Wisconsin basketball opens with an 85-59 win over South Dakota
Following a 31-point exhibition win over UW-Eau Claire a week ago, the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team entered Monday night's regular season opener looking to begin their 2022-2023 season on the right foot.
Hosting South Dakota of the Summit League, the Badgers did just that, taking down the Coyotes 85-59 at the Kohl Center behind some strong three-point shooting.
Game recap
Utilizing the same starting lineup as they did against UW-Eau Claire, Wisconsin would grab an early 5-0 lead after a quick three-point make by center Steven Crowl and a pretty reverse layup by Tyler Wahl inside. After a South Dakota bucket, Max Klesmit would connect from long-range to give the Badgers an 8-2 advantage at the first media timeout despite Wisconsin.
A three-point make by Chucky Hepburn late in the shot clock would extend Wisconsin's lead moments later, but the Coyotes would respond with back-to-back makes and three free throws. However, freshman guard Connor Essegian would hit a deep three-pointer for the Badgers to push Wisconsin's lead back up to 14-9 with 11:46 remaining in the first half.
Even with South Dakota guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt making three consecutive contested jumpers coming out of the timeout, the Badgers would manage to maintain their lead thanks to a great second effort by Jordan Davis and a wide-open three-pointer by Steven Crowl. As a result, Wisconsin still held a four-point edge at the under-eight-minute media timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Max Klemsit would bury a pair of free throws and a crucial three-pointer on the next possession to help push the lead up to eight points for the Badgers. However, the Coyotes would respond with back-to-back makes of their own to trim the lead back to four points shortly thereafter.
Following the stoppage, Kruz Perrott-Hunt of South Dakota and Jahcobi Neath of Wisconsin would exchange three-point plays to cancel one another out. However, in the final two minutes, a Chucky Hepburn would help propel the Badgers to a 38-28 lead at halftime with a pair of three-pointers, including a buzz-beater as time expired.
In the first few minutes of the second half, Tyler Wahl took the majority of shots for Wisconsin on the offensive end. While he missed a pair of open threes, Wahl did connect on four free throws and slam home a breakaway dunk to push the lead for 12 points for the Badgers.
From there, a pair of layups by Max Klesmit and Jordan Davis would give Wisconsin a 6-0 run in just over a minute forcing a timeout by South Dakota and making it a 50-34 lead with 15:14 left to play.
Some excellent defense by Wisconsin would lead to a two-minute scoring drought for South Dakota, allowing the Badgers to open a 21-point lead with another 6-0 run behind buckets from Carter Gilmore, Chucky Hepburn, and Jordan Davis.
After a brief lull in the game, a Connor Essegian three-pointer and assist on a Tyler Wahl dunk would bring the Kohl Center crowd to their feet and push the Wisconsin advantage to 24 points with 7:42 remaining.
Over the final minutes of the game, the Badgers would manage to hold off South Dakota with their reserves, as Greg Gard cleared the bench. In the end, pulling away to secure an 85-59 win at the Kohl Center.
Players of note
- Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin)
Stats: 14 points (5-of-10 shooting), three rebounds, and three assists in 28 minutes
When the Badgers needed a big bucket on Monday night, Chucky Hepburn was there. The sophomore point hit a late three to beat the shot clock on an ugly possession and came up with a huge buzzer-beater to end the first half that gave Wisconsin some needed momentum heading into halftime.
Hepburn added three rebounds and three assists on the night, but his two three-pointers were the story, as he was efficient from long-range going 2-of-3 from deep.
- Tyler Wahl (Wisconsin)
Stats: 19 points (5-of-11 shooting), 10 rebounds, and four assists in 27 minutes
No player stuffed the stat sheet like Tyler Wahl. The senior forward recorded the fifth double-double of his career, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Wahl was nearly flawless at the free throw line as well, making 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, while providing the Badgers with some necessary energy on both ends of the court.
- Max Klesmit (Wisconsin)
Stats: 11 points (3-of-6 shooting), four rebounds, in 31 minutes
Playing in his first official game in a Wisconsin uniform, Max Klesmit played well as a starter. The Neenah (Wis.) native scored 11 points with two three-pointer makes, and also should some grittiness with four rebounds and four assists.
Klesmit appears ready to be a key part of Greg Gard's team going forward.
- Kruz Perrott-Hunt (South Dakota)
Stats: 21 points (10-of-20 shooting), three rebounds, and three assists in 33 minutes
South Dakota guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt had a huge first half with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, as he took advantage of some defensive switches by Wisconsin and hit some contested shots. However, in the second half, he was just 2-of-6 from the floor and finished with four points.
Instant analysis
For most of the first half, the Badgers were unable to separate themselves from South Dakota. The Coyotes and leading scorer Kruz Perrott-Hunt consistently made tough shots from inside the arc and had an answer for everything Wisconsin threw at them, despite trailing for all but ten seconds in the first half.
Coming out of halftime with a ten-point lead, the Badgers would find a way to carry that momentum into the second half, and finally pull away midway through the second half behind some improved defense.
Overall, Wisconsin relied heavily on the three-point shot on offense against South Dakota, attempting eight of their first 12 shots from long-range and going 9-of-15 (60%) from three in the first half. Additionally, the Badgers seemed more willing to shoot the ball on open looks early in the shot clock throughout the game, demonstrating a slightly different strategy on offense at times. In general, the three-point shooting barrage worked, as Wisconsin made 46.2% of its 26 three-point attempts on the night. With four of the team's five starters scoring in double-figures and the team shooting over 50% overall, it was a good start for UW. The Badgers took advantage of South Dakota doubling the post, and converted when they had opportunities from the three-point arc.
Defensively, Wisconsin once again struggled to come down with defensive rebounds consistently on Monday night. The Badgers narrowly outrebounded the Coyotes 37-34 but allowed five first-half offensive rebounds that led to six second-chance points. However, Greg Gard and the Badgers made some nice adjustments on the defensive end to slow down the South Dakota offense in the second half. Wisconsin forced eight second-half turnovers on defense and converted them into nine fast-break points.
In general, there was a lot of good to come out of the Badgers' performance against the Coyotes, most notably a cleaner performance than the final exhibition against UW-Eau Claire.
Photos of the game
Up next
The Badgers will be back in action on Friday for a special contest at American Family Field in Milwaukee. Wisconsin will face off with Stanford in a neutral site matchup, with the tip-time set for 6:30 p.m. CST. The game will be aired on FS1.
Related links:
- Wisconsin basketball unveils new alternate uniforms
- Wisconsin lands 2024 wing Jack Robison out of Lakeville North High School
- Sophomore walk-on Isaac Lindsey awarded a scholarship by Wisconsin
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