Author: Jerome Barnett

MADISON- The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Friday night at the Kohl Center 92-58 to improve to 2-0 on the season as senior Micah Potter led the scoring effort with nineteen points.

The Badgers had smoke coming off their fingertips to start the game. They ripped off a 25-0 run to start. The Golden Lions didn't score until nearly ten minutes into the game. Wisconsin finished with 53 points in the first half. The Badgers weren't showing any signs of fatigue despite playing a game just two nights earlier. If Wisconsin can continue to keep hot starts like this going, then they might be able to rest their starters earlier in games and keep them fresh for the grind of the season.

The Badger's success from beyond the arc was atypical. They made 52.6% of their three-point shots. Last season, Wisconsin averaged a 35.2% success mark from three-point land. In their game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Wednesday night, the team finished slightly below that by making 30.4% of their three-point attempts. If the Badgers can continue this unusual success from beyond the arc, then that'll stretch out the defense and give more room for paint scorers like senior Nate Reuvers and Potter to work with.

Freshman Jonathan Davis only racked up nine points, but he displayed an uncanny knack for hauling in rebounds against the Golden Lions. He led the team with eight total rebounds. The next closest player had five. He isn't one of the taller, six feet and four inches, or bigger, 185 pounds, players, but he was still able to fly towards the basket and clean the boards. If Jonathan Davis can continue to rack up the rebounds as he did against the Golden Lions, then that'll pay dividends as the Badgers will gain opportunities for second-chance points and also relieve some of the pressure off of Ruevers and Potter to continue to bring down most of the rebounds.