The No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball exhibition season comes to a close tonight at the Kohl Center, as UW faces off against Carroll College, another Division III team.
Carroll is fresh off a season in which they went to the D-III NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program's history. They finished 21-5, losing only two games in the Midwest Conference, and ranked as high as No. 13 in the D3hoops.com polls.
This year, the Pioneers are led by senior guard Nathan Drury. Drury was named first team all-conference last season and averaged a team best 18.8 points per game.
Head coach Bo Ryan emphasized that the Pioneers will test the Badgers' perimeter defense.
""Carroll [has] better shooters,"" Ryan said. ""I think we'll probably see maybe a little more motion on the perimeter. They established trying to get it to the base, and who wouldn't if you had the high-low action that they have. They're even harder than a lot of teams with that.""
The Badgers defeated UW-Stout, 82-53, led by senior center Jason Chappell with 14 points last Wednesday night. Junior forward Brian Butch chipped in with 12 and the two Badger big men combined to go 5-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc.
Wisconsin could look to get senior forward Alando Tucker more involved following his five point, five rebound performance, but the emphasis is on the freshmen. Jason Bohannon, J.P. Gavinski, Trevon Hughes, Mickey Perry, and Brett Valentyn saw their first floor action last Friday night and will use Wednesday night as a final tune up for their opener against Mercer Sunday.
Bohannon, in particular, shined against UW-Stout, scoring 11 points and showing off his range with two 3-pointers. Head coach Ryan insisted that Bohannon has impressed enough to possibly warrant some regular playing time as the season progresses.
""He's done enough in practices so far to send a message to the coaching staff,"" Ryan said. ""The main thing is he's still trying to make sure he understands the nuances of what we're doing and how to blend in with the other guys. He's good enough to be on the floor.""
While the Badgers prepare for what has the makings of a historic season, some question their choice in preseason opponents. Both teams are D-III and provide little challenge to Wisconsin's experienced players.
However, coach Ryan insists that the purpose of exhibition games is to fine tune fundamentals and to get the freshmen used to the intense atmosphere.
""The whole idea of exhibition games is to get people familiar pretty much with your own court and the surroundings,"" Ryan said. ""Also it's for people to get into the feeling of the Kohl Center each season.""
