The No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers finished their four-game, season-opening homestand unscathed with a 94-69 win against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars Monday night at the Kohl Center.
Outlook coming into the game
The Cougars are led by head coach Brian Barone. Last season they clinched their first ever NCAA tournament appearance after winning both their games in the Ohio Valley Tournament. They then played the number one seed, Houston, and lost 78-40 in the first round. This season, they have beat East-West University 119-50, UTSA 77-60 and Drake 61-59. Their only defeat came from Indiana State who they lost to 64-55.
The Cougars came in led by the 6-foot-9 senior guard Ring Malith. Malith has displayed high level talent this season, averaging 17.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. Malith, who moves fast for a player his height, has done an excellent job of utilizing his height on defense. 6-foot-7 senior Myles Thompson averages 11 points alongside 7.3 rebounds. Meanwhile, senior Arnas Sakenis stands at an imposing 7-foot-1, but only sees the court at an average of 18 minutes per game.
The Cougars like to rely on Malith to run a fast paced offense, consisting of dribble drives, and corner threes. They shoot a mere 31.3% from three as a team, and also struggle from the free throw line with a 65% free throw rate.
Meanwhile the Badgers came in with a deadly 3-0 start. After a loud win against Ball State, 86-55 the Badgers will look to continue their domination into Monday night. Senior guard Nick Boyd still leads the team in points per game at 19.3, while guard John Blackwell is not far behind, with 18 points alongside 5 rebounds.
Forward Nolan Winter, who has progressed nicely into a more leading role, came into the game off a 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three block performance against Ball State. He is now sitting at 16 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.
Senior guard Braeden Carrington had his first double digit performance of the season against Ball State, scoring 12 points, with four rebounds. Carrington, who brings energy off the bench, is a crucial player for the Badgers.
Head coach Greg Gard has been experimenting with how to use his two freshman centers, Will Garlock and Aleksas Bieliauskas off the bench.
Against Ball State, he played them together almost every time, subbing out Winter and starting forward Austin Rapp to put the two freshmen in together. Garlock displayed his ability to create opportunities for Bieliauskas by feeding Bieliauskas for easy points under the basket. Bieliauskas finished with six points and eight rebounds against Ball State, and Garlock had three assists, all to Bieliauskas.
Wisconsin continues to overwhelm mid-major opponents
Junior guard John Blackwell was on a mission Monday night, leading the Badgers with 24 points. He went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Guard Nick Boyd added to the fire, at times scoring at will on his way to finishing with 22 points. His effort was further proof that, alongside Blackwell, Wisconsin’s backcourt is scary.
Badger forward Aleksas Bieliauskas added eight points to the statline. He was active in the paint and was able to put up some second chance points.
It was the guards doing most of the work for the Cougars. Jordan Pickett led SIUE with 12 points, shooting an efficient 5-for-8 from the field.
Jack Campion and his ability to move the ball efficiently was also key for SIUE. Although he is only 5-foot-11, he made the Badgers work all night.
It was a tough battle in the first half for the Badgers, who went into the break with just a 48-41 lead. Wisconsin played without their usual level of aggression, and forward Nolan Winter, a player Wisconsin has relied on this season, went into the half with only two total rebounds and four points.
Wisconsin’s defense also struggled as a whole. The Cougars were able to get around the Badgers defense with ease at times and put up 41 points in the first half, the most the Badgers have allowed in a half this season.
“Going into halftime, we emphasized one-on-one defense,” forward Austin Rapp said after the game.
Wisconsin was able to fulfill their second-half gameplan and pulled away within the first few minutes of the half.
When the Badgers play aggressively and turn up the pressure, they are able to force turnovers and capitalize off them.
“Second half, we took even more pride in getting stops one-on-one,” Boyd said.
Boyd’s defensive pride was evident when he picked up a loose ball in the second half and took it coast-to-coast for a nice lay-up on the other end.
Wisconsin allowed the Cougars only one bucket in the first five minutes of the second half while going on a 16-0 run that allowed them to easily run away with the game.
Wisconsin’s next game will be a difficult one, facing off against No. 8 BYU on Friday in Salt Lake City.
