The Badgers (1-0) did exactly what they were supposed to on college basketball’s opening night: receive their Final Four rings and dominate a lesser opponent. Head coach Bo Ryan’s squad began their 2014-’15 campaign with a 62-31 dismantling of Northern Kentucky (0-1).
The night began with the raising of the team’s 2014 Final Four banner, with graduated players Zach Bohannon and Evan Anderson participating. Ben Brust, playing overseas, was there in video form.
From there, the juggernaut that this season’s team is projected to be slowly awakened.
Northern Kentucky kept it fairly close early, only trailing 21-15 after 15 minutes of play. The Badgers then went on a 14-0 run across both halves. It was never close after that.
The Norse finished 14-of-53 from the field and spent all night settling for long and often-contested twos. The Badgers were relentlessly disciplined on defense; Northern Kentucky didn’t make a free throw until the final minute of the game.
NKU, who returned all but one of their players from last season, ranked 215th last season in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive ranks. Even given that, it’s still impressive to hold any opponent to just 26.4% shooting as Wisconsin did.
“I think we think we did really well defensively,” redshirt senior forward Frank Kaminsky said after the game. “We had a little slip-up at the end, we wanted to hold them to under 30, but it’s a good start and hopefully we can build on that.”
On offense, the Badgers’ two All-American candidates showed their firepower. Kaminsky led all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while throwing in 11 rebounds and four assists, all of which led the team.
Junior forward Sam Dekker chipped in 15 points himself on 5-of-9 shooting, but had a worrisome moment when he came up gimpy after a travel. Dekker had to miss both of Wisconsin’s preseason scrimmages due to a mild ankle sprain suffered in practice and there was a possibility he had aggravated it during the game. He later dispelled any re-injury concerns with five quick points after he came back into the game.
“We’re good,” was all Dekker had to say after the game. “It’s getting better every day. We’re good.”
It was really the entire frontcourt that seemed to drive the Badgers, as they registered 44 of the team’s 62 points. Sophomores Nigel Hayes and Vitto Brown combined for 13 points and 14 rebounds. It was Hayes’ first game as a starter and Brown’s first as a member of the regular rotation.
This frontcourt simply overwhelmed Northern Kentucky, as Wisconsin finished with a 34-16 advantage in points in the paint and 42-28 in rebounds.
"We decided there was no way we were going to stop them on the inside," NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. "They could throw it down all day long in there if we didn't commit to everyone down."
The big men also had more assists than the UW backcourt, an 8-5 disparity.
What could be worrisome for the Badgers going forward is, contrary to most recent history, their three-point shooting. UW was only 4-of-17 from beyond the arc. The Badgers lost their most assertive deep shooter from last season in Brust, and are left with a void that might take time to fill.
The guard rotation used by Bo Ryan was interesting in its implications for the rotation. Redshirt sophomore guard Zak Showalter only entered the game five minutes into the second half, meaning Wisconsin’s regular rotation of guards could consist of redshirt seniors Traevon Jackson and Josh Gasser and sophomore Bronson Koenig. Only two at most were on the floor for much of the time.
“We had all kinds of combinations out there, so I don’t get hung up on the combinations,” Ryan said. “With all the reps we have in practice, most players know two positions, some players know three positions. It’s not any big deal during the course of the game.”
Last year’s team regularly played three guards, making this a departure for Ryan. Whether or not it’s a warranted departure remains to be seen.
Still, this win’s about as strong as one could reasonably expect from the Badgers, emphatically opening a season with expectations higher than any in recent memory.
The Badgers will look to follow that up Sunday at noon as they welcome Chattanooga to the Kohl Center.
