Take away Traevon Jackson with a foot injury, add Frank Kaminsky back after a one-game concussion scare and you get a strong looking Badgers team, at least for now.
Bronson Koenig made his debut as Wisconsin’s starting point guard with Jackson gone and “passed the test,” as Sam Dekker put it, leading the Badgers (4-1 Big Ten, 16-2 overall) to a 70-55 win over Nebraska (2-3, 10-7) in the Kohl Center.
The La Crosse native registered 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and did well leading an offense that systematically broke down the Nebraska defense. He never saw the bench until there were three minutes left in the game, when Wisconsin had a comfortable 20-point lead.
The Badgers played well as a unit, with five players scoring in double digits. Kaminsky led the team with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 4-of-5 from deep. His second three of the night also made him the 40th Wisconsin player to ever score 1,000 career points.
On the Nebraska side of the ball, it was the Terran Petteway show and virtually nothing else. The senior guard registered 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting and at one point had 20 of the Huskers’ 27 points at the half. No other Nebraska player was much of a problem for Wisconsin, as no other player even reached double digits.
Coming into the game, there was a good amount of uncertainty over the outlook for the Badgers’ near future. Jackson was an important player. Infuriating at times, yes, but very important. Koenig would have to shoulder an immense load at an important position for weeks, without a true backup. His 37 minutes against the Huskers was a new career high, surpassing the 31 minute mark he set in his last game against Rutgers. While he didn’t show off his usual passing game (just one assist), he at least looked comfortable and unhesitant to attack.
With this win, the Badgers avoided the Big Ten rut that almost killed the hype for their season last year, when they lost four out of five and any semblance of an interior defense. The Big Ten is still Wisconsin’s for the taking, with Iowa as the next stop on Bo Ryan and company’s campaign.
