Preview: Can Wisconsin Basketball Use Hot Shooting to Down No. 9 Tennessee?

After a record-setting win against Arkansas State in their opening night game, the Wisconsin basketball team will have a real test on their hands tonight when they face off with the Tennesee Volunteers, the No. 9 team in the country.

The Badgers will look to keep their hot offense rolling against the Vols, who defeated Tennessee Tech, 81-42 on Monday night.

A win tonight would be a huge confidence boost for the Wisconsin basketball team and give them some real momentum into their difficult non-conference schedule to start the 2023-24 season.

Wisconsin Basketball vs. Tennessee Game Information

When: Friday, November 10, 2023 – 8:00 PM
Where: Madison, WI – Kohl Center
TV: Peacock
Radio: Badger Sports Network
Follow Online: Live Game Stats

History of Wisconsin Basketball vs. Tennessee

The Wisconsin Badgers have faced off with the Tennesee Volunteers five times. The Badgers are currently on a three-game winning streak and own the series, three games to two.

In their most recent game, the Badgers defeated the Vols 68-48 in Knoxville back in 2019.

The Badgers were led by D’Mitrik Trice, who scored 21 points. Brevin Pritzl added 17 off the bench.

The last time the Volunteers defeated the Badgers was in 2000, when they were also ranked No. 9, and they defeated the No. 18 Badgers in Knoxville in the first game of the season.

Wisconsin vs. Tennessee: Three Things To Watch

Can the Badgers keep up the hot shooting?

The Wisconsin basketball team shot the lights out on Monday night against the Red Wolves. They shot 65 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three. They also scored on 64 percent of their possessions and 1.346 points per possession. And that was all pretty much without one of their best shooters, Connor Essegian, who left the game early with an injury and didn’t return.

According to KenPom, the Badgers have an adjusted offense efficiency (points per 100 possessions) of 111.1. That’s tied with Miami (FL) and USC for 18th in the country.

It’s early, and Tennesee didn’t play a very challenging opponent, but the Vols allowed just 48 points on just 27.5 percent shooting from the floor and 16.7 percent from three.

Tennessee’s adjusted defense efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) is just 86.4, which is the best in the country.

The Tennessee defense is going to make things a lot harder on the Badgers than Arkansas State did. Will the Badgers be able to put up enough points to beat the Vols at home? This is going to be a nice litmus test for the Wisconsin basketball team.

How effective will Connor Essegian be if he can play?

The Wisconsin basketball sharpshooter left the game early on Monday night after an opposing player landed on him while trying to rebound the ball.

Essegian was seen riding an exercise bike on the sideline, but never made it back into the game. Gard may have kept him out as a precaution as the game was well in hand. But his status for the Tennessee game is still up in the air.

If Essegian can’t play, the Badgers are going to have to fill that void. Against Arkansas State, it wasn’t much of a problem. Going 6/9 from deep in the second half (while Essegian was out) showed they can still hit those shots. But Tennessee’s defense is a whole lot different from the Red Wolves’. Having a guy like Essegian who can catch and shoot off screens with a hand in his face would be extremely helpful. I don’t think the Badgers have a guy who can do it like him.

If he can go, will he even be 100%? Will that affect his shooting?

How will the freshmen look against higher competition?

So far, the freshmen duo of Nolan Winter and John Blackwell have looked pretty good. Both got 15 minutes of game time against Arkansas State and both shot 100% from the field and combined for 18 points.

It’s obvious that the Tennessee Volunteers are a much tougher and more challenging opponent than Arkansas State. But what we have seen so far from the freshmen pair has been encouraging.

Blackwell always seems to be in the right place at the right time. At one point in the first half, he led the Wisconsin basketball team in rebounds and played just a fraction of the starters.

#Badgers freshman John Blackwell had played just 4 minutes so far but leads the team with 3 rebounds.

He really has a nose for the ball. Super excited for this freshman class.

— Christian Borman (@christianborman) November 7, 2023

The freshmen pair had the best defensive rating (points allowed by a player per 100 possessions) on the team on Monday night. Winter had a rating of 76 and Blackwell’s was 96.6. No one else on the team had a rating lower than 102.1 (Carter Gilmore).

The duo also had some of the highest offensive ratings (points produced by a player per 100 possessions) on the team. Winter led the team with an offensive rating of 173.8. Blackwell had a rating of 159.7, good for third on the team.

So while you don’t want to overreact to just one game, the first-year players have played just as well, if not better, than a lot of players on the team.

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