Freshman Send Badgers Into Finals With a Win

After a poor effort Saturday against Marquette, Wisconsin was looking for a bounce-back performance in their final game before finals Wednesday against Green Bay. Though the Badgers once again struggled at the starting gates, they were able to erase a 7-point first half deficit and cruise to a 65-54 win over the Phoenix.

Perhaps the most important contribution for UW was the six points from freshman guard George Marshall. After the Badgers started 1-for-10 from the field, Marshall replaced fellow guard Traevon Jackson and provided a much-needed spark with back-to-back three-point buckets to trim the Green Bay (3-6) lead to just three.

While Marshall’s spark wasn’t enough to immediately give UW the lead, the run that began with senior forward Ryan Evans’ first two made free throws was ultimately enough to put Wisconsin (7-4) ahead for good. Having watched Evans miss 8-of-9 free throws Saturday, it looked as if the early success at the line was enough to give the Badgers a confidence boost as they finished the half on an 18-2 run.

Making his second consecutive start, freshman Sam Dekker had another solid effort, finishing with 10 points and 6 rebounds on 3-of-7 shooting. But the surprise of the night had to be the performance of freshman guard Zak Showalter. The former walk-on had his most extended opportunity on the floor and made the most of it, finishing with a career-high 8 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

All told, the three freshman were responsible for 24 of Wisconsin’s 65 points, especially important with junior guard Ben Brust only able to muster 6 points on 2-of-7 shooting. The 22 points Wisconsin got from its bench was another reason it was able to overcome an inconsistent effort to get the comfortable win.

Even with the quick start, Wisconsin managed to keep Green Bay in check most of the night. The UW front line held Green Bay junior forward Alec Brown, a 7-footer with NBA potential, to just 8 points on 3-of-11 shooting before he fouled out in the final minute.

One area the Badgers are still struggling to take care of is rebounding. Wisconsin was outrebounded 35-32 Wednesday night as the Phoenix were able to grab 11 offensive rebounds and convert them into 11 second-chance points. The Badgers have now been out-rebounded 5 times this season and are now 1-4 when that occurs.

Wisconsin now has 10 days before its next game as the Badgers break for finals starting this weekend. Milwaukee will visit the Kohl Center on December 22 in UW’s penultimate non-conference matchup. The Big Ten season lies just 22 days away and with just two more games to prepare, UW looks far from ready to compete. Though Wednesday’s win certainly rights the ship, the Badgers are still squarely on the proverbial bubble as they wrap up non-conference play.