The Wisconsin men’s basketball team (2-0 overall) will head to face Green Bay (1-0) Saturday.
The Badgers are coming off a win against Florida Tuesday.
Playing against Phoenix will not be an easy task by any stretch, as Green Bay has an experienced and talented team.
“Playing on the road, it’s always a tough environment,” redshirt junior guard Josh Gasser said.
The Phoenix matched up against Northern Michigan in their first outing and gave them a pounding in a 71-49 victory.
“They are long, they’re athletic,” said UW assistant coach Greg Gard.
One of their playmakers is 7 feet 1 inch senior center Alec Brown, who tallied 10 points and eight rebounds last game.
“Brown is a veteran guy. He’s been there a while. We’ve played against him a lot. He’s a tremendous player,” Gasser said.
Junior forward Frank Kaminsky will most likely have the task of guarding Brown.
Kaminsky will also look to continue his offensive progression, as he has hit some important shots down the stretch, including a three-pointer against Florida.
The long ball has become an essential element to his game, something that head coach Bo Ryan has embraced in his big men.
“It’s been something I’ve been working towards,” Kaminsky said. “[Ryan] has gotten more and more confidence in me shooting the ball as my career has gone on.”
In the Phoenix backcourt is junior guard Keifer Sykes. Sykes is a quick, experienced guard.
“Anytime you have a point guard that has experience, he’s proven like he is, and you’re pretty good in the middle with Alec Brown, it always give you a chance,” Gard said.
Sykes was the leading scorer against Wisconsin in their matchup last season, scoring 14 points and adding four assists.
Last game Wisconsin had four players that played over 30 minutes, while they did not reach very deep into the bench.
“We’d obviously like to be deeper and we will be in time,” Gard said. “But obviously with these two games right out of the gate, you have a tendency to lean more on experience.”
Wisconsin has won the past three times these teams have met, but you should never count out Green Bay. Just four seasons ago, in the 2009-'10, the Badgers lost to them in overtime. The Badgers finished 24-9 that season.
Last season Wisconsin won 65-54, but Green Bay will have more returning starters than the Badgers in their upcoming meeting.
The game is set for Saturday at 7 p.m.
