Xavier Amos expressed happiness to finally being in the NCAA tournament in his third year in college through the Wisconsin Badgers and when the game was finally played, he happily did damages.
The Badgers cruised to an 85-66 victory over Montana Grizzlies on Thursday through a team effort led by John Blackwell and Steven Crowl who scored 19 points and 18 points, respectively.
Amos, who spent his first two college eligibility with the Northern Illinois, still came from the bench and made a difference with his 11 points in 13 minutes.
“I definitely just felt the energy, the atmosphere of being here, playing with these guys all year,” said Amos, via Badger Blitz when asked about the feeling of playing in March Madness.
“Come here, try to do big things in this March Madness. It’s just a blessing here. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Only Max Klesmit did not score in double digits among starting five. He had no points but did provide four assists and played defense against the opponents’ guards.
Greg Gard on Xavier Amos main contribution
The 11 points Amos scored may not be that staggering but he is fulfilling his role from the bench. He did not score a lot like John Tonje or Blackwell but for Greg Gard, his defense is outstanding.
“I think that’s been a growing area for him,” Gard said. “Defensively continuing to get better and understanding when you can help, how to help, what your assignment is, who you’re guarding, is it a shooter, not a shooter, then how you can help your team.
“I thought defensively he got punch drove once by Pridgen in the second half where he helped a little too long and took a bad angle. Other than that, defensively I thought he did some good things.”
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