The season-opener went to an extra five minutes after a comeback by Greg Gard's squad, but the Wisconsin Badgers eventually dropped a 65-63 overtime loss to No. 20 Saint Mary's on Tuesday night inside the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
This is just one game, but BadgerBlitz.com breaks down five observations from UW's first defeat of the 2019-20 season.
1. Nate Reuvers asserted himself well on Tuesday.
Starting with the positives, the junior forward emerged with a team-high 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting. He added six rebounds and four blocks on the night to kick off his third year as a Badger. With the team needing to replace Ethan Happ's production, this performance was a promising first step. Now, will the Minnesota native be able to build off of it? He will need to find a better touch from deep (1-of-4 from three-point range), but again, this is just one contest.
Perhaps the one other positive here, as cameras panned to Micah Potter on the bench during the game -- along with a "Free Micah Potter" sign by a fan -- was the fact that he only committed two personal fouls during the game. Both he and Aleem Ford, who was called for just three, will need to continue that going forward until the Ohio State transfer is able to play -- whenever that is.
2. Jordan Ford is as good as advertised.
Wisconsin really had no answer for Ford for most of the game, as the point guard finished the neutral site contest with a game-high 26 points -- 15 in the first half alone -- on 11-of-24 shooting overall. He connected on four of eight attempts from three-point range while also registering three assists and three steals each.
Ford is one of the nation's more dynamic guards and showed exactly why on Tuesday night. But in the long run, the Badgers will need to figure out how to contain those type of shooters down the road. Marquette's Markus Howard and Michigan State's Cassius Winston come to mind instantly.
3. Wisconsin shot ice cold from three-point range, and that made a significant difference.
UW actually shot better from the field overall than Saint Mary's (42.3 percent to 39.3 percent), but the Gaels connected from beyond the arc at a much better clip in hitting 8-of-18 from deep (44.4 percent). Ford certainly helped the cause with his aforementioned quartet of threes.
The Badgers, on the other hand, only connected on 5-of-19 in that category (a mere 26.3 percent). Only five Wisconsin players attempted three pointers. Redshirt junior guard D'Mitrik Trice hit on two of four shots from that range and finished with 10 points. However, Ford, Reuvers and Brad Davison combined to make just three of 14 from downtown (true freshman Tyler Wahl, who played in 12 minutes on Tuesday, missed his only shot from three-point land as well).
4. Wisconsin was out-rebounded, and this may be a narrative for particular games until Micah Potter returns.
During some key stretches, UW certainly could have used another big man helping in this area of the a game. Reuvers played 42 minutes, Ford 34 in the loss. Redshirt freshman center Joe Hedstrom saw just about one minute of action, while Wahl was the only other forward receiving playing time.
The Badgers lost the rebounding battle 36-28, overall.
For offensive rebounds, the Gaels also found extra opportunities with 13 on that end alone, and the WCC program recorded 14 second chance points. There were a baker's dozen of chances but a key one came with about four seconds left in overtime after a Tanner Krebs missed shot. Freshman forward Kyle Bowen, who played just eight minutes in the game, got the loose ball and Davison fouled him. The Australian made one of two free throws to cap the game's scoring.
Both Davison and Kobe King each corralled four rebounds each, but the team will need to find ways to prevent second chance opportunities.
At the very latest, Potter -- who traveled with the team to South Dakota as announced by UW earlier on Tuesday -- will be eligible to play against Milwaukee on Dec. 21. Will he have to sit until then, or will the appeals and requests by UW finally amount to a reversal from the NCAA?
5. Aleem Ford showed signs of promise with an inside game.
Ford shot just 1-of-6 from three-point range in the loss, including the airmailed attempt at the buzzer in overtime to clinch the Saint Mary's win, but he showed some glimpses of working inside in a more effective capacity. He finished 3-of-9 from the field overall, but he hit a small hook shot and also made some plays that could be indicators he's growing more comfortable inside the arc.
Though Wisconsin was out-rebounded, he also tallied five boards -- two offensively, three on the defensive end. That seems like a positive step forward after averaging just 1.9 rebounds per game last season.
