The Wisconsin men’s basketball team got its season off to a solid start with an 80-54 win over Division III powerhouse UW-Stevens Point in the Badgers’ lone exhibition game of the season.
Junior forward Ryan Evans, who has been thrust into the starting lineup this season following the departure of three seniors from last year’s front court, led the way with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes. Sophomore guard Ben Brust added 14 points of his own, while junior forward Jared Berggren and sophomore guard Josh Gasser rounded out the group of four Badgers in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The scoring outburst by Berggren and Evans was particularly welcomed, with the front court completely revamped from last season.
“I didn’t notice anything I haven’t known for a while,” senior guard Jordan Taylor said. “They know what they’re capable of, they’re really good players and they’re just getting a chance to show it now.”
“We’ve known we can do this kind of stuff,” Evans said. “But with Jon [Leuer] and Keaton [Nankivil] leaving, we know we’ve got to step up a little more.”
After a season where Wisconsin relied heavily on the scoring of Leuer and Taylor, Badger fans were treated to a much more spread out scoring attack as the Badgers managed to hit the 80-point mark despite the eight points, Taylor scored on 3-of-6 shooting. However, the senior guard made his presence well-known throughout, as he finished the game with a game-high seven assists and just one turnover.
“Jordan wasn’t looking to do anything but run the show,” head coach Bo Ryan said of Taylor. “If the shots were there then great [...] that’s when you know you’ve got a good point guard.”
The Pointers hung in the game through the first half, drawing within 10 after opening the second half with a score, but quickly fading as the Badgers size and strength began to take its toll. Senior guard Dan Tillema led the way for Stevens Point with 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to keep pace as the Pointers faded from a 62 percent shooting effort from the field in the first half to shoot just 32 percent in the second half.
“It seems like every time you play one of these games, there’s a guy who gets hot,” Ryan said. “You just can’t give him open looks and we did a much better job of that in the second half.”
The Badgers were very aggressive on the defensive end throughout the game, forcing Stevens Point into committing 18 turnovers—a high tally for a Pointer program known throughout the Division III world for its ability to take care of the ball.
While the positives were everywhere for Wisconsin, one area that will certainly get emphasis in the break down is the free throw shooting. A season after nearing setting a NCAA record for their proficiency at the line, the Badgers were just 6-for-12 from the charity stripe in the opener, a far cry from last season’s 81.4 percent season total.
“You remember its who is shooting them,” Ryan said. “Last year, the right guys got fouled, confident shooters. But yeah, it’s early.”
The Badgers now have another week to batten up the hatches before opening the regular season next Saturday against Kennesaw State. Tip off is at noon at the Kohl Center.
