The Wisconsin Badgers dominated the Central Michigan Chippewas Monday night in Madison, winning 88-61 to snap a two-game losing streak. Wisconsin’s depth met the moment with bench players contributing 44 of their 88 points, playing without injured guard John Blackwell.
Monday’s win marks a potential turnaround moment for the Badgers, who suffered a devastating loss against Villanova the previous Friday. Against Villanova, the bench tallied only two points.
After that showing, head coach Greg Gard used Monday’s game as a tune-up for his squad that has occasionally failed to gel. As the game progressed, the Badgers built a strong lead, which along with Blackwell’s injury, allowed for extended playing time for many of Gard’s bench players.
Here are a few performances that stood out.
Forward Austin Rapp was a huge contributor coming off of the bench for the Badgers. After a scoreless game against Villanova, Rapp bounced back against Central Michigan with 18 points, along with seven rebounds, leading the Badgers in scoring alongside fellow forward Nolan Winter.
Rapp was a starter earlier in the season but after inconsistent play, was moved to the bench after good play from freshman forward Aleksas Bieliauskas.
Rapp has struggled in recent games, including shooting 3-for-10 against Nebraska and 0-for-2 against Villanova. But against Central Michigan, he used his exceptional court vision to put himself in positions to score, and set up teammates for easy buckets.
Rapp spoke about how his approach going into games has shifted over the past few weeks. “Just believing in myself, having confidence,” Rapp said when asked how his approach has shifted, “I feel like the last couple games I was playing a little timid, not myself.”
Point guard Braedon Carrington also made a great impact coming off of the bench. Carrington chalked up nine points on a 3-for-6 performance from beyond the arc.
Carrington did not play against Villanova due a hip strain, but came back ready to find his groove. His above-standard shooting was on display in the first-half, as Carrington put himself in position to be on the receiving end of a Wisconsin offense that emphasized passing to score.
“It felt good to get back out there obviously. Seeing a couple shots go in is always nice,” Carrington said after the game.
Another interesting tidbit from Monday’s game came with freshman guard Zach Kinziger receiving his first in-game action.
Earlier in the season, Kinziger was considering redshirting, but over weeks of sustained success in practice, Gard felt inserting Kinziger into the rotation was the right move.
Kinziger connected on two triples during the game and ended with six points. He was 50%, going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc.
The true freshman’s first bucket of his career came from a corner three that was assisted by Jack Janicki. The whole team was ecstatic after the shot, congratulating him during the next timeout.
“He definitely deserved it, I’m glad he got the chance. I’m definitely excited to see what he can continue to do.” Carrington said this about Kinziger in the postgame press conference.
With the tough upcoming schedule for Wisconsin, it is crucial that the bench keeps making immense strides. Gard and the Badgers have proved they can play cohesive, prosperous basketball against lower-quality opponents, and will need to continue to build momentum before their Big Ten schedule resumes on Jan. 3.
