The Wisconsin Men’s Basketball team defeated the Prairie View A&M Panthers by the score of 99-55 to improve to 9-1 in season openers under Head Coach Bo Ryan.
More importantly, the basketball team outscored the Wisconsin football team who put up an astonishing 83 points on Saturday. Wisconsin’s 99 points are the Badgers’ most in a game since a 98-40 win over Gardner-Webb on Dec. 27, 2006.
By: Nick Grays
What It Means: The Badgers impressed in all facets of the game against Prairie View. Not only did they put up 99 points while shooting 42 percent (21-50) from the field, they out-rebounded the Panthers 51-16. Look for the Badgers to take control of the glass all season long as Bo Ryan preaches the importance of rebounds not only to his big men, but also to the guards.
For those of you who compare winning margins, the Badgers won by 45 compared to Marquette’s 39-point win over Prairie View on Friday.
Player of the Game: Senior Forward Jon Leuer
I have a feeling this won’t be the only time we see Leuer’s name when it comes to picking the “Player of the Game.” The 6-10 star posted a game-high 24 points and three blocks. He also added seven rebounds and an assist. Leuer showed his propensity to knock down the three by scoring the contest’s first nine points on three consecutive shots behind the arc.
Freshman guard Josh Gasser should also get credit for scoring 21 points, the second most points ever in a Badger player’s debut. Gasser looks like he could be a special player in Ryan’s system as he also hustled for nine rebounds on the night. Point guard Jordan Taylor also chipped in 20 points in 31 minutes of play.
Highlight of the Night: With a little over five minutes left in the first half, the Badgers’ Jared Berggren zipped a pass to Leuer who converted with a emphatic two-handed dunk. Berggren’s pass went nearly the length of the court on a fastbreak to give Wisconsin a 27-17 lead.
Stat of the Game: The Wisconsin Badgers were 13-31 from the three-point line including 9-14 in the second half. Meanwhile, they struggled to defend the perimeter in the first half while yielding 5 three-pointers to Prairie View. Against better and more physical teams, the Badgers may live or die by the three-pointer on both sides of the floor.
Quotables: “Yeah, I did. If I didn’t, they would be giving me an examination,” answered Bo Ryan after being asked if he liked the play of Josh Gasser.
“Josh was efficient, he almost had a double-double and had the second most point in a debut in Badger history or something like that. Maybe he’s the next Devin Harris,” said Jordan Taylor.
Leuer even responded on the pressure put on them from the football team the day before.
“Yes, definitely. We couldn’t get shown up by those guys. No, it was great to see them able to dominate like that, but we were just out there to get better. That was the main focus of tonight and I think we did that. That was our goal from day one, just to keep getting better. We don’t focus on the numbers,” said Leuer.
What’s Next: On November 16h, the Badgers welcome the North Dakota Fighting Sioux (1-0) to the Kohl Center and this time it’s not a hockey game. North Dakota is coming off a 77-46 win over Waldorf College in their season opener on Friday. Junior guard Patrick Miller led the way with 18 points on a 7-8 shooting night from the floor. Expect the Badgers to be heavy-favorites once again for the seven o’clock tip-off on Tuesday.
What were your thoughts on the Badgers’ season-opening win? Let me know by commenting below!
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