MADISON — No. 9 Tennessee withstood every run Wisconsin made in the second half on the way to an 80-70 win over the Badgers at a soldout Kohl Center on Friday night.

Player of the Game: Dalton Knecht

The Tennessee guard was a problem all night for the Badgers on his way to a game-high 24 points. He was able to get inside at will in the first half and finished some tough shots around the basket in the second. It included a huge and-1 with 7:33 left to double the Vols’ lead from three to six and quiet the fans. Whenever they needed a big play the Vols found it and Knecht was usually involved.

The good: The offense

Tennessee allowed 70 or more points just six times last year as it led the country in scoring defense. The Badgers, who struggled mightily on offense a season ago, put up 70 on the Vols, finishing at 1.03 points per possession, reaching the long held standard for efficient offense under Bo Ryan and Greg Gard. They got 17 from transfer AJ Storr, 14 from Steven Crowl and 13 from Chucky Hepburn.

They are far from a finished product on that end, though. Wisconsin shot just 41-percent for the game, including 25-percent from 3-point range. But scoring what it did against what should be one of the better defensive teams it will face this year should breed confidence moving forward.

The not so good: The defense

Defense, a staple of Wisconsin basketball for the last 25+ years, is very much a work in progress for Gard and his staff. Tennessee, which was not a great team offensively last season, carved the Badgers up in the first half on the way to 43 points. The Vols shot 55.6-percent from the floor (5-9 3P FG) and got a ton of good looks around the basket, scoring 61 of their 80 points in the paint or at the free throw line. In addition to Knecht, Josiah James had 14 points and six rebounds, while Jonas Aidoo had 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Stats of the Game:

2 — That’s how many fast break points Wisconsin managed. It was tough for the Badgers to get out on the run like they wanted when they were continually taking the ball out after a made basket.

60.9 — That was what Wisconsin shot at the free throw line. While that seems like a team issue, Tyler Wahl accounted for five of the nine misses as he went 2-for-7 from the line.

In Case You Missed It

— Guard Connor Esseigan was questionable coming into the game after leaving the opener with an injury. He ended up being able to play just 11 minutes. The sophomore scored four points and had a couple rebounds.

— The Kohl Center was sold out Friday night and gave the game a great atmosphere. The entire student section was full all the way up into the third level.

— The matchup with Tennessee was the first against a top-10 non-conference team in Madison since Dec. 2014 when Duke came to town.

What’s next?

Wisconsin (1-1) will hit the road for the first time as the team travel to Providence (1-0) to take on the Friars as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games next Tuesday.