down five observations from what was a relatively close game for a significant duration of the contest.
1. Kobe King bounces back nicely, shows ability to get to the rim
After a rough outing against No. 20 Saint Mary's on Tuesday night in Sioux Falls, the redshirt sophomore rebounded to record a career-high 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting plus six boards. The La Crosse (WI) native's highlight of the night came on a ferocious dunk in the first half that excited the Badger faithful.
The majority of King's presence on Friday evening came in the paint. Getting to the charity stripe often, he made eight of 10 free throws. Looking at the third-year player, in particular, he showed an ability to attack the rim — which is much needed for the program in replacing Ethan Happ's inside presence.
2. Nate Reuvers again asserts himself
After a 22-point, six-rebound, four-block performance earlier this week in the season-opener, the junior big man almost became the third Badger in school history to record a triple-double -- but he fell just one block short of doing so.
Against Eastern Illinois, Reuvers tallied 14 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and those nine blocks. Perhaps a consolation prize for the forward in missing the triple-double was the fact that he tied his school record for the latter category, one he owns with Brad Sellers. He also shot 4-of-8 from the field and made one of two from three-point range during his second double-double of his UW career.
Maybe most impressive, Reuvers again held his fouls in check for the second consecutive game. Redshirt junior Aleem Ford eventually fouled out later in the second half - finishing with 11 points and four rebounds - but the former only committed two fouls in 32:25 of play.
3. Wisconsin still sloppy with turnovers, and the three-point line still not kind
To me - at least my gut feeling during the non-conference contest - I never felt like Wisconsin was in "danger" of losing the game. However, Eastern Illinois drew to within one possession at 46-43 with 8:56 remaining in regulation after a Mack Smith three-pointer.
UW eventually went on a 15-0 run to finally lock down a home victory, with King and Brevin Pritzl each scoring four points apiece in that timeframe. Yet, the team committed 11 turnovers -- seven in the first half -- while also shooting 3-of-18 from deep.
Perhaps a positive out of this is Wisconsin made 18 of 37 attempts inside the arc on Friday night, but against tougher competition, the shots from deep will need to start falling. In two games, UW is just eight of 37 (21.6 percent) from three-point range.
4. On the flip side, the team showed an ability to get to the free throw line
Led by King's 10 attempts, Wisconsin got to the line 24 times against Eastern Illinois. The Badgers finished the game hitting 20 of those (83.3 percent overall). Along with King's 8-of-10 performance from the charity stripe, Reuvers made all five of his attempts.
Through two games, the team has 44 free throw attempts and have more shot more than their respective opponents in both contests. Though early on, UW's 77.3 free throw percentage is also a promising sign that needs to be continued to be built off of.
5. A touching, emotional tribute to Howard Moore
It's hard not to be cliché when describing moments like this. It reminds you there is so much more to sports, but also how sports can bring together so many. The videos and photos can far better describe what took place this evening than my words.
Before the game, Wisconsin recognized assistant coach Howard Moore. In May, an auto accident in Michigan resulted in the deaths of Moore's wife, Jen, and their nine-year-old daughter, Jaidyn.
Howard suffered injuries in the tragic incident. Later in July, UW announced through a Moore family statement that the UW assistant was being moved to a "long-term care and rehabilitation facility" after suffering a "medical issue" that involved cardiac arrest.
Friday night, Moore's parents both attended the game, with his mother briefly speaking to the Kohl Center crowd. When Wisconsin announced their starting lineups, the Badgers included Moore's son, Jerell.