Wisconsin wins exhibition game against UW-Eau Claire 76-45
After a busy off-season highlighted by a trip to France, the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team finally had a chance to play in front of fans at the Kohl Center against an opponent on Sunday afternoon.
Hosting UW-Eau Claire (DIII) for a preseason exhibition game, the 2022-2023 version of the Wisconsin Badgers got off to a good start, beating the Blugolds 76-45.
Game recap
With a starting lineup of Chucky Hepburn (PG), Max Klesmit (SG), Jordan Davis (SF), Tyler Wahl (PF), and Steven Crowl (C), the Badgers grabbed an early 8-3 lead at the first media timeout. Crowl led the way with four early points and two rebounds in just over four minutes of action.
During the first stoppage, Jahcobi Neath was the first player off the bench for Wisconsin, taking the place of starting guard Jordan Davis. From there, senior forward Tyler Wahl would rattle off four straight points and help lead the Badgers on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 14-3. The Blugolds would manage to trim the lead to just eight thanks to a Carter Huschka three-pointer and a nearly three-minute scoring drought by Wisconsin to make it 14-6 with 11:42 remaining in the first half.
Coming out of the timeout, Steven Crowl would take matters into his own hands, scoring four consecutive points to help get Wisconsin's offense going. A Jordan Davis three-pointer shortly after that and a pair of free throws by sophomore forward Markus Ilver would push the Badgers lead to 25-8 with 8:30 left to play.
The Blugolds would respond with a 6-0 run of their own as the Badgers struggled on offense, missing five straight shot attempts on the other end. Despite missing some easy shots inside the paint and subpar three-point shooting, Wisconsin would manage to turn things around slightly over the next six minutes to add to their lead.
After another 4-0 run by Crowl, the Badgers would get a pair of layups by freshman Connor Essegian and senior Tyler Wahl to make it a 19-point advantage with seconds remaining. However, Cooper Laufenberg would hit a last-second three-pointer for UW-Eau Claire to make it 38-22 at halftime inside the Kohl Center.
Coming out of halftime, the Blugolds would outscore the Badgers 6-2 in the first three minutes of action, including a huge put-back dunk by Brock Voigt. Chucky Hepburn would stop the bleeding though with his first basket of the game (0-of-5 before) at the 16:38 mark in the second half.
After a brief media timeout, the Badgers would get a big three-point make and an offensive rebound from Connor Essegian off the bench to kickstart the offense and give Wisconsin a 48-34 lead at the next timeout with 11:55 remaining.
After a pair of free throw misses by Steven Crowl, it was the freshman, Essegian, who came up with a pair of nice plays for Wisconsin. The Indiana native made a nice back cut for an easy layup and then delivered a beautiful pass to Max Klesmit for another lay-in for the Badgers.
Moments later, Wisconsin would proceed to pull away a little with reserves Isaac Lindsey and Markus Ilver connecting on back-to-back three-point attempts to open up a 65-39 lead for UW.
From there, the Badgers would not look back as Greg Gard would turn to the reserves. Walk-on Luke Haertle made a pair of buckets to give Wisconsin 13 different players with at least two points, and help secure a 76-45 win over UW-Eau Claire.
Players of note
- Steven Crowl (WIS)
Stats: 14 points (6-of-11 shooting), six rebounds, and two assists in 20 minutes
Steven Crowl went to work early for the Badgers, leading the way with 12 first-half points for Wisconsin. Crowl didn't play as much in the second half as Greg Gard allowed Chris Hodges extra time, but Crowl did some nice things in the paint on offense. The 7-footer will need to be more assertive on the glass going forward, but he showed why he is one of Wisconsin's top returning players.
- Tyler Wahl (WIS)
Stats: 10 points (4-of-10 shooting), six rebounds, and five assists in 27 minutes
Tyler Wahl was extremely good on defense all game long, with three steals and a block. The senior out of Minnesota did a little bit of everything, scoring in double-figures and adding six rebounds, and five assists as well. Wahl did go 0-of-4 from three in the game, but Wisconsin's lackluster play at times was far from Wahl's fault.
- Connor Essegian (WIS)
Stats: 10 points (4-of-7 shooting), one rebound, and one assist in 15 minutes
Freshman guard Connor Essegian put together a solid game for the Badgers off the bench. He helped provide a spark in the second half with two three-pointers and a big offensive rebound. It is clear that Essegian will play this season for Wisconsin, and he showed fans what he can do from beyond the arc.
Instant analysis
While Wisconsin held nearly a 20-point lead at halftime, the Badgers struggled from three-point range, going just 1-of-9 from long-range in the first half. Additionally, UW missed some easy shots around the rim against the shorter UW-Eau Claire front line.
Although the offense was not always pretty, Wisconsin did a great job on the defensive end throughout. The Badgers forced 12 turnovers in the first half alone and managed to get out in transition with 10 fast-break points off those defensive stops.
In the second half, UW-Claire outscored the Badgers 12-7 in the first seven minutes of action, as UW continued to struggle with shooting on offense. However, Wisconsin got some help from their bench, combining for 24 second-half points to allow the Badgers to pull away as the half wore on.
Overall, it is hard to take too much from a preseason exhibition game, but Wisconsin's inability to rebound consistently against UW-Eau Claire is somewhat concerning. The Badgers were outrebounded in the first half 20 to 16, and allowed eight offensive rebounds for the Blugolds. Pair that with some inconsistent shooting and shot selection from behind the three-point line, and the Badgers will need to play better in the home opener against South Dakota. The defensive effort was there, as was the ball movement with 16 assists on 28 made shots, but there are areas in which Wisconsin needs to make strides in the next week when the competition level increases.
Up next
The Badgers will officially begin their season on November 7, taking on the South Dakota Coyotes at the Kohl Center. Tip time is set for 7:30 p.m. CST and the game will be aired on Big Ten Network.
Related links:
- Five players ready to earn more minutes for Wisconsin basketball
- Three newcomers to watch for Wisconsin men's basketball
- Sophomore walk-on Isaac Lindsey awarded a scholarship by Wisconsin
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