MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin wasted little time in packing in games out of the starting gate.

Scheduling three games in the season's opening week for the first time since 2021, the Badgers overwhelmed three mid-major opponents by design, developing a quick stretch of games in hopes of accelerating the growth of a team with seven new faces on the roster and returning players occupying different roles.

“It’s a benefit to get some games under your belt with these new guys, specifically the transfers to see where they are,” head coach Greg Gard said. “(Max) Klesmit and (Nolan) Winter are in different roles, (Kamari) McGee is in a different role because he’s asked to make a greater impact. Any time you get a chance to play outside competition, you take something from it and learn from it.”

Those learned lessons will serve as a template for how Wisconsin (3-0) can knock off No.9 Arizona (2-0) in what should be a raucous environment.

After the Kohl Center was sparsely populated during the first three games, Friday was announced as a sellout for a “Stripe Out” to see a marquee game and a handful of Wisconsin dignitaries. The Badgers will honor the 2014 and 2015 Final Four teams before the game, (both of which beat Arizona in the regional finals) and raise a banner at halftime honoring 2024 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Bo Ryan.

In between the pomp and circumstances, they’ll see a Wildcats team that will test the Badgers in every facet.

Arizona appears to have easily replaced four of last year’s top eight scorers with freshman and transfer talent. The Wildcats’ frontcourt was boosted by Caleb Love choosing to return after averaging 18.0 points per game and was named a third-team All-American and the Pac-12 Player of the Year. Surrounded by Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley and sophomore KJ Lewis, the trio of guards are explosives in transition and have registered 20 of Arizona’s 41 assists.

The Wildcats saw Oumar Ballo transfer to Indiana but replaced him with multiple big bodies. 7-0 center Henri Veesaar can post, attack the glass, and shoot threes in transition, 7-2 sophomore Motiejus Krivas is averaging a rebound every two minutes, and Tennessee transfer Tobe Awaka was labeled “a monster on the glass” by Gard. Awaka has 11 offensive rebounds in two games, eight coming against Old Dominion, as the Wildcats have already scored 42 second-chance points.

A team that puts pressure on the rim with its size and depth, Arizona will only get stronger once 20.2 ppg scorer Anthony Dell’Orso (23.5 FG%) and 17.3 ppg scorer Trey Townsend (5.5 ppg) get comfortable in their new program.

“How they pound the paint, pound the rim, offensive rebounding has jumped out,” Gard said. “There’s been a tremendous size advantage they’ve had, too, but just there relentless to the rim and relentless to the glass they have with Awaka and Krivas and Veesaar. The physicality Awaka brings is noticeable but in general, the intent is to really pound the paint.”

UW appears more equipped to handle low-post size than a season ago with the return of graduate forward Steven Crowl and the development of Nolan Winter. Both players are spending the week going against 6-10 freshman Riccardo Greppi and 6-9 junior Chris Hodges to prepare them for the size they’ll see, each hoping for a better showing than what happened last December.

In Arizona’s 98-73 victory, Crowl was only 1-for-4 in the first half while Winter managed just one rebound in 14 non-descript minutes.

“He’s another year older, another year more mature, another year of more experienced,” Gard said of Winter. “You parlay all those things into playing better and more consistent. This will be a great challenge for him. As a player, you always want to play against the best.”

Wisconsin’s diagnostic report after three games shows growth and an undefeated record. When locked in, they’ve showcased an offense that can either play aggressively through the post, draw fouls, or find open perimeter shots and a defense that can be aggressive and smothering.

Few things are perfect one week into a season, which is why Gard walked back some of his Sunday comments praising UW’s defensive achievements on Tuesday. While the Badgers played more aggressively against ball screens and limited Appalachian State to 26 points in the paint, Gard saw on tape that the effort wasn’t as pristine or consistent enough, getting bailed out by the Mountaineers committing 18 turnovers and shooting 37.5 percent.

Saying UW “got better as the week progressed” but the execution is “still not where we need to be or will be,” Gard will see how his players fair when it faces the season’s first benchmark.

“It’s going to be a good test for us,” he said. “That’s why you play these games. You want to play against some of the best in the country. This is the first of many that we’ll have throughout the year.”

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