3 thoughts from the Wisconsin men’s basketball win over UW-River Falls
3 thoughts from the Wisconsin men’s basketball win over UW-River Falls
Here are a few thoughts coming out of the Wisconsin men’s basketball team's 78-62 exhibition win over UW-River Falls.
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's basketball team hosted the UW-River Falls Falcons at the Kohl Center for their eighth-annual Cancer Awareness Game, marking the Badgers’ last tune-up before the season opener against Holy Cross on Nov. 4.
Greg Gard and company defeated UW-River Falls 78-62 and improved their record to 51-0 in exhibition contests since 1992 and 21-0 all-time against WIAC opponents. The Badgers never trailed, but it wasn’t without a few bumps along the way. The Falcons pulled within 47-45 after a 9-2 run with 12:55 left on the clock. However, Wisconsin responded with a 13-0 run to regain control and widen the gap and regain control.
"It's why we do these exhibitions, to try to mesh the new guys with the guys that have been here and done it," Steven Crowl told reporters. "I think everyone's doing a great job of trying to build that chemistry. I think it might take a little longer because we have a lot of new guys, but we'll get there eventually. Like I said, I think everyone's doing great."
Senior forward John Tonje led the way with 15 points, six rebounds, and two assists on 3-of-11 shooting, while Crowl chipped in 14 points and five rebounds, three blocks, and two assists. As a team, the Badgers shot 43.9% from the floor and connected on 11-of-32 three-point attempts for an average of 1.258 points per possession.
Here's what stood out from the Badgers win over UW-River Falls.
The Badgers didn't start a traditional PG
In a somewhat surprising move, head coach Greg Gard opted to roll with a starting five of Max Klesmit, John Blackwell, John Tonje, Nolan Winter, and Steven Crowl. The decision to begin the game without a primary ball handler was unexpected, but it was apparent that what Gard thought that group could give them offensively was more than worth it.
It's a big lineup that has a lot of scoring punch to it," Gard said. "But I've seen enough of them in practice that I know how they shoot it. I like that group together. Specifically, with Blackwell having the ball in his hands, he'll finish better than what he did tonight. Then it gives us [Kamari] McGee with a little spark off the bench... he really gives us some juice."
McGee was the first guard off the bench, checking in at the 14:58 mark, and finished with five points, six assists, four rebounds, and no turnovers in 24 minutes. Additionally, McGee had the best +/- on the team at +22.
Behind McGee, freshman Daniel Freitag was the next man up and entered the game with 13:02 remaining in the half, initially playing off the ball. Freitag played just six minutes, missed his only field goal attempt, and registered a team-high four turnovers on the night. Meanwhile, transfer guard Camren Hunter didn’t see action until there was 8:18 left in the first half, contributing three points in just under five minutes of play.
McGee is clearly set to be a key piece in the Badgers’ rotation, likely seeing minutes close to starter level. Even so, Wisconsin will lean on their backcourt's size and shooting, hoping the chemistry falls into place.
Wisconsin's rotations were... interesting
In the first half, the first two players off the bench were McGee and senior forward Markus Ilver, followed by Xavier Amos and Daniel Freitag. The guard rotation off the bench felt a little more settled, with walk-on Jack Janicki also factoring in and looking like a lock to earn minutes.
What stood out was the mixing and matching at the backup four spot. To start the second half, Gard turned again to McGee, but this time, Carter Gilmore was the first forward off the bench. Notably, Gilmore hadn’t seen action in the first half until the final 2:27 before halftime.
Gilmore would go on to play more than 11 minutes in the second half and ended the game with nine points, five rebounds (three offensive), and a block, while Ilver and Amos each saw limited playing time.
Part of the issue, if you want to call it that, is Winter starting has forced Wisconsin to find a stretch forward they can rely on to come in and play when he shifts to the five when Crowl needs a breather. In theory, that answer should — and maybe still could become Amos. But it looks like the coaching staff might not be sold on that route just yet.
"Right now, it depends on matchups, who we'll play," Gard said of the frontcourt rotation. "I think it's a little bit by committee."
Coming out of the exhibition, McGee seems to be the only surefire contributor off the bench, with roles beyond the starting five still very much up in the air. The added depth gives Wisconsin flexibility, but it'll be interesting to see how those minutes ultimately get distributed.
This team is going to live and die by the three-ball
In their game against UW-River Falls, the Badgers hoisted 32 shot attempts from beyond the arc. Afterward, Coach Gard was asked if that volume is a preview of what we can expect from Wisconsin this season.
"I mean, you look at the analytics, we've studied a lot of teams, I mean simple math, the three is worth more than two," Gard said postgame. "Do we just throw it inside more in certain times, yes. But we're going to have to shoot threes because that's where the game is.
"I think we've got good shooters, but I'm not going to be naive enough to think we're not going to play through Steve... But shooting threes is where the game has gone, we need to shoot threes."
Last season, Wisconsin basketball shot 34.9% from three, ranking 129th nationally, per KenPom. With Tonje, a career 37% shooter, and Amos, who hit 38.5% from deep last year at Northern Illinois, the roster arguably has more shooting depth across the board than a year ago—and now has the option to play five capable threats on the floor at once.
The Badgers offense is still finding its rhythm, which makes sense with so many new additions this season. Yet, even as the chemistry improves, much of their success will depend on how well they can shoot the ball.
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