The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team dominated the Appalachian State Mountaineers 87-56 Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center, improving to 3-0 on the season.
In the third of their three home tune-up games, Wisconsin looked the most complete it has this season, receiving offensive contributions down the line and clicking defensively. The game marked a strong showing for forward Steven Crowl, whose aggressiveness led him to tie a team-high 17 points alongside four assists and two steals. Crowl had largely stayed silent in the first two games of the season, averaging only 6.5 points.
“I thought he was more determined to finish at the rim,” head coach Greg Gard said in a postgame interview. “Just playing through contact and going at people and playing physical. We’ve talked a hundred times about how he’s so unselfish, and at times too unselfish. Playing him 1-on-1, there’s not a lot of guys in the country that are gonna be able to handle him.”
Crowl’s offensive success makes him Wisconsin's third different leading scorer in its three games this season, highlighting the Badgers’ ability to score multi-facedly. In the season opener, John Tonje scored 23 points. Against Montana State on Thursday, guard Max Klesmit led Wisconsin with 26 points. As the Badgers navigate a season with plenty of question marks, their ability to receive scoring spurts down the roster speaks to the depth they have.
Tonje continued his strong start to the season, scoring 17 points and shooting 8-14 with seven rebounds and five assists. Klesmit added 15 points, shooting 5-11 with four assists and five steals. Sophomore forward Nolan Winter and junior forward Xavier Amos each added 10, further demonstrating Wisconin’s ability to score down the line.
“Offensively, we can be, you know, pretty potent because of our depth and versatility,” Gard said.
After yet another slow start, Wisconsin’s offense caught fire late in the first half, scoring 24 straight points over eight minutes. The Badgers entered halftime riding a 28-3 run.
Appalachian State took advantage of Wisconsin’s inability to find offensive rhythm and its defensive lapses, opening the game 7-8 from the field. The Badgers quickly found themselves down 17-8. Poor shot selection and a lack of defensive awareness doomed Wisconsin to another slow start, a trend that continues to grow three games into the season.
But Wisconsin quickly corrected itself and took control of the game. With 10:45 left in the first half, the Badgers began a commanding stretch, turning a nine-point deficit into a 16-point halftime lead, and an eventual 31-point victory.
In a 28-3 run, six players scored buckets for Wisconsin, including Winter, Kamari McGee, Crowl, Tonje, John Blackwell and Klesmit. And in that stretch, Wisconsin’s defense proved it can wreak havoc, forcing six turnovers, and at one point, 15 straight stops over an 8-minute and 22-second period.
“Over the course of this week and specifically today on the defensive end, finally starting to click and put some possessions together,” Gard said. “I think we’ve become more physical and aggressive.”
Overall, the Wisconsin defense forced Appalachian State into 18 total turnovers.
Wisconsin, now 3-0, has grown steadily over its three-game opening week. Appalachian State, the defending Sun Belt champions, presented a notch-up in difficulty for Wisconsin and the Badgers responded with a swift demolition.
