The Wisconsin Badgers played the lone public exhibition game of the season against UW-River Falls and won 78-62.
Perhaps the most notable part of the game for the Wisconsin Badgers was when the starting lineup was rolled out onto the court. The Badgers staff opted to develop a starting lineup without a true point guard, and rather three scoring-minded guards.
Wisconsin started John Blackwell, Max Klesmit, John Tonje, Nolan Winter, and Steven Crowl against UW-River Falls.
The Wisconsin Badgers battled through the first half and launched an outside attack against UW-River Falls, which was uncharacteristic for the team. Wisconsin arguably had the advantage inside, but appeared to be working on different things from the rotation to actual plays on the court. All together, it was a solid showing for the team, but definitely not the best showing they could have had.
#Badgers starting lineup against UW- River Falls
G John Blackwell – So.
G Max Klesmit – Sr.
G John Tonje – Sr.
F Nolan Winter – So.
C Steven Crowl – Sr. pic.twitter.com/OHJmHTeVpP— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) October 30, 2024
HALFTIME: Wisconsin 40, UW-River Falls 29.#Badgers shooting 14/29 from the field. 18 of their shots have come from 3.
John Tonje/Steven Crowl with 7 each. Markus Illver with 8.
— Bucky’s 5th Quarter (@B5Q) October 31, 2024
The Wisconsin Badgers are just days away from tipping off the 2024 season against Holy Cross at home and expect to start the season in dominant fashion. However, there are some questions the Wisconsin basketball fans hope to find answers to shortly after the lone exhibition win.
How will Greg Gard Utilize Guards Camren Hunter, Daniel Freitag For the Wisconsin Badgers This Season?
The first thing nearly every Wisconsin Badgers basketball fan noticed was the lack of a true point guard in the starting lineup. Both Klesmit and Blackwell are more of scoring presences on the court than they are playmakers for other shot creators. Tonje himself is also a shot creator, and more of a scoring-minded player than he is a passer.
While that is not to say that Wisconsin will never pass the basketball, it is also concerning as each player does not have a real role currently. Often times these are things that shakeout throughout the season, and this likely will not be the starting five all year. However, it was interesting for many to see no Camren Hunter or Daniel Freitag for the Badgers to distribute the basketball.
If Wisconsin opts to run this lineup for the season, Blackwell will likely become the player the team looks to distribute the basketball. The guard has arguably the best talent out of the starters in doing so, and also poses a threat when slashing towards the basket which could open up outside shooters.
Do the Wisconsin Badgers Plan to Develop a Long Range Attack?
A season ago, the Wisconsin Badgers shot more than 25 three-pointers twice in regulation and twice in overtime last season. The Badgers managed to shoot more than 25 attempts in the first-half alone, and did not necessarily shoot the lights out doing so. With a minute left in the first-half, the Badgers went 8-for-25 from long range against UW-River Falls.
The decision to take so many three-point shots could have been a personnel decision, but it also could have been a sign of what Wisconsin plans to do this season.
UW-River Falls has two players above 6-feet-7-inches, and has largely been an outside shooting team historically. It was particularly interesting to see Wisconsin avoid attacking the inside with bigger, stronger players against the Falcons defense. This likely was a result of not having a true point guard on the court to distribute the ball, and rather multiple shot creators.
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