The Wisconsin Badgers host the Montana State Bobcats on November 7th to open the Bobcats 2024 basketball season.
The Badgers are fresh off of an 85-61 win over the Holy Cross Crusaders in a game that generally looked a bit concerning. Wisconsin looked sluggish out of the gates against Holy Cross and struggled in the first-half, allowing the Crusaders to get out to a big lead. While the Badgers were able to do so and get past the Crusaders, the same result might not be possible against more talented opponent.
Holy Cross is rated as the 346th school in college basketball, according to Kenpom, while Montana State is rated as the 194th school. The Bobcats have two former top recruits in forward Max Agbonkpolo (Five-Star) and guard Jabe Mullins (Four-Star). Montana State is hoping to display a whole new team this season, and the Badgers currently stand in the way of doing so.
Wisconsin Badgers Key to Victory #1: Slow Down the Bobcats Offense By Any Means Necessary
If there is one thing that is certain, the Bobcats have a select group of players that the basketball will go to on offense. The Wisconsin Badgers will have to pay attention to Max Agbonkpolo, Jabe Mullins, and Bryce Zephir. All three players transferred into the program this offseason, and will make their season debuts against the Wisconsin Badgers.
A 6-foot-9 Matchup Nightmare 😈
▫️5 NCAA Tournament games (USC/Utah State)
▫️116 career games
▫️Former top-60 player nationallyLast Ride for @maxpolo15 ⏳ pic.twitter.com/pM8JuGdJME
— Montana State Men’s Basketball (@MSUBobcatsMBB) October 29, 2024
Agbonkpolo is a pure scorer, mainly utilizing his mid-range game and often driving to the right side to use his dominant hand. Mullins, however, is the perimeter man for the team and has his career-best season during the 2022-23 season when he was in a similar role. Mullins shot 43% from long-range during that season and averaged just two two-point attempts per game.
Zephir, however, is the glue that holds the entire offense together and likely will serve as the floor general for the team. The guard started his career off with North Texas before going to community college route, which helped develop his game to another level. Zephir averaged 10.3-points per game, but shot 36.3% from long-range and averaged 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as well.
In order for the Wisconsin Badgers to defeat the Montana State Bobcats, slowing down the offense and understanding the roles of each player will be key.
Wisconsin Badgers Key to Victory #2: Attack Agbonkpolo, Mullins on Offense
While both Agbonkpolo and Mullins are by far the biggest offensive threats on the Bobcats, the duo also makes for a weak defensive unit. The two players have combined for a career average of 0.7 blocks and 0.9 steals per game over their extended careers. Neither player is a particularly accomplished or willing defender, which could allow for many holes for the Wisconsin Badgers to slip through.
Wisconsin has players they should attack, but also players that they should likely avoid testing on the defensive side of the ball.
6-foot-10-inch junior forward BJ Kolly spent the last two seasons as Division-III Western Washington before making the major jump. Kolly averaged 2.2 blocks per game for a grand total of 74 across two seasons, and added 149 defensive rebounds across two seasons as well. The forward is a freakish athlete who has delivered superman like blocks and proven to be a tough player to score the basketball on.
In order for the Wisconsin Badgers to win, attacking the weak points on defense will be crucial as it was not done effectively early on against Holy Cross.
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