Wisconsin 81, St. Francis (Brooklyn) 58: Last word

November 9, 2021
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

Wisconsin got its season off to a good start with a 81-58 win over St. Francis (Brooklyn) on Tuesday night as the Badgers won their home opener for the 22nd time in the last 23 years.

Player of the Game: Jonathan Davis

Wisconsin is expecting the sophomore to do a little bit of everything this season and he obliged in the opener. He finished with a team-high five assists, no turnovers, three rebounds and a couple of steals. After a quiet start scoring-wise, he exploded for a personal 9-0 run early in the second half. It included a pair of 3-pointers and left him with a team-best 15 points (6-for-15 FGs) on the night.

With Davis on the floor, the Badgers outscored the Terriers by 23 points.

The good: Chucky Hepburn

The point guard became the first true freshman to start a season opener since Devin Harris in 2001, something coach Greg Gard had been planning since the moment Hepburn stepped on campus in June.

“I kind of said this summer, ‘Are you ready?’ And he said, ‘Coach, I’ll be ready,” Gard said after the game.

Hepburn certainly seemed ready, as he went 3-for-4 from the floor over the first 10 minutes of the game to help the Badgers build a double-digit lead. He had just one assist and a couple of turnovers but showed off some of the intensity and on-ball defense that led to him being such a highly touted recruit and one the coaching staff could not wait to work with.

“I thought he did some good things,” Gard said of Hepburn, who played 23 minutes. “I thought he got a little tired at the end. We will continue to build his endurance and conditioning but like I said, a lot of good things. He plays hard so he should get tired with the effort he puts in.”

Hepburn finished with 13 points, including going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

The not so good: Early sloppiness

It is probably to be expected coming out of the half when you lead by 21, but the Badgers start to the second half was far from ideal. Three of their 12 turnovers came in the first 1:37 after half, including two from Tyler Wahl. It allowed St. Francis to pull within 15 before Wisconsin reestablished itself.

Stat of the Game: 9

That is how many players saw at least 15 minutes of action. Gard said earlier in the week that the number of guys that will be a part of the rotation remains unsettled and will likely evolve as the season continues.

“There’s a lot of guys we have to get experience, a lot of guys we have to help grow,” Gard said. “And I think that’s the best way to develop that, develop depth is guys have to play. I try to play within reason as many as I can.”

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In Case You Missed It

— Wisconsin normally wears white uniforms at home but were in red because St. Francis’ new road uniforms did not arrive in time.

— Freshman guard Lorne Bowman was solid in his first game action in a meaningful game since his senior season was cut short in March of 2020 due to the pandemic. He ended up with nine points, four rebounds and an assist.

— Wisconsin announced before the game that freshmen forwards Chris Hodges and Matthew Mors would redshirt.

The Badgers released statements from each player on their decision:

Hodges: “I decided to take this a redshirt season as an opportunity to continue to grow and develop another year as a student-athlete, I’m still really excited about what this year will bring and the blessing of being connected with my teammates, coaches and the staff here at Wisconsin.”

Mors: “After talking with Coach Gard, the staff and my family, I thought it would be best for me in the long run to redshirt this season. “In order to get my body ready and get prepared for this level of play, both mentally and physically, I felt this was the best decision for me now.”

— Another true freshman, Markus Ilver, made his debut. The forward from Estonia played six minutes and had two points.

What’s next?

Wisconsin (1-0) will host UW-Green Bay on Friday at the Kohl Center