Author: Zack Cherney

MADISON- After the Badgers started off strong with a 3-0 record they went into the last two weeks of non-conference play looking to continue to play strong and keep winning.

Record: 3-1

The Badgers' fourth game of the season on Friday, Dec. 4th was their first road game of the season and their first true test as they faced off against their in-state rival Marquette Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles won at the buzzer on a tip following a missed free throw by a score of 67-65. The Badgers made several costly mistakes in the final seconds, but there were plenty of areas the Badgers struggled in which ultimately led to their loss. They shot a poor 21-56 from the field and 7-24 from the three-point range. The Badgers have good three-point shooters, but they have games where they spend way too much time trying threes instead of trying to make good shots. The best performance for the Badgers was from D'Mitrik Trice who finished with 17 points, a team-leading three three-pointers, as well as six rebounds

Takeaways:

Good – Shot 16-19 on free-throws.

Bad – Too many fouls, including a foul with 0.9 seconds left in the game.

Record: 4-1

After the Badgers game against Louisville was called off, Rhode Island was chosen as the replacement for the game on Wednesday, Dec. 9th. The Badgers came away with a much needed 73-62 victory. After coming off of a crushing defeat, the Badgers were looking to improve their shooting ability which unfortunately did not happen. The Badgers were only able to shoot 20-52 overall and once again struggled from three-point range where they went 7-22. Over half of the Badgers' misses in the last two games were from three-pointers. To make matters worse, Rhode Island shot better and outrebounded the Badgers. The only thing that kept the Badgers in the lead was foul trouble. Rhode Island shot 15-25 from free throw while the Badgers shot 26-36. 11 more free throws made by the Badgers ended up being the difference. The best performance of the day was also the best of the season for any player on the Badgers. Brad Davidson, whose only points against Marquette came off four made free throws, finished the game with 23 points as well as going 12-12 from the free-throw line.

Takeaways:

Good – Brad Davidson went 12-12 from the free-throw line.

Bad – Missed 10 free throws.

Record: 5-1

The Badgers were supposed to play Northern Iowa, but after that game was canceled, the Badgers were able to add a game on Tuesday, Dec. 15 against Loyola-Chicago. The Badgers were able to come away with a 77-63 victory. Wisconsin had their best game from three-point range as they went 10-18. The only other time they had double-digit three-point makes was the second game of the season. This game showed they noticed their problems from behind the arch as they moved away from shooting so many threes while also making more of them. Davidson and D'Mitrik Trice each finished with 17 points. Another key player was Micah Potter, who finished with three made shots which all happened to be threes as well as a strong 4-4 from the free-throw line giving him 13 points. He also finished with the team-leading seven rebounds (three offensive and four defensive).

Takeaways:

Good – Moved away from shooting so many three-pointers.

Bad – Out rebounded for the third straight game.

Record: 6-1

The Badgers' final non-conference game came at home was a blow out victory over No. 23 Louisville with a score of 85-48. The Badgers had the lead from the very start of the game, as they jumped out to a 25-4 lead and never looked back. The biggest story of the game was their success behind the arch. The Badgers hit 16 threes and every player who attempted a three made at least one. Trevor Anderson, Brad Davidson, and D'Mitrik Trice each led the team with three threes. Four Badgers reached double digits in points including Micah Potter who recorded 20 points, the second 20 point performance from the Badgers in the last three games.

Takeaways:

Good – Made 16 threes.

Bad – No offensive rebounds from their starters.

In the second AP Poll the Badgers fell from No. 4 to No. 13 but then in the most recent poll jumped one spot from No. 13 to No. 12.

Looking ahead the Badgers will begin Big Ten play, which will be the story for the remainder of the season. Their first Big Ten game of the season is Tuesday, Dec. 22 at home against Nebraska (4-3). Last season these teams faced off twice and both times the Badgers came away with the victory by an average score of 15.5 points. These two teams had the exact opposite 2019-2020 seasons as the Badgers finished by winning eight in a row to finish at the top of the Big Ten; whereas, Nebraska finished by losing 17 straight and finishing dead last in the Big Ten. This game means a lot for both teams as they begin conference play, but it will come down to who can play the smartest game.

Following the game against Nebraska, the Badgers have a Christmas Day game on the road at Michigan State (6-0) which is currently the fourth-best team in the country.