There was plenty to talk about following Wisconsin's 85-31 season-opening win over Kennesaw State. From the record-tying first half in which the Badgers only gave up eight points to the 54-point margin of victory, their largest since 2006, the season opener was certainly a wake up call to a UW fanbase heading into yet another season not knowing what to expect.
Having dismantled the somewhat one-dimensional Owls Saturday, Wisconsin (1-0) now confronts the challenge of facing the much more disciplined, multi-dimensional Colgate (1-0) team.
"We know the experience level of most teams is going to go up [from Kennesaw State]," UW head coach Bo Ryan said Monday. "They'll play better together and play better off each other on both ends of the court."
Colgate senior guard Mike Venezia and senior forward Sterling Melville scored 39 points in their 78-74 season-opening win over Binghamton, the Raiders' first season-opening win in three years. That being said, Colgate is just one of those teams that always brings their best.
"You like to play good teams earlier in the year that can prepare you for the Big Ten season and for tougher non-conference play," sophomore guard Josh Gasser said. "We know Colgate is going to be a good team, they are well coached and they run their system right."
One way the Badgers plan to combat that system is by making sure that the frontcourt remains a presence both in terms of scoring and on the boards, an area where Wisconsin's size advantage should allow them to dominate. Junior forward Jared Berggren and junior guard Ryan Evans both finished Saturday's game in double-digit scoring, with fellow junior forward Mike Bruesewitz adding a seven-point, four-assist and eight-rebound performance of his own.
Bruesewitz and the rest of the big men have focused not only on providing a boost to the team's point total, but more importantly on taking care of the little things that may show up on the box score.
"There was times when I maybe could have taken a shot but I passed up a good shot for a great shot," Bruesewitz said. "That's how you shoot 65 percent from three is when you have a lot of guys who are unselfish. Little things are so important and they contribute to why we're so efficient offensively."
The emphasis on the little things goes beyond the big men up front. Senior guard Jordan Taylor, having led the country in assist-to-turnover ratio last season, turned in another efficient performance Saturday with seven assists and no turnovers.
"Jordan is obviously a good scorer pretty much whenever he wants but teams are going to take him away," Gasser said. "He's such a good point guard that he won't make bad decisions and he will get other guys involved."
One of those guys Taylor will look for on Wednesday is sophomore guard Ben Brust. Having only seen minimal playing time during his freshman year, Brust has burst onto the scene early this year, finishing Saturday's regular season opener with a team-high 14 points coming off the bench.
"When I did get those opportunities [last season] and I watched myself not have success, it just eats at you," Brust said. "I just looked back and I said I would never let that happen again."
Brust is not alone in playing with a chip on his shoulder, as the drive to continue to improve to succeed seems to permeate the entire Badger roster.
While Colgate comes to Madison with an talented group of players primed to pull off the upset, Wisconsin simply doesn't seem ready to let that happen at this point.
