The Wisconsin men’s basketball team kicked off their season last night as the Badgers (1-0, 0-0) defeated Saint Francis Brooklyn (0-1, 0-0) with ease. The Badgers won 81-58 in the Kohl center Tuesday night.
With the Badgers coming into this season with almost a completely new look, there were a lot of positive takeaways that came from this contest.
Sophomore guard Johnny Davis was given the green light to start for the first time in his Badger career and he did not disappoint. Davis was explosive right out of the gate, finishing with 15 and was the leading scorer for the Badgers. Davis was able use his physical play style to shoot 6-15 from the field and hit two three point shots.
Wisconsin kept the ball rolling during the first half after going on a 12-0 run sparked by Johnny Davis, the Badgers led the Terriers 42-21.
Freshman Standout
Freshman guard Chucky Hepburn was one of the more impressive players during the game on Tuesday. Hepburn finished with 13 points, shooting 2-3 from 3-point range. Hepburn is just one of five Wisconsin freshman to score double digits in a season opener.
After the game, head coach Greg Gard noted to 247badger how Hepburn looked very impressive.
“I saw enough of his summer and knew he was trekking in that direction,” Gard said. “He didn’t seem that nervous in the starting lineup. It’s so different than 20 years ago. These guys have been in so many different atmospheres.”
The Badgers played fantastic on the defensive side of the ball, holding Saint Francis to only 39.7 percent shooting from the field. Wisconsin also hauled in four blocks along with six steals.
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The men’s basketball team will try to pick up where they left off this Friday versus Green Bay. The game is scheduled to tip at 7pm CT at the Kohl Center. The game can be found on B10+.
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