After the young Badgers notched their first signature win at #14 Syracuse on Wednesday night, their next task is Temple back at home in the Kohl Center on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The game will be televised on CBS.
Projected Starters
Projected Wisconsin Starters
G: Bronson Koenig (15.6 PPG, 2.6 APG)
G: Zak Showalter (8.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG)
F: Nigel Hayes (14.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.4 APG)
F: Vitto Brown (10.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG)
F: Ethan Happ (11 PPG, 8.5 RPG)
Projected Temple Starters
G: Josh Brown (6.3 PPG, 4.7 APG)
G: Quenton DeCosey (15.5 PPG, 6 RPG)
G: Devin Coleman (10.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG)
F: Jaylen Bond (11.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG)
F: Obi Enechionyia (11.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG)
Outlook
Temple comes into the game with a 3-3 record, but don’t let that record fool you. All three losses came against ranked opponents: then #1 North Carolina, #22 Butler, and #16 Utah. Their games against Butler and Utah were both single digit losses, so they’ve proven that they can play with some of the nation’s top tier teams. They also beat a familiar Big 10 foe Minnesota 75-70.
Quenton DeCosey leads the Owls’ balanced attack with 15.5 PPG while shooting 47.4% from the three-point line. Temple does most of damage offensively in the paint, but the Badgers will have to close out on DeCosey and Obi Enechionyia (42.9% 3 pt.) on the three-point line. Vitto Brown and Ethan Happ will also have to do a better job at protecting the paint against their interior scorers. Pass-first guard Josh Brown does most of the playmaking for leading the team in assists with almost 5 per game.
The Badgers made strides against Syracuse, but there’s still things that need improvement. Wisconsin turned it over 20 times against the Orange, which is even more encouraging since they were still able to win the game. Going forward, the Badgers need to value the ball more. The Badgers shot under 30% from the three-point line again going 5-18. More efficiency from Bronson Koenig (3-9 from the field., one assist against Syracuse) continues to be a need for if this team is going to be consistent. Nigel Hayes had some big buckets to propel the Badgers against Syracuse, but he could be more efficient as well.
For the second straight game, the Badgers are facing a short front court. They did a great job of capitalizing on this against Syracuse grabbing 16 offensive boards, particularly Ethan Happ who had 5 offensive rebounds getting the Badgers some extra possessions. Temple’s tallest starter is listed at 6’9″, which should be enough to make Happ and Nigel Hayes lick their chops.
Bottom Line
This game is much more about how Wisconsin plays than Temple. If the Badgers can keep the momentum after their upset victory on the road against Syracuse, they should be successful. Strong interior defense and continued success on the boards are the key areas on Saturday. The role players came to the aid of the superstars for Wisconsin in the Carrier Dome Wednesday night, but more production out of Hayes and Koenig is what the Badgers should be looking for to beat the upset-minded Owls.
Photo: The Sports Post