The Wisconsin men's basketball team cruised past Augustana College Saturday night 81-57 after taking the lead within the first four minutes of play and building on it.
This exhibition contest at the Kohl Center marked the first meeting between the two teams and gave the Badgers their 32nd consecutive exhibition victory.
Augustana - a Division II team from of Sioux Falls, S.D. - had a slightly higher shooting percentage than Wisconsin, going just under 50 percent on the game.
[Augustana] can shoot it,"" Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said. ""Division II, Division III teams, you don't play 'horse' with them.""
Although the Vikings were able to connect on almost half of their shots, their defense struggled from very early on as the team collected five fouls in the first minute and four seconds of the game. Additionally, Augustana gave Wisconsin 19 second chances by not pulling in the defensive boards and allowed the Badgers 30 points from the paint.
""I think we embarrassed ourselves,"" Augustana head coach Tom Billeter said. ""I look at the stats and we shot about 50 percent. They killed us on the boards and we foul too much, but we did some things. We worked hard. and size difference was huge.""
Wisconsin senior forward Marcus Landry set the pace for the Badgers early, racking up 11 points by halftime, at which UW led 39-24. Landry demonstrated a broad shooting range, threatening the Vikings from the paint and beyond the arc. He finished with a game high three 3-pointers and 21 total points.
Also entering double-digit scoring were Wisconsin junior guard Jason Bohannon - the 2008 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year - and sophomore forward Jon Leuer, registering 12 and 15 points, respectively.
Wisconsin's defensive intensity also did not go unnoticed. The Badgers forced the Vikings to 10 turnovers before the half, and Wisconsin capitalized by scoring 20 points off those mistakes.
Wisconsin senior guard/forward Joe Krabbenhoft - last season's Big Ten All-Defensive Team honoree - demonstrated defensive hustle by jumping over the score table and into the first few rows of fans at mid-court with 7:06 left in the first half. He was attempting to keep the ball in play after he deflected it away from the Augustana offense.
""That's Joe,"" Ryan said of Krabbenhoft's hustle. ""He sets a great tone that way. Now we just got to make sure we always turn that hustle into positive things. That's what Joe works on every day.""
Wisconsin's second-half defense remained solid and forced Augustana to commit another six turnovers.
Redshirt freshman Nathan Truex led the Vikings with 15 points and senior guard Marques Blank finished with 13 points.
Ryan said that even though his team performed well Saturday night, they need to make corrections on transition defense and other small details before the season starts.
""Things that we have been pretty strong at over the years, those kinds of things don't happen by accident, they have to be taught,"" Ryan said. ""You have to start playing in college as if there is nothing else around and stay focused all the time. The younger guys tend to drift a little bit.""
While Ryan is aware that playing Division I college basketball may work up the nerves of his rookies, freshman guard Jordan Taylor came off the bench strong for the Badgers as he finished with five points and a team high five assists.
""[Taylor] is a good player and that is why he is here. He's doing some nice things; he really has done a good job of taking care of the ball,"" Ryan said. ""Once he got into the flow of things, he was pretty solid.""
Landry and Krabbenhoft both agreed that this exhibition game gave the younger players like Taylor a chance to get out on the floor and gain some confidence.
""I think [this game] was very beneficial,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""To see all of the guys get a chance to get in and to show what they learned, what they've gotten better at in the summer and what the freshmen can bring to this team. I'm glad everybody got a chance to get in there and contribute to the win.""
The Badgers will be welcoming UW-Whitewater Nov. 11 for their final exhibition game before heading into regular season play.
