The Badgers will play in their first top-25 clash of the year in a matchup against #22 Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska. Tip-off is at 7:30pm CT Tuesday night, with the game being televised on FS1. Both teams are 1-0 going into Tuesday night’s game.
Projected Starters
Wisconsin
G: Bronson Koenig (16 PPG, 4 RPG)
G: Zak Showalter (10 PPG, 2 RPG)
F: Nigel Hayes (14 PPG, 5 APG, 4 RPG)
F: Vitto Brown (0 PPG, 3 RPG)
C: Ethan Happ (8 PPG, 9 RPG, 4 APG)
Creighton
G: Maurice Watson Jr. (17 PPG, 9 APG)
G: Marcus Foster (19 PPG, 2 APG)
G: Khyri Thomas (16 PPG, 6 RPG)
F: Cole Huff (6 PPG, 1 RPG)
C: Justin Patton (12 PPG, 8 RPG)
Creighton Outlook
Creighton won their opener against UMKC, 89-82. The game was a blow out in the first half with the Blue Jays scoring 78 points in the first 28 minutes of the contest. Creighton would only score 13 points in the final 12 minutes, allowing UMKC to crawl back into the game. The Blue Jays are predicted to finish among the top of the Big East’s best this season.
Creighton’s dynamic offense is led by senior Maurice Watson Jr., who scored 17 points against UMKC and almost tallied a double-double with nine rebounds. The senior point guard was a second team All-Big East last season, leading the Blue Jays in scoring (14.2 PPG) and assists (6.5 PPG). Watson overcomes his sub six-foot frame with quickness and passion vision. Again, despite his frame, Watson is better in the paint than from beyond the arc (although he did go 3/3 from the three-point line against UMKC). He knows how to navigate through big men using his body. Watson gets to the line often, and converts his attempts from the charity stripe shooting 71.4% last year.
Marcus Foster, a Kansas State transfer, led the team in scoring against UMKC, his first game in a Creighton uniform. Foster, even dating back to his KSU days, has always been a sharp shooter. He has never averaged under five three-point attempts per game for a season, and he hoisted nine three-point attempts in the first game. Over half of his career attempts are from the three-point line.
Khyri Thomas, a sophomore guard, had a relatively average freshman season until the NIT where he had a slight breakout. His performance in the NIT led to heightened expectations for his sophomore campaign. Thomas scored 16 points in the team’s opener on an efficient 5/7 from the field. Thomas is another threat from beyond the arc for Creighton.
Creighton’s seven-foot redshirt freshmen center, Josh Patton, scored 12 points and grabbed eight boards in his first collegiate outing. Patton was one of the top recruits in the country according to ESPN.com, receiving a four star rating. Patton will be an early test for Ethan Happ’s defensive skills, providing the Badgers an early look at their interior defense.
Sixth-man Isaiah Zierden didn’t score in the season opener, but averaged 10.2 PPG last year. He only attempted one field goal against UMKC, so expect him to come out more aggressively against the Badgers, and conversely expect the same from Wisconsin’s Vitto Brown who didn’t score in the opener against Central Arkansas.
Creighton’s athleticism is going to put pressure on the Badgers on-ball defensive ability. The Badgers looked impressive on defense in Friday night’s victory over Central Arkansas, and Central Arkansas head coach Russ Pennell was very complimentary post-game on the Badgers defensive performance. The Blue Jays will look to score mainly early in transition or from the three-point line.
The defensive effort will start with keeping Watson Jr. in front, not allowing him to penetrate and get in the middle of the defense. If Watson Jr. is able to break down the Badgers defense, he can consistently find shooters or dump it down to Patton, who scored many of his 12 points off of dunks. Creighton was prone to turning the ball over, registering 17 turnovers against UMKC.