NFL
By: Melo Williams
The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team (1-1) hit the road for the first time this season to take on the Providence Friars (2-0) as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games.
Tuesday’s road game will be another early-season test in a tough non-conference schedule that will challenge the Badgers throughout November and December in preparation for Big Ten conference play.
Wisconsin and Providence meet this season as part of the eighth-annual Gavitt Tipoff Games, an early-season series between the Big East and Big Ten conferences.
Wisconsin and Providence last met in 2021 as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. In that most recent game, the Friars left the Kohl Center with a 63-58 win over the Badgers.
In 36 minutes, Tyler Wahl scored a then-career-high 16 points (7-12 FG) with five rebounds and two blocks. Steven Crowl, Chucky Hepburn, and Markus Ilver also got some playing time.
An intriguing matchup in this game is between Providence Friars star Bryce Hopkins and Wisconsin Badgers star AJ Storr. Hopkins and Storr first faced off when Storr was at St. John’s. Storr scored 15 points off 6-11 shooting in the victory over the Friars.
Hopkins led the Friars in scoring with 29 Pts, 10/20 FG, 6/7 FT, and pulled down nine rebounds.
Hopkins also led the Friars in scoring (15.8) and rebounding (8.5) in the 2022-2023 season.
This season Friars leaders are Devin Carter scoring 13.0 points per game, Jayden Pierce at 12.5, and Bryce Hopkins at 12.0. Hopkins and Josh Oduro each average 9.0 rebounds per game.
Through the first two games of the season, Providence is holding opponents to 33.3 percent shooting from the field.
Wisconsin opened up the season with a win over Arkansas State at home on Nov. 6, 105-76. On Friday, November 10 Wisconsin hosted Tennessee and the Badgers shot just 41% from the field and 61% (14-of-23) losing to Tennessee 80-70.
Tennessee never railed and shot 50% from the field while being led in scoring by Dalton Knecht with 24 points.
After the Tennessee game, Badgers head coach Greg Gard said… “I think they exploited some things consistently throughout the game.” “We could never get a handle on ourselves defensively and I think it showed. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Coach English on Wisconsin:
“They’ve been through the ringer. They played in 23 games last season decided by five points or less,” English said.
Coach English said he watched the Tennesse/Badgers game…”They play the right way. They share the ball. It’s going to be a challenging matchup.”
Chucky Hepburn leads Wisconsin with 16.5 points per game and sophomore AJ Storr 16.0 points per game. Steven Crowl averages 11.5 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game.
Conclusion:
If Wisconsin wants to beat Providence they have to play better defensively. They can’t allow the Friars to punish them with dribble drive penetration finishing at the rim or the kick-out pass for a three-point shot.
Offensively the Badgers must do a better job finishing at the rim, knocking down their threes and free throws.
Will Wisconsin bounce back and secure its second win of the season?
Overtime Game Facts:
• Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard has an 8-5 record against teams from the Big East including NCAA tournament wins over No. 1 overall seed Villanova in 2017 and Xavier in 2016, plus road wins at Marquette (2022) and at Xavier (2018).
• In a series that dates back to 1961, the Friars lead the all-time series, 4-1, which includes a 2-0 advantage for games played in Providence. The Friars have won four straight games in the series versus the Badgers.
• The first time Wisconsin and Providence faced each other was the only time the Friars were defeated by the Badgers. That game was December 16, 1961, at Madison Square Garden when the Badgers defeated the Friars, 95-84.
• Wisconsin is 102-91 all-time against teams in the Big East Conference.
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